Cute ways to store your books
Books beat kindles every day!
Buying books, and reading books are two different hobbies.
If you are at all bookish you will know this. The problem with both, however, is that you still end up with more books than bookshelves. In honour of International Literacy day, celebrated on the 8th of September, we thought we’d have a chat about the magic of books in our homes.
Don’t ever throw a book away.
Unless you are a cold-hearted monster, you’ll know how difficult it is to get rid of books. Every bookworm can tell you about the secret stash of books they haven’t read (yet) and how impossible it would be for them to part with the pile.
There is no shame in being a bookworm.
This is a name we proudly wear at Homemakers. We believe in the power of reading and encourage everyone we meet to read more.
How to solve the book problem?
This being said, there are certain practical considerations around having books in the house.
Bookshelves can be bulky and dangerous to kiddos
Even though we are lucky in South Africa not to have to deal with earthquakes, we should still anchor our heavy bookshelves securely. Kids (and cats) climb. That’s a fact, and a bookshelf that topples over onto a little body can be a horrible thing.
So, before we talk about brilliant book-storage plans, let’s be sure to be safe.
How to secure a bookshelf to a wall (with and without screws)
How to secure a bookshelf (WikiHow)
With that out of the way, lets talk about the cute and fun ways you can store extra books:
Stack them.
This might seem obvious, but stacking books on bedside tables, or desks, can still be done aesthetically. Stack them from largest at the bottom, to smaller on top, with their spines all pointing in one direction. You can use books to add hight to display cases, bedside tables and even the tops of smaller bookshelves. Pick books with complimentary colours, themes or looks, and use them to elevate table lamps, objet d’art or even houseplants, just make sure that there is no risk of water damage and that each plant has a deep drip tray to protect your books.
Hide them.
Not all of your books need to be permanently on display. Use a chest or a coffee table or ottoman with storage to keep your paperbacks safe. Be sure to keep mice and rats away from them as well as moisture that could cause mould. The bonus of this is that you can rotate your books and while 90% could be hidden away, you can always take out your favourites and display them on top of the chest or coffee table.
Use them.
This might be blasphemous to true booklovers, but there could be a place for this if you have multiple copies of the same book, or the book is already damaged: Make something with it. Whether you add wiring and a light fixture to make a booklight or make bookends from them, there really should be any shame in upcycling some of your books.
Display them.
This is our favourite. Be proud of your books and use them as décor items. Put up bookcases, floating shelves and racks to keep them visible but organized.
Bookshelf and bookcase design ideas
Also read our article on how to create multifunctional rooms, like reading nooks.
