“When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes” – Erasmus
Is your home suffering from too many books or just not enough places to store them all? If you are like me, and Erasmus, books hold a special importance in your household. But if you find that you aren’t able to fit them all on your bookshelves, consider some of the more creative places that people store their books.
Okay, I will start with me. I have to admit that I have a number of books being stored in a bedroom armoire. Okay, so it is only the bottom part of the armoire, plus maybe a bit of shelving above the armoire and maybe the very top of the armoire. Hey, books are more important than clothes, right?
I once had a friend who stored all of his books in a spare bedroom–the whole room. This makes perfect sense to me. Of course it made having guests over a little difficult, until he built a platform over his books and turned a pile of books into a bed.
I’ve also heard that many people store their books in old freezers or refrigerators. The airtight seal helps keep out light and insects. This gives new meaning to the term “midnight snack.”
Okay, so those ideas are a little out of the ordinary.
If you want a bit of book storage that is a lit more artful, you can try one of the following creative suggestions instead.
Mount a window box on a wall and fill it with books standing up on end. You can remove the dust jackets of hardcover books to create a more rustic feel. This might be an especially cute idea for cookbooks in the kitchen.
If you have a staircase, you may be able to use the underneath space for books with either open or closed storage. Have a carpenter examine the space to see if shelves can be built.