Add storage and style with one of these amazing bookcases for your home.
25 Beautiful Bookcases You’ll Want in Your House
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Hanging Wall Bookcase: Suspended Bookshelves
The steel cable and shaft collars add style and strength to this suspended bookshelf. Build this simple set of book or display shelves in a single weekend. They're strong and stylish. By changing materials or finishes you can easily customize them to fit the décor of any room.
Get the project plans here.
Editor’s Tip: You found an old bookshelf at a garage sale, in your basement, or on Craigslist, but it needs a little TLC. Whether you use paint, stain, or some creative contact paper, here’s a look at the best-looking refurbished bookshelves to inspire you.
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DIY Bed Built-in Shelves
Nightstands are just not big enough for everything: lamp, alarm clock, phone, photos of your kids ... so books, magazines, your tablet or your cup of tea ends up on the floor. This shelf unit gives you about 10 times more space for decorative and essential stuff. And its dazzling design will transform your room. Best of all, it's easy to build with basic tools.
Get the project plans here.
You can also look at some more bookshelves for small spaces.
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Build a Built-in Bookcase
No complex wood joints, no tricky techniques—simply glue, screw and nail the parts together. Learn how to use inexpensive materials like birch plywood and standard trim to build this classic, built-in wooden bookcase.
Get the project plans here.
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Built-in Mission Oak bookcase
This built-in Mission Oak bookcase features loads of shelf space, vertical grain wood, solid oak construction and a design that can be easily altered to fit your room.
Get the project plans here.
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Leaning Tower of Shelves
This stylish but sturdy shelf unit will neatly hold your stuff - and you can build it in a day. The shelves are tough enough to hold books, while its whimsical look makes it a perfect addition to almost any room. It's a great woodworking project to give as a gift or use in your own home.
Looking for more styles? Here’s our list of different types of shelves to organize your home.
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Stylish Shelves
As far as built-in bookshelves go, this is one of the easiest projects to build yourself. We used basic building techniques and cabinets from a home center to make the construction as simple as possible. But despite its simplicity, the shelves have a custom-built look that will enhance any room.
Get the project plans here.
It’s no wonder built-in bookshelves are one of the top trending DIY projects of 2022.
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Install a Wall-Bed-Bookcase Combo
A wall-bed combination or drop-down bed helps save a lot of room in a tight basement, so consider installing this DIY Murphy bed and bookcase. It's one of many great basement bedroom ideas. Further, a Murphy bed can be super simple: Some are just an upright box that contains a folddown bed. But this is a deluxe version because it includes ample storage.
Get the full project instructions here.
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Classic Simple Bookcase
A veteran woodworker and a beginner team up to build a classic bookcase. Craftsman-style furniture designs are still popular today, and with modern tools you can build a bookcase like this classic from the Stickley catalog in a weekend.
Get the project plans here.
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Small Room Ideas: Floor-to-Ceiling Bookcase
A floor-to-ceiling bookcase shows off a small room's height while adding a lot of space-saving vertical storage. Click here to get detailed plans for building this Greek Revival-style wood bookcase.
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Bifold Bookcase Hides a Secret Room
How about building a secret room hidden behind a door that's masquerading as a bookcase—just like in the movies? Not sure how to build the entrance? Well, just buy a kit. These bookcase doors from Woodfold Manufacturing are perfect for disguising the secret entrance. The bifold-style doors look like a typical bookcase when they’re closed. In fact, you can even load up the shelves with 500 lbs. of books or knickknacks. The doors slide open along a steel roller system at the top and the bottom to reveal the secret room.
Each bookcase door has a fixed middle shelf and four adjustable shelves. The doors are available in hardwood veneers, MDF or vinyl-lam. Bookcase sizes range from 36in. to 66in.wide and up to 96in. high. Order them directly from the manufacturer. The system, weighing 400 lbs., will show up on a single pallet. Prices start at $2,200 (plus shipping) for the entire system.
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Hidden Bookcase Storage
You can easily create a hidden storage space that is concealed with a bookcase. When you need to get into the space, just pull the bookcase out and then push it back to hide your treasures when you are finished. Plus: How to build a bookcase
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Crate Bookcase
Create a stylish bookcase on wheels from some old crates. Check out the complete plans here.
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Plaid Bookshelf
Cait Miller from Little City Farmhouse gave this old bookshelf a new look with some fresh paint. She painted a plaid pattern on the back which is a good contrast with the gray-blue color used on the outside and the shelves. Learn how to refinish furniture from a pro.
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Victorian Bookshelf
This Victorian-style bookshelf was painted white for a fresh look. It would not only work to store books, but also to brighten up a dining room where it could be used to store cookbooks and decorative mugs. The beveled mirror insets add to this bookshelf’s uniqueness. Here are 12 ideas for organizing with open shelving.
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1970s Steel Bookcase
This tall, steel bookcase with adjustable shelves is refinished in lime green. If you’re looking to bring some bright color to a room, try painting an old bookcase in a bold, unexpected hue.
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Chalk Paint Bookcase
Here’s a DIY bookcase that was made 20 years ago and recently refurbished with white chalk paint. Chalk paint gives furniture a distressed and antique look, perfect for some decorating styles. Learn how to finish and protect your chalk paint projects.
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Turquoise Bookshelf
If you find a perfectly sized bookshelf that needs a little TLC, try experimenting with different paints and painting techniques. This bookshelf is finished with a bright base coat and then has a top coat in a different hue. Milk paint can give your furniture a similar look.
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Patterned Bookcase
This refurbished bookcase was finished with a rich, glossy black paint and features a patterned backing. Depending on the finishing method you choose, you can make an old piece of furniture fit in with your classic decor.
Wait, look closer. This is actually a piece of refurbished Barbie furniture! Gotcha! Here are 14 not-tacky ways to use contact paper.
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Marry Form and Function
This former chicken coop was turned into a light, bright, streamlined, and serviceable office extension for Goop HQ! Designer Melanie Burstin festooned wall-mounted bookcases with offerings from the respective departments (in this case, gorgeous home goods) to distinguish each team’s area.
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Keep Contrasts to a Minimum
In this living room by Cory Connor Designs, built-ins flank the window seat and disappear into the wall color, giving the appearance that the books are floating. This is ideal for bibliophiles who need lots of storage.
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Infuse Artistic Flair
Dreaming of a workspace that encourages creativity? Take a cue from Virginia-based designer Raji Radhakrishnan. Her office merges contemporary and artistic touches like pop art prints, hand-carved wooden artifacts, and a slew of inspiring reads.
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Use Bookcases as a Backdrop
Bored of blank walls? Paint is expected, but built-ins (like those in this boho Brooklyn loft) are a clever way create a beautiful backdrop and add some much-needed organization for your beloved books and treasures from your travels.
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Create a Cozy Home Library
Ultimately, the success of a home library is measured by two things: Functionality and pleasurability (meaning it needs to be a pleasant place to flip through pages). This rustic sanctuary hits the mark on both counts. The comfy lounge chair, framed by a large window, invites you to have a seat next to the floor-to-ceiling bookcase filled with your favorites — what more can you ask for?
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Go Vertical
Take advantage of every square inch. Kristin Jackson of The Hunted Interior took it upon herself to make this black beauty. The built-in, floor-to-ceiling design displays a carefully curated selection of books and decorative objects.
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Versatile Crates
This crate bookcase works great vertically as well as horizontally.
Next, learn how to stabilize a bookcase on carpeting.
