While having a lot of books around your house can do wonders for making you feel smart and improving the general ambiance, every bibliophile knows just how much of a pain moving, storing, and organizing these tomes can be. While basic bookshelves will suffice, those who don't have the budget or just want something a little more stylish may want to seek out alternative book storage solutions. That's where these awesome inspiration pins can come in handy, offering ideas on how to store books in a small space, build your own shelves, and create the most amazing home library. You don't need a degree in interior design to achieve these looks.
Inspiration
Use these pins to inspire your own book storage solutions.
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Round coffee table storage.
An old spool gets new life as a table and a home for a great collection of old books in this stylish pin.
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Tiered book rack.
This tiered display makes it possible to not only keep books accessible but also to show them off like they're works of art.
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Library book bin.
Can't remember when to return your books? This clever solution will ensure that all of your library materials stay organized and get returned in a timely manner.
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Vertical shelves.
This shelf, sold through Design Within Reach, turns the traditional bookshelf quite literally sideways.
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Book crates.
Old crates can be used to build a bookshelf like the one featured in this pin, saving money and providing a great place to store books, shoes, and art.
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Messy chic storage.
If you prefer a vintage, unpolished look, use this pin as inspiration for your book storage. It's messy and obviously well-used, but also comfortable and charming.
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Cookbook storage.
You need a place to house your cookbooks, too, so look at this pin to find a great example of kitchen book storage.
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Shelf curtain.
Is your book collection not exactly aesthetically pleasing? Hide it with a shelf curtain like the one seen here.
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Creative-minded storage.
Eclectic and bohemian, this stack of crates stores books, art, and plants.
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Literary bedside table.
With this great nightstand, you can keep all of your reading material (or whatever else you'd like) right by your bed.
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Painted back bookshelf.
The simple color pop at the back of this bookshelf may just inspire you to paint your own book backdrop.
For Kids
One of the greatest things you can do for a child is to inspire a lifelong love of reading in him or her. These book storage ideas for kids will make sure that the youngsters in your life will always have books at hand.
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Car storage for kids.
With this DIY project, you can create a place to store and organize books in the car, which can keep kids in the backseat busy while you drive.
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Wall-mounted bins .
This simple solution allows you to organize children's books while keeping them accessible and easy to grab.
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Wall of children's books.
Want to instill a love of reading in your little one? Copy this inspirational pin that has one entire wall of a nursery dedicated to books.
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Bedside book storage.
Kids can read themselves a bedtime story when you install bedside book bins like those showcased in this pin.
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Tree bookshelf.
Kids will love storing their books on this tree-shaped shelf.
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Wagon storage.
An old wagon can be a great place to house a collection of children's books.
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Wire basket storage.
Wire baskets are simple and durable, making them the perfect place to stash your kids' books.
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Fabric hanging storage.
Some fabric and a metal bar can combine to make cute and kid-friendly book storage.
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Dresser side pockets.
As you can see in this pin, it just takes a few shelves to transform a dresser into a dresser-bookshelf combo.
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Kid-friendly stair storage.
Storing books on the stairs isn't just for the adults in the house. Here, you can see how to turn the stairs into a kid-friendly reading retreat.
Enviable Libraries
You may not be able to afford to emulate these library spaces exactly, but you can use them as inspiration for book storage in your own home.
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Wall of bookshelves.
A wall of bookshelves, punctuated with a window seat, helps make this room functional and attractive (not to mention jealousy-inducing).
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Amazing library.
Spanning two stories, this wall of books comes complete with a ladder for reaching tomes on the top shelves.
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Colorful library.
Painted shelves, colorful beams, and bright furniture help make this library space bright and unique.
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Book nook room.
Usually, small spaces at the top of stairways are just wasted space, but not in this pin. Instead, the space has been outfitted with loads of bookshelves and a cushy bench for reading.
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Amazing workspace.
Modern, beautiful, and loaded with books, this workspace will make you want to move right in and never leave.
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Round room with shelves.
While most libraries are in square, run-of-the-mill rooms, this one breaks the mold. It's a round room that's loaded with books and shelves, not to mention cozy-looking furniture for reading.
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Dream library.
Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld doesn't only have access to the best fashions (though whether or not he wears them himself is debatable), he also has a library that would make any bibliophile weep.
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Simple storage.
It doesn't get any more basic than these white, horizontal shelves that leave plenty of room for storing books of all sizes.
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Luxe library.
This pin showcases a library that will make you green with envy, as it combines great light with warm and cozy furniture.
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Double decker library.
Looking for a library to drool over? This should get you started. Spanning two floors and with a dedicated walkway, this library space is definitely enviable.
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Thoroughly modern book storage.
Sleek and modern, these shelves may make you a bit jealous of how organized they make a book collection look.
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Unbelievable office space.
This office has one of the coolest bookshelves of all time. Not only does it use a ladder, it's also round and placed in the ceiling of the room.
Small Space
Trying to find a place to put all of your books when you don't have much space to begin with can be tough. Use these pins to get some unexpected storage solution ideas.
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Underbed library.
While this pin documents a serious movie fan's storage solution, it could just as easily be used to house books, stowing them under and above the bed until you want to read them.
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Using every inch of space.
Attic rooms don't provide a whole lot of vertical space; unless you go all the way up to the roof, that is. In this pin, you'll see just that, as books are stowed from floor to ceiling.
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Elevated sofa storage.
This sofa is both bookshelf and seating solution, keeping books you want to read or reference close at hand.
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Fireplace books.
Have a home with a non-functioning fireplace? Use it to store books instead, so it's not wasted space.
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Top of the room book storage.
You're probably not using wall space at the top of your rooms, so why not turn it into a place to keep all of your books?
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Bookish stairwell.
This stairwell is loaded on all sides with books, a great solution for those with a large library and not a lot of space.
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Minimalist stair storage.
Simple and clean, this storage solution makes use of the space under the stairs to house books and collectibles.
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Back of the door storage.
If you don't have much room for books, make every space count, even the back of the door. It sounds strange, but it's totally possible as you'll see here.
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Landing bookshelves.
Have a landing that's not being used? Turn it into a mini-library with a little inspiration from this pin.
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In-ceiling storage.
While not for everyone, those looking to make the most of their space can stash books on beams in the ceiling, like those seen here.
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Over-the-door shelves.
Transform the space over your doorways, even if it's not quite as expansive as the space shown here, into bookshelves you can use to store your favorite reads.
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Book storage origami.
These shelves can loaded up, then stowed away or used as a coffee table, making it an amazing small space solution.
Creative
From the artistic to the unconventional, these book storage ideas are incredibly creative.
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Infinite book loop.
This amazing shelf stores books in a circular shape, and readers can sit in the middle to read their selections.
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Squiggle shelf.
Check out this pin for an undulating book shelf like no other you've ever seen.
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Hanging book storage.
Book storage solutions don't have to stack books on their bottoms. In this example, books are hung from a wall table and a coffee table.
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Balanced pipe shelf.
Who knew that a collection of pipes could make such a wonderful place to store books?
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Book bookshelves.
This clever product has turned a book into a shelf that can support a collection of other books.
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Custom book block.
You won't need bookends when you take on this great DIY project that gives you a custom reservoir for holding books of different sizes.
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Narrow shelves.
These narrow shelves are an avant-garde way to organize your books.
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Beehive bookshelves.
These modular shelves provide a great space to store books, but are also unique and stylish and could help to really make a room.
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Unconventional bookshelves.
These bookshelves show off some shelves with unusual shapes and sizes, making room for pretty much anything you want to store there.
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Stair stacks.
You don't need built-in shelves to use your stairs for storage. You can just stack books on the steps.
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Diagonal book storage.
Dozens of wooden diamonds make up a beautiful book storage solution. You can see another example of diagonal storage here.
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Suitcase storage.
An old suitcase is an ideal place to keep your favorite travel guides and books.
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Spiral shelf.
Think outside the box by investing in a great spiral shelf like this one.
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Alphabet shelf.
It's not especially practical, but what it lacks in storage space this alphabet shelf from Kayiwa makes up for in style.
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Door bookshelf.
There isn't really much that's cooler than a secret passageway in a house, except perhaps a secret passageway that's also a bookshelf.