5 Brilliant Built-In Bookcase Ideas For The Home
Chawton TV Cabinet from Neptune
One of the best home storage solution ideas that I’ve ever had was to build in a couple of budget-friendly IKEA Billy Bookcases in my sitting room. This home storage hack created visual interest within the room, filled an awkward and dead small space and gave us loads of shelving and scope for organisation. If you are looking to add some household storage in your own home, here are five built-in bookcase ideas to elevate your space:
The Colour Pop
Love vivid, bold colours, but don’t want to paint an entire room olive green or pillar box red? Installing a bookcase and painting it a bright shade creates a practical focal point where accessories and home decor items will be accentuated.
The beautiful olive green creates an attractive corner where the white ceramics pop. Image Credit: Elle Decor Italy / Ercole Salinaro
A brilliant bold plum shade acts as the perfect backdrop to the pink armchair. Image Credit: Simply Unique Space
Dead Space Storage
If you need more storage but don’t feel that you have much space, consider areas that are a bit ‘dead’ and could be put to better use. Rather than just placing a decorative side table in an unused corner, incorporate bookcase shelving to make your home more functional.
This corner would otherwise be a dead space, but it is filled with treasures with this slimline bookcase. Image Credit: House & Garden
What would otherwise be a tall plain wall in a hallway, I love the green bookcase framing this door. Image credit: Desire To Inspire.
Decorative Details
To make your built-in bookcase shelving more special, consider contrasting the colour that you paint the inside. Patterned or paintable, textured wallpaper makes for an interesting backdrop, while I’ve also been loving the move away from straight shelving lines to wiggle-cut edges and drawer fronts.
Image credit: Tribeza
Soane Britain wallpaper used by Elizabeth Hay Design.
I used paintable beadboard wallpaper on my own IKEA storage hack.
Library Ladder
For an authentic feel reminiscent of a characterful library, adding a rail and a hooked library ladder is a nice touch (and practical to easily reach those top shelf items). You can source vintage library ladders on eBay.
Image credit: Elle Hervin
Image Credit: Location House Of Beau
The Ikea Hack
Of course, built-in bookcases, shelving and furniture do not come cheap. While it’s a great investment for your home, the skill and time of trained carpenters may be something that is out of many people’s budgets. This is why IKEA hacks are great for DIY built-in storage. The Billy Bookcase often remains the favourite IKEA carcass to start with. Use MDF, mouldings, trim and paint to beef out the Billy and make it bespoke.
Image credit: Design 69
My ikea hack using two IKEA Billy bookcases.