Despite the growing preference for e-books and other soft copy literature, bookcases have managed to retain their invaluable significance in home design due to their potential to create a powerful visual display and their ability to showcase the literature, photos, and trinkets we'd like to share with others. Bookshelves have both practical and symbolic value, and, thus, have their own presence within your home as storage spaces and carefully curated displays of personality and lifestyle.
We’d like to give you a few tips to help the bookcases in your home live up to their full functional and aesthetic potential. Whether it’s a built-in or movable bookshelf, variables like the size, shape, and color of a bookcase and its surrounding design elements influence the statement that the shelf makes within your home or office space. Here are a few tips that may help to position and frame your bookcase for the maximum visual and practical appeal:
Add some character to the space by choosing a bookcase that contrasts in color from the rest of your décor. A dark bookcase in a brighter room will help define the space and add an interesting look to your interior. On the other hand, a brighter bookcase on dark walls will light up your interior. Wooden or wood-finish bookshelves add an elegant touch and bring warmth and character to the space as well.
A newer trend in bookcase design includes leaving the backs of the shelves open to show the color of the wall through the spaces. You can take advantage of this by painting the wall behind the shelf an accent color, or by using wallpaper to make the design of the spaces stand out in greater relief.
The choice of bookcase size will depend on the size of the room and surrounding décor. If the room is small, the bookcase should be small to medium in size. This helps the bookcase blend into the space without looking too overwhelming.
If the room is large enough, a built-in bookcase or wall-mounted shelving system covering the entire width and height of a wall looks elegant and bold. For this look, you could consider a piece like BDI’s Stiletto Shelf.
Browse through Copenhagen’s collection of contemporary bookcases and choose a shelving system you feel fits your aesthetic and functional needs.