With more books than square footage, it can be hard to find room for everyone in your apartment. Fortunately, books can be beautiful, with their different sizes, colors, and even textures, so they are not only great entertainment, but can also be used as decoration! that’s where the creativity (and a lot of rearranging) comes in.
If your collection is growing month to month and you’re having a hard time storing it, read on to discover 15 creative ways to store books in your apartment.
You are reading: How to store books in a small space
1. batteries on batteries
Living in a small space means using every possible corner you can. something wrong with the towers of books on the ground? We definitely say no! stacking books on the floor adds a romantic, bohemian vibe. Overall, it’s a creative way to express your style.
• Arrange them sorted by color or more randomly depending on what you prefer.
• stack them at different heights along the baseboard, next to your bed or sofa (a side table with books, anyone?), tucked away in a corner supported by two walls, or under a window for a cool look. striking.
• turn the spines out to create a color scheme or turn them in for a cohesive, more organic look.
• stack them (vertically or horizontally) under your desk, end tables, or the coffee table.
tip: not sure if you want to store your favorite books on the floor? lay down some newspaper or cloth to protect the covers. This way, when you want to add or change batteries, you can simply slide it all out at once and then push it back in without damaging your books.
2. small collections here and there
Do you have a little free space on your bar cart, desk or TV cabinet? Take some books and place them to the side or in the middle, with small decorations or a plant to liven them up.
• tip: group them by author, alphabetically, by series, or color (just like the starter edition!) for extra organization points.
3. align them
one aspect we love is the books lined up on the wall or along it under a window sill (mixed with some plants, of course). then all you have to do is pull up a comfortable chair and you’ll have the coziest reading nook with plenty of natural light.
• tip: If you have a ladder, walk-through wall (also known as an opening in a wall from room to room), or spare shelf in your apartment, it’s also a great place to line up pick up your books!
4. the magic floating library
As we mentioned before, when you’re organizing a small home, floating shelves are key. The great thing about floating shelves is that they don’t take up any floor space (and they can be very affordable!).
try hanging a floating library (or two) on top of:
• sofa
• tv (above, below and beside)
• bed
• desktop
• windows
• doors
See Also: Top 33 Best Baking Books Of All Time Review In 2022
• odorless
If you have a high ceiling, fill the top space with books you’ve read and use a ladder when you need to reach them or add to the collection. there are a lot of nice stairs out there, so you can make it part of the look (without looking like you borrowed them from your dad).
• Tip: Speaking of stairs, a sloping ladder bookcase is also a great place to store books in your apartment.
5. a wall of dream books
Do you have a free wall or two in your apartment? we think a wall or hallway full of books is absolutely dreamy (just like 68% of our instagram followers, who voted that they prefer a wall of books to a giant TV).
How can you create a wall-to-wall library at home?
• Floating Shelves – Again, this is an inexpensive way to fill a wall with books – in your dining room, hallway, living room, bedroom, or anywhere you have space.
or ikea has plenty of affordable floating shelf options – check them out here.
• cubic shelves: uniform, affordable and customizable. you can start small and add more as your book collection grows.
or ikea’s kallax series is a great place to start, with cubed storage that grows from four units to 25, and everywhere in between.
• floating cube shelves: combine floating shelves with cube shelves and you get floating cube shelves: ta-da! tons of room for books.
Before installing the shelving wall, consider painting the wall a color that coordinates with the shelving to make a statement and blend the shelving into the space. then your books will really look like they are floating and part of your decor!
Tip: We also recommend installing shelving only during the day, out of respect for your neighbors. we understand that nightly buzz of creative energy, but we use that time to brainstorm and plan.
6. sitting on a bench of books
Do you have a bench in your hall, entrance, dining room or at the foot of your bed? fill the space below with tall books or magazines!
• tip: stack books in space horizontally or vertically, depending on the size of your books. you can also change the pattern for a super unique look.
• psst: Now that I think about it, if this bench is purely aesthetic, why not stack books on top of it neatly and cleverly too?
7. the gateway to dream readings
add free-standing or floating shelves to the left, right and above a door or window frame to create the door of your dreams.
from the dining room to the kitchen, from the living room to the hallway, or from your bedroom to the bathroom: you choose the entrance.
8. book baskets
If you’re a bit of a neat freak and prefer your home to look organized with everything in its place, consider using wicker, wire, wood (cages), or fabric baskets to store your favorite books. Whether placed on a window sill, shelf, or table, a basket will act as a beautiful display and hold your books neatly for easy grasping and carrying.
• Tip: You can also group books in baskets on the floor under your TV, next to your sofa or coffee table, in a closet, under a chair or table, on the corner of a room, and wherever they fit.
9. library wall divider
See Also: Jan Karon – Audio Books, Best Sellers, Author Bio | Audible.com
If you live in a studio or bachelor pad (or just need to create space away from roommates), try creating a room divider made from a large bookcase.
a tall bookcase (like one of these from ikea) will divide up your space and add tons of book storage, and there you have it, a win-win situation! just pull out a book or two to look in the other room or talk to your roommate.
10. a closet reader
If you have extra closet space in your apartment, we suggest you use it for a hidden library. linen closets with lots of shelves are perfect, but regular closets always fit inside a bookcase.
Many of our apartments have tons of closet space, so if you’re a heavy reader who needs a lot of storage space, you may find your perfect home with minto apartments.
• psst: Most rental buildings also offer storage lockers, so you can store seasonal clothes and use your apartment closets to store books!
11. awkward corner?
Do you have one or two strange and seemingly unusable corners in your space? enter: a corner bookcase! is the perfect answer to your question, “what can you do with an awkward corner?”
corner bookshelves + your book collection = a formula we can stand behind. we are dedicated to utilizing every square inch of space to the fullest!
12. a book bed border
There is so much underutilized space in the bedroom: the headboard, the foot of the bed, the sides of the bed, and under the bed. why not surround yourself with the books you love? This is how:
• simple: stack them.
• Install floating shelves to create a bedside library. make sure you hang it high enough so you don’t hit your head!
• Place a shelf at the head, foot, or bottom sides of the bed.
• Whether you have space under the bed to stack books or buy a bed frame with under-bed storage, both work great.
13. rotary reader
Rotating shelving isn’t just for stores. Whether it’s freestanding, placed in a corner, or against a wall, a bookshelf that turns means more books stored in a smaller space, and we can’t argue with that.
14. moving on to the readings
how could we not love a cart with wheels with stands? especially a few side by side, against a window sill, or along any wall. They have compartments that are the perfect size for grouping books by color, author, genre, or read vs. read. unread.
15. get truly creative
A final tip on where to keep books in your apartment is to think outside the box. see what you have and get creative with it.
• Do you have a skateboard, a suitcase or a guitar case? hang them on the wall and use them as a super cool bookshelf, totally yours.
• Do you have books you’ve read many times but don’t want to say goodbye to? create book wall art with them!
Happy rearranging, remodeling, and reading! don’t forget to tag us in your book organization hacks on instagram (@mintoapartments).