Think your home is too small to have a library? I just might prove you wrong! Plus, I did it in a small 1,500 foot rental home! This means I had to get extra creative. It’s just Roy and I, but I managed to fit a music studio for Roy, an office for me, a photography studio area, an exercise area, a craft room and a library all into the 1,500 square feet. My library nook is the one I’m most proud of.
The Nook Itself
I converted a dining room into a library on one side and craft room on the other by utilizing tall bookshelves as room dividers. Though the library portion is fairly tiny it’s still large enough to fit in an awesome old wood chair my daughter made over for me and a lamp to read by. I added some really fun decor items and all my shelves are labeled by categories using gold labels.
Organizing Books By Category
Our library consists of mostly non-fiction books and I’ve labeled my shelves by category with really nice gold inkjet stickers (equivalent to Avery 5267). I’ve included the template for the labels I personally use if you’d like to download it.
Download the Template
Replace the text with your own and delete any text you don’t need.
How It All Looks
The dining room was off the living room.
As it’s just Roy and I we have a small table in the kitchen. You can see the doorway.
My divider wall of bookshelves.
Behind this nook area is my larger crafting area which also has bookshelves back to back.
Decorating : My Favorite Part!
These are large family photos taken when we all went to a costume party dressed as pirates. Seemed like a good spot for them!
There is a post coming SOON that shows how you can make a lamp with a message using only paper! Subscribe to get notified!
My daughter bought me this large reading fairy years ago and it’s been in my library ever since. You’ll also notice the battery operated twinkle lights. I love twinkle lights!
(Amazon has a huge selection. Save yourself some heartache and get LED!)
A Jar of Bookmarks
I have a few fiction books in my library. They are mostly beautiful photo books on fairies, gnomes, dragons, etc. I decorated that shelf appropriately with a dragon sculpture my daughter made and with some dragon eggs including the bell jar display that I made. Bell Jar Tutorial Dragon Egg #1 Tutorial Dragon Egg #2 Tutorial
So if you own a lot of books and think there is no place to put them I bet there just might be some tiny spot you could turn into your own library nook! As the old adage says: Where there’s a will there’s a way!
For a little help redoing your own rooms download our FREE ROOM MAKEOVER KIT!
What a great idea. I’m always looking to find ways to store books, and I never seem to have enough space. Thank you. Your website is full of inspirational ideas!
You’re so welcome Mary. Thank you for visiting and commenting!
oh my, i would love a library nook! perfect.
b
Thanks!
This looks really great. I wonder if I can’t hire you to come and organise my books? I have books everywhere. In every room and on every open surface. It is totally out of control. I love your system. It looks like something I need to do during the holidays.
Stopping by from LouLou Girls.
lol! Yeah there’s been plenty of times I wish I could have hired someone! Takes a bit of work but it sure feels good when its done! Thanks for visiting!
How wonderful, I love it!!
Thanks Cheryl!
So lovely! Bookshelves make me happy (I’m a librarian). Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty 🙂
lol! Me too Brittany!
I like it! I have a small house, too. I hope to turn a wide hall into a library.
Oh I just had a quick flash of that… a wide hallway would be awesome lined with bookshelves!
Ooh; I *really* need to organise my books and I have been hankering to move my furniture around lately… you have certainly given me food for thought 🙂
Glad to help inspire any way I can!
Genius idea! Love that the room now has two purposes.
Thanks Sharilee! Being in a small home forced me to get creative! Thanks for visiting!
What a BEAUTIFUL library!!!! I love having a library and I love how you did yours… I have more room… and LOTS more books, and I feel that a library is very important to our home… glad to see it being done so beautifully. 🙂
Thanks you! I use a Kindle now for most of my reading but I’ll never get rid of my hand son “books”. There’s something special about those. Ü
OH MY Goodness, what a delightful room. It is something that I have been kicking around in my mind too. Especially since it is down to one, the children grown and move away years ago and my dear sweet husband is now an angle watching over me. When you walk into my home the the door opens into a large living-room. There is door to the right opens to a former small bedroom 11-1/2 by 8-1/2 feet and a small closet. My plans are to remove the door and have an archway [like the entrance to you NEW room.
For now, my plans are to make the room into a sewing/craft room. Eventually I am placing a small kitchen in that room. The larger archway will give it a bright country home look and feel. OH MY, I just love your blog and the similar ones that I subscribe to they have such wonderful ideas. As soon as I complete this job I will send pictures. Thanks again for making a bright spot in my day. ~ Kathleen
Thanks so much Kathleen! It wounds like you and your husband have some wonderful plans in the works! I love making my “home” unique and mine… so to speak. I so appreciate your comment. Good luck on your projects!
Great use of space. I love your little library! Popping over from Thrifty Thursday. 🙂
Thank you Heather!