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Looking for creative bookshelves & bookcase ideas? These bookshelves were created by independent top designers around the world. Note that not all of these products are available for purchase, and some are just prototypes, so use these for inspiration for new ideas. See our post on unique bookshelves to view products you can buy online today!
1. Readme – Bookshelf and Reading Lamp Combo Unit
German designer Peter Bockel has designed Readme, a multipurpose furniture unit that acts as a reading lamp and bookshelf. In the designer’s words, “Readme is the convergence of a lamp and a shelf. Standing on four legs it also is lightly influenced by the characteristics of a small chest. It still holds the traits of a lampshade which is broken up by shelving. In addition, there is a small storage space at the top. The extrapolation of the two convergent origins is the decisive point. Used materials are white maple and coated steel.”
2. Simple Slightly Curved Bookcase – Boox By Ronald Knol
Boox is a simple and modern bookcase designed by Ronald Knol. In the designer’s words, “The elements of this bookcase are based on the books themselves. The individual parts of this bookcase have a subtle curve, which emphasizes the link with the books. The elements are available per item so that you can make your own composition.”
3. Wonderful Reading Room Furniture – Chair Bookcase
It’s probably the most compact reading room multifunctional furniture ever designed. It’s like sitting on the bookcase full of books. Designed by Gail Peter Borden and it comes in many kinds of wood like walnut, CDX ply, and Birch. The main feature of this chair bookcase is you don’t have to get up and walk to fetch another book as all books are within your reach. This chair bookshelf can hold more than 400 books. So you can simply sit and comfortably read any book of your choice. If you want to have your own library but don’t have space in your house then this chair bookcase can fulfill your dream.
4. Cross-Ropes Bookshelf by Tamas Bozsik & Kata Mónus
Cross-Ropes is a unique bookshelf created by Hungarian designer Tamas Bozsik in collaboration with Kata Mónus. The storage furniture is made of locally grown natural materials – ash wood and linen rope. According to the designers, “‘Cross-Ropes’ is a storage function with an expression mix of a hard and soft, using locally grown natural materials – ash wood and linen rope. One rope is pulled all over the corpus and a tightening mechanism at the bottom of the furniture makes it possible to retighten the ropes over time.”
Photography: Anita Boldog
5. Funky Book Shelf Inspired By PacMan
This bookshelf is inspired by the PacMan game. It is minimalistic and modern furniture, designed for a funky and beautiful living room. This shelf comes with a striking combination of colors such as yellow, white, brown and black. It creates an atmosphere comfortable for people who are young at heart. As in the picture, the bookshelf combined with LCD TV gives a futuristic look to your living room.
6. A Simple “Bookcase” by Aissa Logerot
French designer Aissa Logerot has designed a horizontal bookshelf called Bookcase. The design of this storage unit is very simple. In the designer’s words, “Bookcase is a new concept of bookshelf conceived horizontally, where books can be arranged flat. The wooden structure suggests the simple shape of a tree trunk cut into planks. This superposition principle and this visual effect of « empty and full » changes our perception of the piece depending on our view angle. The furniture is designed as an island for readers which can be placed in the middle of a living room. With its two front sides and the upper plank at seat height, Bookcase combines the function of bookshelf, console, low table, and bench.”
7. Babel Bookshelf: 5-Tier Conical Treelike Bookshelf
Babel is a five-tier bookshelf with a trunk-like, conical form designed by Mario Mazzer for Bonaldo. In designer’s words, “Babel is a truncated-cone form library excavated asymmetrically to create faced to store books, newspapers, and articles. A sculptural image with a special groove that acts as a containment for newspapers and magazines. The surface is irregularly striped and recalls the natural elements as might be the trunk of a tree. The circular base allows this beautiful object for easy insertion into any home and business use. The shelf is made of polyethylene rotationally molded in different colors.”
8. Modern Book Shelf And Storage Cabinet With Built-In Night Reading Lamp From Wha
Designer Tembolat Gugkaev has designed an innovative and interesting wardrobe cabinet or book shelf for the company Wha. Combined with a good study chair or sofa this cabinet can be used as book shelf in the day along with reading lamp at night. This will enhance the style of reading or living room with its simple and elegant design. Combined with the functionality, this cabinet is truly versatile. The different illumination colors used in shelf lights makes its elegant. A must have furniture for every book worm in his reading room.
Did any of these meet your need for the coolest bookshelf around? There are many more if you keep searching.
9. Cave Bookcase With Reading Space By Sakura Adachi
CAVE is a unique bookcase designed by Sakura Adachi which also doubles as a comfortable reading lounge with in-built reading lamp. The Cave bookcase provides a private reading space within its form. As a seat height is just above the floor, CAVE gives a feeling of hiding from others standing around it. Books can be stored on both sides. Therefore, CAVE can also functions as a partition of a room. Check out the pictures.
10. Attractive White Book Shelf To Change The Living Room Decor
If you want decorate your living room or reading room in a great way, this unique and attractive furniture can do that. It’s made by single shelf of size 25mm and joined together with more similar shelves to make the structure that would bring a new look to your home decoration. The main concept of this design is to create storage space and style of your desire. This single piece of shelf is called Arie and is made of solid oak and white powder. Combined with the neutral color white this book shelf has a minimalistic look and it’s very easy to install and remove. It will definitely give that futuristic look to your living room or reading room.
11. Simple and Minimalist Wire-Frame Bookshelf Design
Modern storage furniture units like bookcases and bookshelves are small in size, simple in design and minimal in appearance. Tensor Voting, an unusual and uneven wire-frame bookshelf designed by Giulio Parini gives new meaning to the words simple and minimal. This modern storage bookcase is actually a set of few metal rods and connectors which can be bolted in the wall in infinite configurations which looks like geometrical patterns. The shape and size of the bookshelf can be changed easily. The Tensor Voting is a furniture which shows the stored items, the wall on which it’s mounted and itself in an artistic way. Check out the pictures.
12. A Reading Light, A Bookmark And A Bookshelf combined – Lili Lite
Lili Lite designed by Studio Smeets Design is a reading light, a bookmark and a bookshelf combined into one smart product. A sensor turns off the light when an open book is placed on the shelf. When the book is picked up again, the light automatically turns on. Lili Lite also has a switch to turn the light on and off manually. Lili Lite is a witty design that combines function and style in a simple but ingenious way.
13. Tree-Shaped Bookcase by Kostas Design
Kostas Design has created this unique kid’s bedroom furniture called Bookcase Tree. The furniture set is actually a Do-It-Yourself assembly kit where you can arrange and rearrange the bookcase to suit your needs. The bookcase designed like a tree brings a fresh feeling and look to your kid’s room interior. Made of plywood with European Maple finishing, the Bookcase Tree is available in variety of colors and sizes.
14. Combo of Stairs and Library Bookshelves
There’s nothing cozier than a full library and reading area for a rainy day – or really any day. This ingenious design incorporates bookshelves along the staircase as well as many reading nooks for drifting away in literature.
Rotterdam-based practice Maxwan Architects + Urbanists have renovated an old barn located on a 2ha site bordering the river Linge in Geldermalsen, Netherlands. The interior of the old barn is transformed into a family space with a large kitchen and living room where the family can relax, spend some time with friends and organize wine tasting sessions.
From the architects, “At our first visit, we found the house difficult to inhabit. Most strikingly, virtually no relation existed to the beautiful landscape surrounding the house. All façade openings were too small, in the wrong place, or both. We proposed to invert the layout of the house, moving the offices and storage space to occupy the recent extension and the private spaces to the old barn. A large slit was cut into the barn roof to bring in light. The final touch was a large piece of furniture that would serve as kitchen, storage, stairs, and library all at once.”
A 3D rendering shows the layout of the built-in bookcase and stairs:
Photography: Filip Dujardin
15. Bookworm Bookcase by Atelier 010
Dutch design studio Atelier 010 have created the Bookworm bookcase. The sculptural bookcase also offers a place to sit and read the books. The bookcase is composed of three parts which are assembled on site and it is supported by a stainless steel leg in the sidewall. The curved shape of the bookcase is created by thin layers of MDF and plywood bent along the custom molds. A lamp suspended from the upper side of the bookcase serves as a reading light.
Photography: Caren Huygelen
16. Squaring Bookshelf by Sehoon Lee
South Korean designer Sehoon Lee has created the Squaring wall-mounted bookshelf. The bookshelf is made from nine wooden hinged boxes which can move around other to create different shapes. According to the designer, “‘SQUARING’ is the work that shows mutual relationships between the human body and furniture. Users are offered something dynamic and flexible designed by this furniture Disequilibrium. This unbalance is caused by different weights of various users, which yields new shapes every time. Ironically, the imbalance of weight creates a dynamic state of equilibrium on Squaring.”
Image Courtesy: Sehoon Lee
17. Equilibrium Bookcase By Malagana Design
With its cantilevered modules stacked upon each other at a single angles point, Equilibrium, designed by Malagana Design, is a unique bookcase that immediately catches attention by creating a sense of amusement and surprise. The unique furniture is finished with a natural walnut veneer and comes in three different color options. Equilibrium holds more than 120 Lbs. of weight and its different modules allow keeping books and magazines organized in a natural tilted position that eliminates the need for bookends.
18. Lean Bookshelf by Monocomplex
Generally a bookshelf is not complete without bookends. Bookends help to arrange the books and keep them from tipping over. A new design from South Korean studio Monocomplex, Lean bookshelf lets you arrange the books neatly without requiring any bookends. The top and bottom of the bookshelf are tilted and the books lean on the side of the shelf. The Lean has a set of four shelf units made of Finnish birch wood. The bilateral symmetry of the shelf units allow you to stack them together.
Image Courtesy: Monocomplex
19. Creative Sculptural Criss-Cross Bookshelf
The designer and founder of “Pousti” design studio, Mariam Pousti, created a complex bookshelf that looks like an open fan as part of the special collection “CHEFT”, which was presented at the Design Week in Milan.
The creative bookshelf which looks like a wooden sculpture is made out of 12 interlocking elements that slide into each other with specially designed grooves. The shelves seem like they branch off on both sides of the bookshelf and look like a wide-open fan, creating a structure that does not need wall support and stands on its own.
The design makes the bookshelf a practical and multifunctional element that can be easily transferred to another room and it can be used both as a bookshelf and as a partition.
