The latest innovation in interior design comes from a rather unexpected source – the library. To be more specific, bookworms across the world are demonstrating their love for the written word by commissioning custom-designed libraries for their homes. Interior decorators in Pakistan haven’t been left behind! Despite advances in modern technology and easy access to e-readers, book aficionados prefer setting up a cozy book nook in their own houses rather than browsing the shelves at a crowded bookstore. Not only do they prefer the privacy of their own quarters, it is the insatiable appeal of flipping through a hardcover book while reclining on a soft leather recliner. For them, a book isn’t real unless one can flip through the pages with their fingers.
When we think of public libraries, we begin imagining rich, chestnut wooden shelves overflowing with the best works of literature, history, art and other such disciplines. Upon closing our eyes, we begin to detect a faint aroma of aging wood and leather bindings intermingled with yellowed book pages. Shelves reaching up to the ceilings are about to burst with books of all sizes- all just waiting to be read!
While these grandiose scales work just fine for a university library, modern Pakistani house designs require smaller, more intimate layouts for private libraries. There are endless options in this domain, from opening up the library to gorgeous landscape views, painting the shelves in a particular hue or making staircases double as additional storage space for one’s book collection.
Ditch Wood for Metal or Glass
Typically, most bookshelves include wood in their basic structure. Modern house designs feature metal-based floating bookshelves while the classically-inclined interior designers will showcase marble accents in the study or library space. Bring some diversity to your private library design by adding in glass sliding doors in front of the racks or swapping in industrial metal elements in place of dark mahogany wooden shelves.
Paint Your Way Around Literature
A fun way to personalize your reading space is to paint around your bookshelves with just about anything your heart desires! Pick up the paintbrush, dab in the artwork and give homage to Van Gogh’s The Starry Night or Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa while being surrounded by your favorite books. Lean more towards vibrant blocks of color? Select Mondrian’s Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow as the background while stacking your favorite literary works upon sturdy, wrought-iron shelves.
Read with a View
Lucky enough to be living in an isolated place? If there’s just you, nature, and your lovely home, you can definitely use this situation to your advantage. You can design the library room in such a way that all the elements tie-in seamlessly – comfortable seating, breathtaking vista, ample storage for books and wide windows. Line up ceiling-to-floor windows with inset bookshelves and install skylights across an angled roof to bring the best of the river or mountain-view indoors.
Storing Books in Hidden Places
Running low on space? Worried that you can’t dedicate an entire room for a private library? Take a lead from creative interior designers who utilize transitioning spaces between rooms and staircases by adding book racks.
However, you end up decorating your library, make sure that the bookshelves blend in with the wall surface behind it. Those living in hotter, dustier climates should consider glass cabinet doors to protect their books from the dust and the heat. In addition to the books themselves, most homeowners bring in leafy indoor plants and flowering bouquets to brighten up their reading rooms.