Create/Organise a Library in Your French House
Do you have too many books upside down, tucked under staircases or other out-of-the-way spaces and nowhere to tidy them? Well, any book addict needs some bookshelves in his French property. Recessed, bespoke or built-in, a home library can provide floor-to-ceiling storage and space savings. Freestanding bookcases are widely available in a variety of sizes, colours and price points. You can also mount hanging bookshelves onto the wall or buy glass cases, which might be preferable if your collection includes antique books that you want to preserve.
When building a home library, take into account that a bookshelf of 36 inches (91 cm) long should have shelves at least one inch thick. If it is longer, then the shelf should be thicker so that it will not droop under the weight. If you want to maximize space, we advise you to use adjustable bookshelves. This is so that very small books will not take up space that can be better used for taller coffee table books. In order to hide some exposed nails, you can decorate bookshelves with personal items, such as photographs and souvenirs.
Your bookshelves may creep up the wall so you will need a library ladder to reach them. The ladders are attached to the shelf on a tracking rod, and the bottom of the ladder has wheels. This is so that you can move effortlessly from one end of the library to the other.
When considering other library furniture, you should think about how you will be using the room. Desks and bookstands are also helpful for reading those big volumes that are too heavy to hold up comfortably. Wherever you’re sitting, it will be hard to enjoy a library if you’re suffering from eyestrain, fatigue and headaches, which can all be brought on by poor lighting.
Should you want to tidy up a great collection of books, then we suggest you do several things:
– Alphabetizing by author works well for fiction but not necessarily for nonfiction books of various subjects.
– Devote an entire shelf to top authors or best-sellers (e.g. Lord of the Rings, Dan Brown, Harlan Coben…)
– Sorting a book by colour can be aesthetically pleasing to some. For those who generally forget about the colours of their books, you might want to avoid it.
– To some readers, there are two ways to look at books: read and unread. Prioritizing when you might need a book will allow you to keep unread books at the forefront of your collection. For example, books you reach for frequently, such as reference books or favourite novels, should be kept upfront.
Once you’ve organized your collection, you’re going to need a place to put it. However, if you’d not like to organize yourself a room for a library, bespoke libraries are sold in shops. Indeed, bespoke libraries can be installed in almost any space. Alcoves, under stairs or simply stuck up against the wall are just a few examples. You just have to give quotes to the provider and this one will make you a library perfectly adapted to the size of your room.
Please have a look at examples of services related to bespoke libraries: