The person who can eke out storage space in his/her home is a happy person…because where there is storage, there is order. Shelves are a perfect way to do this, and there are many places (some of them unexpected) in homes where shelves work miracles. This is especially true when shelves can be created to perform double-duty as an aesthetic style element that doubles as functional storage space.

These bright red bedroom bookshelves take an otherwise “wasted” wall and turn it into an eye-catching display of various books and knick-knacks. Where built-in bookshelves tend to appear more solemn and dark, these bright free-floating shelves provide a lighter, airier feel to the room overall. I love how the bold color makes each shelf stand out and, combined, creates an artistic element.

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An ideal bookcase is one that provides plenty of storage for all the books and decorations or collectibles, one that is visually appealing and doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the décor and, most importantly, one that uses the space intelligently. The UnWaste bookcase definitely has all these points covered. Moreover, it also offers something extra.The surprise element of the UnWaste bookcase is the fact that the shelving walls are rotating. They reveal the room placed behind the wall and thus create a strong connection between the two areas.

It’s a bookcase that divides the two rooms, in this case the living and sleeping areas, but that also has the potential to connect them and to open them on towards the other. This ingenious and original piece of furniture is the result of the collaboration between architect Ben Milbourne from Bild Archtiecture, eco-designer Leyla Acaroglu from Eco Innovators and specialist furniture designer David Waterworth from Against the Grain.

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Reading is a tricky activity. You either love or you hate it. But it’s easier to be part of the first category when you see libraries like this one. Here, reading is indeed a pleasure. This is the Alphabet Library. Unlike many old reading rooms from the libraries in France, this one combines all the different details of the décor into one continuous image.

The library’s interior was a project by architect Stephane Hof. It can be found in Zaha Hadid’s Pierres Vives government building in Montpellier. The interior design is minimalist, modern and very inviting. It’s what any library should be like. This reading room is lined with glowing bookcases which give it a rather futuristic look. The bookcases are not just décor. They also emanate soft, diffuse light, very pleasant to the eyes, especially when reading.

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Floating shelves are an element typical to contemporary designs and interior. They have that detail that allows them to impress but they also manage to maintain a very simple and minimalist look. This particular shelf is even more surprising. It’s a concrete shelf. Concrete is not a material very popular in this particular area of design. Floating shelves are usually made of wood, metal or glass. But it’s always interesting to see new variations of the same concept.

The shelf has a subtle industrial feel. The concrete makes it seem a little cold and this detail can be exploited in the interior décor. For example, you can place the shelf above a fireplace where its coldness will be balanced by the warmth emanated by the fireplace itself. Also, the shelf can be placed anywhere else in the living room. It would make an interesting addition in an office where it would complement nicely the sobriety of the décor.

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