10 Bookshelf Ideas With Lots Of Flair And Character

Bookshelves may not seem like the type of exciting furniture pieces but don’t let their usual lack of complexity fool you. You can customize them in all sorts of cool and ingenious ways and you can even give them a whole new identity. Originality and creativity come with the job when you’re a DIYer and this case is not different. With that in mind, check out ten of our favorite DIY bookshelf ideas and them become a source of inspiration for your next home project.

Freestanding tall bookshelf

Wooden crates are not just great for storage but super versatile too and you can use them to build yourself a custom bookcase. Each crate is a compartment in which to store and to organize books and other things and you can also use the empty space between the crates as little extra shelves for all sorts of small things like candles and such. Be sure to check out our youtube tutorial first.

Freestanding tall bookshelf

Bookcase are not exactly comfortable but, in their defense, they’re not supposed to be. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t change this. You can easily turn a bookcase into a comfy bench with built-in storage by placing a foam mattress or a cushion on top. This works great with the tower bookcases, the ones that are tall and relatively narrow. Check out this youtube video to find out more details about the transformation.

Freestanding tall bookshelf

Building the entire bookcase from scratch is not that difficult either and there are lots of cool designs and ideas that you can integrate into your project. For example, if you want to give your DIY bookcase an industrial vibe this tutorial from rogueengineer shows you exactly how it’s done. This bookcase is made of plywood and cedar planks and has metal pipe supports.

Freestanding tall bookshelf

You can make your DIY bookcase look modern and give it a rustic vibe at the same time. It’s all about the design and in this case the combination of colors and the overall shape of the frame have a big impact on the how the piece is perceived as a whole. We love this look as it reminds us of the old plant stands often seen in rural houses. Check out instructables to find out how this was made.

Freestanding tall bookshelf

If you’re currently looking for the perfect chair and bookcase combo for your reading corner, we have an idea that’s not just cool but very practical and space-efficient too: a bookshelf chair. It’s a two-in-one piece which is actually not that difficult to build. The planning process is very important so be sure to measure twice and cut once and to have a clear idea in mind of how you want this bookshelf to turn out. Check out the details of the project on instructables.

Freestanding tall bookshelf

If you’re looking for a way to give your DIY bookshelves more character, try adding a sliding door mechanism. It’s a very cool little detail which totally changes the design of the bookcase and gives a somewhat rustic appearance without going too far with it. You can see how this piece was built step by step by following the tutorial offered on instructables and you can apply some of that newly-found knowledge to create a charming bookcase of your own.

Freestanding tall bookshelf

Here’s another example of a DIY bookshelf project which isn’t that difficult to build or to plan, with a design that’s versatile and practical. This can easily fit in a variety of spaces such as the living room, office or the bedroom and it would look at home in either of these areas. If you’re interested in the details of how you too could build something similar, check out instructables.

Freestanding tall bookshelf

Well this is definitely not your typical bookshelf design and as you can imagine building something like this is quite a challenge. First of all, draw the outline of the nautilus shell. Then the part where you cut lots of layers of plywood comes in and this can take a while not to mention that you need a jet machine for this. Anyway, once you have all the pieces you’ll have to stack all the layers and to glue them together. You can find the rest of the details on instructables.

Freestanding tall bookshelf

Bookshelves are not just for books but you probably figured that out by yourself. This versatility means you can put bookshelves in pretty much any room of the house. With that in mind, a DIY bookshelf project sounds even better now. Check out the tutorial explaining how this plate rack from shanty-2-chic was built.

Freestanding tall bookshelf

Even if you don’t have a lot of space you can still build a bookshelf that fits. For instance, this tower-like design is perfect for tiny nooks and for room corners as if only takes up a few inches of space on the floor and has a chic and modern design. It can hold all sorts of things including books, vases, small planters and decorations. Check it out on anikasdiylife.