Something that comes up often when talking about small space is books. Where to keep them, and whether to store or display them? Some minimalists would argue, that you don’t need to keep any books at all. Like with most minimalist ideals I find myself falling somewhere in the middle. I find myself attached to certain books, especially kids books that we read again and again. And I treasure design-focused coffee table books that I reference throughout the year.

In our 600 square foot space we only had the top of our kitchen cabinets to display our books so we were quite careful about how many books we kept in the house. I was quick to give away books we bought and we relied heavily on our local library (and still do!). In our new space, I’ve found we can be less strict about the books we keep in our home as we have a bit more space for them.

In our new home, we have our vertical book shelf (Post Here) in our living room, a bench that displays some coffee table books and the kids room has a couple areas for books (Kids Bookshelf Post Here. While we have a bit more space for books I often remember that we didn’t need many books at our previous space and I ask myself … will I read /reference this again? If the answer is no then I consider giving it to a friend, donating to the library or a neighborhood free library.

I feel books are so personal so when I talk to someone who loves to be surrounded by books from all stages of their life, I don’t try to talk them out of keeping these meaningful items. But I do try to help find clever and beautiful solutions to display the books.

So once you have narrowed down your book collection to the most loved and valued books some ideas to consider for displaying books in a small space are broken down below.

High Book Shelves

In our previous space, where we didn’t have many options for book display, we used the top of our tall kitchen cabinets to display books. Look around your space and see if there is a specific wall or nook that could easily add a high shelf to display books. I find this concept works best when there is a clear start and end point, not just a random floating shelf. This can work over a doorway, in a hallway or along a wall in a bedroom or living room.

Another version of this I’ve seen been successful is bookshelves above the sofa. Often in a small space we have very few walls so if your sofa is up against a wall the space above could serve the function of displaying your books. A great example of this was in the Small Home Tour of Heather Summers (Tour Here). She used the Burrow Wall Mounted shelves (Link Here) to create a library above her sofa.

All In One Spot

A further book concept is to dedicate one spot to display all of your books and really make it a statement wall. I love the installations below and how the entire vertical space is taken up with books. It really has impact! This simple solution can be achieved with affordable modular shelving systems like the Ikea Boaxel system or a simple shelving system from the Container Store or your local hardware store. You could also consider a more elevated system like Vitsoe or String Shelf.

I think the key to this book solution is to ensure that there is other empty wall space beside it. As in, fill this wall with books but don’t fill the next wall with more shelving and objects.

Go Vertical

I’ve mentioned these before but it bears repeating as these vertical stacking bookshelves are wonderful for small spaces and also great for rentals or plaster walls as they require little to no mounting (just one point for safety). Story Bookcase.

I always think there is room for what you truly love in a small space you just need to be creative and intentional in how you use the space you have. And as always love to hear of your clever book display ideas too!

Book Smart in Small Spaces