The Alluring Charm of Home Libraries
Atelier ARBO explores the nuances of designing visually evocative reading spaces.
At Atelier ARBO, we are quite fascinated with books. All of us share a collective liking for reading interesting books and often engage in the sustainable practice of sharing our books with each other to further enhance our knowledge base together. This innate passion for reading is what drives us in the direction of looking for opportunities where we can create soothing library spaces having a positive aura.
Imagine coming home after an extremely saturating day of work. A quiet dinner, a calming shower are some of the regular tasks awaiting to be done. But what can really melt the accumulated stress of our minds, is curling up in a soft, cozy armchair, surrounded by a neatly lined collection of books, and the warm glow of lights. The feel of a book in our hands, stories awaiting to enthral us, and a cup of coffee on the side table – at the mere thought of such a snug reading corner, a wave of calm washes over us. Crafting an alluring library space in your home can transform this vivid imagination into reality.
Imagine coming home after an extremely saturating day of work. A quiet dinner, a calming shower are some of the regular tasks awaiting to be done. But what can really melt the accumulated stress of our minds, is curling up in a soft, cozy armchair, surrounded by a neatly lined collection of books, and the warm glow of lights. The feel of a book in our hands, stories awaiting to enthral us, and a cup of coffee on the side table – at the mere thought of such a snug reading corner, a wave of calm washes over us. Crafting an alluring library space in your home can transform this vivid imagination into reality.
Home libraries can act as a serene getaway for the residents from their monotonous life routine. Often, in our professional journey as architects, we come across people who have a penchant for reading and in accordance with that have collected a lot of books over the years to read peacefully someday. These books lay scattered in various dusty nooks and shelves of the house, leading to an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ kind of scenario. All that is needed in such cases, is a mindful organization of all the books around a comfortable reading or working area in the house.
Designing home libraries is not as daunting as it sounds. With a few helpful ideas, anyone can create their own personal reading retreat in their homes. Figuring out the total book count and identifying a specific zone or corner for the library (as per the available space in the house) can be a good start. Right from a small, niche corner to an entire room dedicated to reading – home libraries can be designed in a range of different areas. Once the space is finalized, an apt bookshelf, crafted as per the residents’ artful inclination, can be procured for the neat organization of all the books.
ll that is left after this is adding comfortable, cozy furniture, warm, ambient decorative lights, soft décor elements to enhance the beauty of the space, and a few lush green plantations that can further soothe the minds of the homeowners.
Here are a few curated examples of how a library space can be seamlessly created in alignment with the unique character of each home.
Designing home libraries is not as daunting as it sounds. With a few helpful ideas, anyone can create their own personal reading retreat in their homes. Figuring out the total book count and identifying a specific zone or corner for the library (as per the available space in the house) can be a good start. Right from a small, niche corner to an entire room dedicated to reading – home libraries can be designed in a range of different areas. Once the space is finalized, an apt bookshelf, crafted as per the residents’ artful inclination, can be procured for the neat organization of all the books.
ll that is left after this is adding comfortable, cozy furniture, warm, ambient decorative lights, soft décor elements to enhance the beauty of the space, and a few lush green plantations that can further soothe the minds of the homeowners.
Here are a few curated examples of how a library space can be seamlessly created in alignment with the unique character of each home.
The Riachuelo Apartment, designed by 0E1 Architects in Brazil, is the moderately spacious home of a recently graduated doctor. Aligning with the client’s vision, the design of the house amalgamates intimacy with sociability, creating a calm refuge. The living room blends with an open kitchen, and from the counter one can see the seamless array of plus sign bookshelves mounted on the opposite wall; adjacent to the sofa arrangement. Minimal yet aesthetical, the clean and neat arrangement of books on these shelves creates an alluring library space, with a comfortable sofa and abundance of daylight from the window behind it, further enhancing the reading experience of the owner.
The Bookshelf House in Japan, designed by Shinsuke Fujii Architects, has a diagonally-inclined wall on which rests a floor to ceiling bookshelf. Being inclined, all the shelves of the bookshelf become accessible by all age groups without the use of an external ladder. In this small-scale house, the inclined bookshelf, with a four-seater dining table in front of it, becomes a distinct reading space, where the residents can peacefully immerse themselves in the world of stories.
The Bookshelf House in Japan, designed by Shinsuke Fujii Architects, has a diagonally-inclined wall on which rests a floor to ceiling bookshelf. Being inclined, all the shelves of the bookshelf become accessible by all age groups without the use of an external ladder. In this small-scale house, the inclined bookshelf, with a four-seater dining table in front of it, becomes a distinct reading space, where the residents can peacefully immerse themselves in the world of stories.
One of the projects that Atelier ARBO has worked on, was the interior design of an apartment in Bandstand, Mumbai. Our client had a vast collection of books, the neat organization of which was a dire need. Our design included two vertical bookshelves, with floor to ceiling height, on either side of the living room window, with a horizontal bookshelf at the ceiling level, joining the two vertical ones seamlessly. Creating a smooth frame that gives a distinct character to the living space, the bookshelves entice the homeowners to select an interesting title and read meditatively on the comfortable sofa. In the kid’s bedroom of this house, we created an interesting play of two bunk beds at different levels for the two sons of our client. Beneath the raised bunk bed, a distinct space has been created as a reading corner for the kids, with soft floor cushions, wall cushions, and a warm decorative light.
We believe that a home library is nothing but the homeowner’s personal meditative space that offers a tranquil environment for reading or working silently. Simple small changes and additions done in a mindful manner, can create beautiful reading corners and serene library spaces amidst the confines of your home. We are always eager to have interesting conversations about creating unique library spaces. If you have any queries or simply want to discuss and brainstorm ideas, feel free to reach out to us.
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