Bookcases, Protecting & Displaying Your Book Collection

For the avid reader, bookcases are a vital addition to your home furnishing. If you have just a few books, maybe a dozen firm favourites then perhaps a nice bookshelf is all you really need, or maybe you can just stick them at the bottom of your wardrobe. But for a more expanded collection of works, or for a person who simply adores reading (and maybe you even want to show off the fact you are so well read, just a little) then bookcases are a must. Storage space in today’s world becomes more and more of an issue, especially as you grow older and collect more sentimental items, or even just a larger quantity of ‘must-haves’. For all but the most Spartan minimalist, a space dedicated to your book collection means more to you than a few cardboard boxes in the attic.

So you now need to ask yourself what to look for in a bookcase. Bookcases aren’t just about storage, but about aesthetics as well; how they display the books, not just ‘how much’ they can display. Capacity is one element of course (no use buying a bookcase that takes up the space of a wall if you only have a few magazines at hand) but there are other things to consider as well, such as lighting.

Inevitably, light will enter the room (assuming the bookcase will sit in the living room instead of a designated home library lit with indoor lanterns), which means sun light and UV rays. It all depends on the situation of course but over time, exposure to sun light will have an effect on the delicate books, especially older volumes. The solution here can be found in bookcases that have either closing doors (if you aren’t too concerned with actually displaying the books) to protect the books from heat and light, or alternatively you can buy bookcases with glass made especially to shield from the light.

This quality is found in more contemporary designs, such as those by Bonaldo of Italy, or Essencia of Portugal. These are two of the top European furniture designers and fuse together the elements of style and practicality better than just about anyone else I’ve seen in my experience. Some of their designs use smoked glass, or white glass to shield the contents of the bookcases, while still allowing you to see what lies within. The designs themselves are quite extraordinary and allow for a huge number of arrangement options to suit the style of your home and the surrounding decor, as well as the dimensions of the room.

Of course you can avoid the problem altogether by placing an open bookcase (the more traditional designs without glass or closing doors) against a wall that isn’t hit by light, if you indeed have one. With intelligent placement, the design of most bookcases does allow for at least some protection from sunlight as it is.