Now many people earn a living without leaving home. The World Wide Web provides such an opportunity, and you may well find something to your liking. The main thing is to conveniently organize your workplace so that nothing interferes with your concentration. The topic of today's conversation on HouseСhief.ru: how to arrange a work office in a small apartment or studio.
A conveniently equipped workplace is a guarantee of your success
There will be a library, but where?
Over time, any home accumulates a mass of intellectual treasures in the form of books, periodicals, children's literature, textbooks and other things, which need to be stored somewhere. Pictures of a non-trivial home library design appear before your eyes. But don't rush to empty the entire room. Perhaps book luggage can be placed in a limited space?
The beauty of the solution is that such a mini-library can be organized in any corner of the apartment, near any wall, and at the same time not violate the basic principle of storing literature - its availability for regular use.
A mini-library can be organized in any corner of the apartment
In the design of such a library, the leading role will be played by open shelving and hanging shelves, which can be grouped in any way. They may have a through design. Wallpaper visible behind the spines of books will only make the library design homey.
To store books, it would be correct to choose a dry, well-ventilated space, so you should not take them into the kitchen. This room has its own arsenal of literature:
- cuttings of culinary recipes;
- cookbooks;
- notebooks with traditional family dishes.
A specific archive can be placed on a shelf, but still, given the specific microclimate of the kitchen, it is better to hide it in a closed cabinet.
Bookshelves in the kitchen interior
We will not talk about the interior of a home library in small apartments. There simply isn't room for bookcases here. The library will be moved to the upper tier and will be presented in a mezzanine state.
Placing books on the top tier
A solution that is not often encountered is to design a library on a loggia. There is enough space there to create a cozy interior. On cool days, you can move to any part of the apartment to read books.
Home library on the balcony
The book depository can be moved out into the corridor, equipped under the stairs, fit into a room of any functionality, but if possible, it is still better to allocate a separate room for it.
Choosing the size of the structure
For comfortable work over a long period of time, a sufficient amount of space on the work surface is required.
The dimensions of the table are selected purely individually depending on its purpose
Size selection criteria:
- The height of the person who will work at the table. With a height of 145 to 165 cm, the height of the table should be 64 cm. From 165 and above - 76-82 cm.
- Width and depth of the tabletop. The most optimal is width = 100 cm and depth = 60.
A chair with adjustable seat height will help you adjust a high table to your needs.
What is home library design like?
The situation in such a room is largely determined by the size of the allocated space.
Classic library interior
“The classic design of a home library is popular with people of a scientific mindset, researchers, and writers”
Classic is timeless. The years have no power over her. The decor is the same as it was centuries ago, furnished with bookcases, a massive desk, deep and comfortable armchairs, and a secretary. A long-pile carpet is spread on the floor, the purpose of which is not only to serve as decoration, but also to hide the noise of footsteps. Basically, libraries of this design are found in private homes and at the same time serve as an office.
Interior of a home library in a classic style
The interior suggests high-quality, preferably hand-made furniture. Often these are products made from expensive wood.
The library's design palette is restrained. Natural tones in muted colors are in favor. Wall decoration with wallpaper. If you plan to recreate the atmosphere of aristocracy, then there should be no pattern on the decoration. In the case of Victorian classicism, a small floral print is allowed. A light background will relieve the feeling of pressure generated by massive dark furniture
Library design palette in a classic style - restrained
The following decorative elements will look great in the interior of a home library:
- fancy design candelabra;
- lamps with brass frames and green shades;
- paintings framed in frames with softly reflective old gilding.
The solidity of the library interior is emphasized by the ceiling lined with dark wood.
When working on the design of a home library, it is important to take care of creating adequate lighting. It should be made multi-tiered, with the possibility of both one-time use and zonal use.
Multi-tiered and zonal lighting in the library
It is very important to ensure the availability of tomes. The cabinets can be driven up to the ceiling, but the book should be able to be easily removed. And this will ensure the appearance of a decorative stepladder in the interior of the library.
What is also important when organizing space is to allocate space for a children's book collection. A child should have his own shelf among the abundance of literature. This is educationally important. This way it will be easier to interest him in reading, as well as teach him order.
A decorative stepladder will allow you to easily remove any book
The classic design of a home library is popular with people of a scientific mindset, researchers, and writers. It's wonderful to work in such an atmosphere. Silence and a moderately strict environment are conducive to the movement of thought.
New visions for library design
Supporters of modern interiors will be able to decorate the room in a more democratic aspect. There are a lot of design options here. There is also enough space to organize a library. For example, you cannot give away a storage room. It is quite possible to repurpose it as a book depository without the participation of builders. By placing a small but comfortable chair, several shelves and arranging overhead lighting, you can get a modest but charming library design.
Small library in a storage room
Decide for yourself how to decorate the walls and other surfaces. However, remember that the atmosphere in the room will depend on the choice. Dream about wanderings - use photo wallpapers of the appropriate theme or hang a colorful map of the world on the wall. If you like to philosophize, surround yourself with calm colors that do not distract from global problems. But before you design a home library, you need to make sure that the chosen room is safe. Pay attention to the strength of the floor. In his new incarnation he will have to withstand significantly greater loads. It is important that the floor is level, then the books in the shelves standing on it will not fall on their sides. The walls should also have smooth surfaces. They are certainly treated with antifungal compounds.
An example of a home library interior
When decorating a library, natural materials should be used. It is better to make racks and shelves from natural wood. The boards can simply be well polished. This type of furniture is suitable for ecological interiors.
A minimalist library design will require replacing wooden shelving with modular systems. They are easy to install and have mobile shelves. The latter can be rearranged and their width adjusted. A similar system can be used to furnish a child’s room. It will become a completely relevant setting for placing textbooks.
Modular shelving for a modern library
For lovers of reading and those who have just started arranging the interior of a home library, lightweight designs of modular shelving are available for sale, which can be expanded as the volume of books increases. The finished products are distinguished by bright colors that will certainly please the eye. Home-grown Kulibins can try to assemble something similar with their own hands. You can cut blanks in any workshop.
Modular shelving, can be expanded as the number of books increases
Beauty in library design is of course important, but even more important for its furnishings is the durability of the furniture elements installed in it. The shelving must be strong, as the weight of the books is quite impressive. This suggests that such accessories should only be purchased from manufacturers with an excellent reputation.
A collapsed rack can cause a lot of trouble, so don’t skimp on it and don’t disdain additional fasteners. You must be confident in the absolute stability of the structure and the safety of the library design, so if there is the slightest doubt, additionally fix them to the wall.
The bookcase must be securely attached to the wall
If the library is organized in a room and the low shelving representing it is planned to be used in zoning the space, then to give greater stability to the object, load the lower tier with the most massive volumes.
Library as a media center
Since the book today has ceased to be the only source of information, unusual zones will have to be introduced into the interior of a modern home library. So, in addition to a relaxation corner and a reading area, the room should have a computer space. The area is veiled with a partition or shelving. It will have to be equipped with specific lighting. The streams of light should highlight the keyboard and not be too bright so as not to create glare on the monitor screen. In addition to directional light, it is also necessary to provide general diffused light in the interior of this section of the library. Its task is to reduce contrast.
Workplace in the interior of a modern home library
The reading area is designed with increased comfort. A sofa and armchairs are placed here, and a work table is added, at which it would be convenient to work with books. What it should be: large or small, written or magazine - the owner decides.
The style of furniture depends on the overall design of the library. Often these are modern solutions. Rooms decorated in black and white tones look great. The dark palette is represented by shelving and furniture, the light palette is represented by the background of the walls and sculptures.
Library in black and white
The high-tech interior of a home library uses glass shelves and light furniture. The combination of dark green book storage systems and dark wood furniture looks incredibly impressive.
Library in hi-tech style
Custom home library design solutions
How often does it happen that none of the items on sale are suitable for her furnishings? Here you will have to order an exclusive interior. Craftsmen will take measurements and use them to create the most unusual furniture models.
Original interior of a home library
Order island storage structures for your library interior. Don't get attached to standards. Use your imagination and equip the space under the window sills for storing books, if there are no radiators or wall niches there. Interesting ideas for mobile shelving that can be used in zoning a room.
Shelving of unusual shapes will decorate the interior of a home library
Which storage system to choose for your home library
“You need to focus on personal preferences, the number of books, the stylistic design of the library and the size of the room itself”
Furniture that optimally meets the requirements for storing books is:
- shelves;
- racks;
- cabinets.
Which option is better, only you can decide. You need to focus on personal preferences, the number of books, the stylistic design of the library and the size of the room itself. Be that as it may, any of the systems is worthy of being the subject of choice:
- closed structures will protect the contents of the shelves from dust;
Closed shelving will protect books from dust
- open furniture can play the role of additional decor in the library interior;
- built-in options will create the impression of unity of space;
Built-in shelving does not overload the room space
- free-standing cabinets will delimit the room space;
- furniture with simple geometric shapes will add restraint to the atmosphere;
- The unusual design of the structures is guaranteed to become an interior accent.
Modern shelving will become an interior accent
Bookshelves offer particularly interesting design possibilities for a home library. They can be placed in the most unpredictable combinations. Both models that are identical in design and decoration, as well as completely different from each other, are used. They can be placed symmetrically or fanned out along the wall, or assembled into ladders and improvised cabinets. In addition to books, the shelves in the interior of a home library can be filled with stylish accessories.
Bookshelves can be placed in different combinations
You need to be careful when loading hanging storage systems and calculate the approximate weight of the literature displayed on the shelves.
Photos of DIY desks
Read here - DIY corner cabinet: 80 photo ideas and video description of how and what to make a cabinet from. Main manufacturing stages and best design projects
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How to display books
In this matter, you need to be guided by the fact that searching for the desired volume should not take a lot of time. When designing large libraries, simply arranging the volumes in alphabetical order will not be enough. Here you will have to break them down into thematic subcategories. For example, allocate several shelves for philosophical literature, several for fiction, historical novels, etc. This approach will provide an opportunity to clearly demonstrate your passion for a particular topic.
If we look at the problem from a purely aesthetic side, then grouping books by color is encouraged in library design. This is a great move, even if the spine colors don't match perfectly. It is important to demonstrate the idea itself.
Grouping books by color
Have you inherited a rather tattered book heritage with faded covers? It doesn’t matter, the books can be restored to a presentable appearance, and the library’s interior will be saved. When restoring, they just need to be placed in covers. The latter are made from colorful paper. The name is written on the spine with a marker or glued to it in the form of a sticker with the necessary information. In this form, the books will not be ashamed to be sent to the most modern shelves.
You can make book covers yourself
The next step is to lay out the books in random order. Today no one insists on arranging them in even rows in a strictly vertical form. Books can be stacked, placed at an angle, or a combination of different options. All this will also benefit the interior of the home library.
Arranging books in random order
Although we create decent storage for books, nevertheless, not only they can appear on the shelves of cabinets. Among the plump volumes you can always find a place for decorative items. So, additions in the form of framed photos, cute vases, and cute figurines will look great. Try experimenting with library design and you will see that it can be quite original.
Decorative items will decorate bookshelves
Desk today
The world never stops changing, and technological progress over the past 20 years has only made this process faster and more radical.
Half a century ago, people considered newspapers to be eternal, but now all information is on the Internet, and only lovers of the classics buy printed publications.
The Internet has changed almost everything and everyone, and compact devices with access to it have completed the transformative process.
Interior design has also changed over the years. Leadership has been taken over by comfort, convenience, practicality, minimalism, and versatility. This has affected the choice of furniture that people now buy.
You can look at the photo of a desk made with your own hands now and 20 years ago.
In the second case, the desk had several important differences from its other counterparts - drawers, additional shelves under the tabletop and similar details.
On the other hand, there is a modern analogue. Nowadays, the desk is used exclusively for working with documents, only by people whose work requires such an approach and by children who do their homework behind them.
In both situations there is one “but” - the table is a workstation on which the computer is placed.
Now, when thinking about how to make a desk with your own hands, you must take into account the fact that it may well become a computer desk.
Some general tips
“If you do not want to spoil the impression of the design of your home library and the convenience of its interior, never smoke in this room”
The presence of natural light is very important for the library interior. In daylight, design solutions are perceived from a completely different perspective. Everything looks colorful, aesthetically pleasing, fashionable. If you look at interior catalogs, you will certainly note that panoramic glazing provides the most light. It is not used in home library designs because too much sunlight will kill the books. In this case, we are talking about proper decoration of the window area. It definitely needs to be covered with light curtains.
The window is covered with light curtains
You should also take care of the correct design of the reading area in the library. It is more convenient to read in bright light, which can be provided, for example, by a floor lamp placed directly behind the reader. One more rule for that zone. The library interior should have as many table lamps or floor lamps as there are seating areas.
Place the floor lamp directly behind the reader
Books are excellent dust collectors, so unless they are stored in locked cabinets, the library should triple its weekly wet cleaning or at least vacuum the book shelves.
If you do not want to spoil the impression of the design of your home library and the convenience of its interior, never smoke in this room. The problem is not the possibility of fire. Paper is an excellent odor absorber and will soon make your gorgeous room smell like an army barracks.
When organizing the library space, make sure that you can sit down with a book in your hands not only at the table. Place an ottoman in the room or throw a thick fleecy rug on the floor with thought pillows for comfort.
Place a comfortable ottoman in the library
Old table
Yes, you don’t have to buy a table, but not only because it can be made, but also because you can find it in not new condition. You can borrow one from your parents, or buy a used one, which is much cheaper than a new one.
DIY corner cabinet: 80 photo ideas and video description of how and what to make a cabinet from. Main manufacturing stages and best design projectsDo-it-yourself wardrobe for the balcony - 80 photos of how to make a balcony wardrobe from various materials with your own hands
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Next, you should start thinking about how to update your desk with your own hands. To do this, you will need to disassemble it, first into individual parts, such as cabinets, and then, if necessary, into parts.
Chips should be varnished, and all fasteners should also be checked - broken ones should be replaced, loose ones should be tightened. After that, you can paint the table or varnish it - it's up to you.
The result will be a desk that will be in no way inferior to its new counterparts, especially if you are a fan of the classics.
