Guide

Books have things to say

28.9.2020

Translation: machine translated

Whether you place them on a table, a chair or simply on the floor, books can be tastefully integrated in a variety of ways, even without shelves. All you need to know is how.

My bookshelf is bursting at the seams. For every new book or magazine, I have to part with an old one. It breaks my heart. That's why I looked for new storage solutions and became ingenious: interior design brands such as Ferm Living, House Doctor or HK Living show you how large volumes and magazines can be distributed throughout the room. The ideas are not only inventive, but beautiful.

On a pedestal

Stacked on top of each other, large works of art can be used as side tables. From DIN A4 size upwards, books provide a large enough surface to place lights or plants. Stack them according to colour or theme. These original tables have the advantage of being flexible. By adding or removing a book, you can vary the height. For a personalised look, you can also wrap the books in the same paper and write little notes on them or, to top it all off, place a wooden tray or board at the top of the pile.

A stack of books as a side table... Photo: Hübsch

...or as a small stage for small things. Photo: Nordal — A stack of books as a side table... Photo: Hübsch

Use every nook and cranny

The corners of rooms as well as walls are perfect for placing stacks of magazines, as they offer support. It can be interesting to place small towers on the edges of staircases if they are wide enough. This way, you optimise every square centimetre and save space. [[image:38250407 "Books in a corner... Photo: Ferm Living",38250409 "...or under a staircase. Photo: HK Living"]]

Framing furniture

It's often when you look twice that you realise that many pieces of furniture lend themselves to staging stacks of books. Arrange some magazines on a desk, the hall console and around the coffee table and heavy volumes under a bench. [[image:38250408 "Books can be used to define areas of the room. Photo: Ferm Living",38250412 "The books combined with the vase and chair form a unit. Photo: Nordal"]]

Elegant packaging

Storage solutions such as baskets are a good alternative to furniture or the floor, can be moved around and give books a new shape. What's more, there are plenty of magazine racks that fit elegantly into your home. Whether they're angular, decorative or <acorative or minimalist, arrange them next to your armchairs and organise your magazines by subject. In the living room, opt for books on architecture or tourist guides to your region that your guests can leaf through.

Baskets are great for storing magazines. Photo: House Doctor

With the Lako magazine rack, magazines float in the air. Photo: Studio Macura — Baskets are great for storing magazines. Photo: House Doctor

Long live the ranking

Depending on how the books are stacked, you can achieve different effects. Sort your reading by colour, for example. Imagine a progression of book spines from lightest to darkest, or from warm to cool colours. To create a unity of colour, you can orient the stack with its back to the wall. Although this won't make it easier to find what you're looking for, it will create a harmonious whole. On the other hand, alternating and mixing books placed vertically and those lying down adds variety.

A play of colours in the stack looks great. Photo: Ferm Living

In front of a white wall, stacks of books with their backs to the wall are almost unnoticeable. Photo: Ferm Living — A play of colours in the stack looks great. Photo: Ferm Living

Certainly, some effort is required to stack books and magazines on the floor. That said, once you get the hang of it, you'll see how quickly you manage to change your arrangement. On social networks, creative minds such as Haley Hye Eun Lim or Coco Lapine regularly show us their styling skills with books. I'm really addicted to them. Especially as this way I don't have to part with my books.

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Pia Seidel

Senior Editor

Pia.Seidel@digitecgalaxus.ch

Like a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.

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