How To Store and Display Your Books When You Live in a Small Apartment

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Owning various copies of all your favorite books is great, but it’s easy for an extensive collection to clutter a small home or apartment. Finding ways to store books in a small apartment is important as it not only keeps your home organized and clutter-free, but also keeps your books fresh and longer-lasting. Check out these tips to properly store your books and keep them fresh while in storage or on display.

Keep Your Books Fresh in Storage

To keep your books fresh in storage, you’ll want to try your best to keep them away from any harsh conditions that could cause your books to deteriorate over time. Follow these tips below.

Book arrangement and shelving

Make sure that you arrange your books either upright in a vertical position or laying down horizontally — never tilted. Keep them snuggled up against each other, but not too tight as you want to be able to easily remove them when need be.

Where and how you store your books plays a huge role in keeping them fresh while on display or in storage. You’ll want to keep them on a rust-proof metal shelf or on wood that is treated with water-borne polyurethane varnish. Avoid wood like cedar as the acid in that type of wood can end up harming your books over a long period of time.

Creative Book Displays

Now that you know how to properly store your books, check out some of these creative book displays for your small apartment.

1.Turn your headboard into a bookshelf

Replace your current headboard with a headboard bookshelf, perfect for keeping your late-night reads close by! If the headboard isn’t an option, try storing your books by the baseboard of your bed. Use a bookshelf that is the same width as your bed and place it at the foot of it and fill it with your favorite books.

2. Arrange floating shelves

Floating shelves are stylish and offer extra display space for your picture frames, houseplants, and knick-knacks. Utilize this space to display your books instead! You can create your own unique library as you fill up a blank wall full of funky shelves and your favorite books.

3. Make a reading nook

A fun way to store your books is by turning an open window into a reading nook. Store the books under the bench to keep them away from the direct sunlight and use cushions on top to create a cozy place to read all of your favorite books.

4. Create a room divider

If you live in a studio apartment, room dividers help break up the space. Use this to your advantage by using a fun bookshelf to help divide the room and achieve more privacy. You could use a standard shelf or opt for etagere shelving for a more open look.

5. Turn a faux fireplace into a book display

A functioning fireplace is no place to store your precious books, but a faux fireplace can make a great built-in bookshelf. This display will make use out of the empty space inside the non-functioning fireplace while creating a very unique and quirky storage.

For more creative ways to store your books properly, check out this visual below on 20 ways to creatively display your books in a small apartment.