What do you get when you merge book lovers, avid readers, and design enthusiasts into one? A well-styled and designed bookcase. It’s the one item you can buy for your home that serves as a designated area to store and display your favorite reads like magazines, photo albums, cookbooks, and so much more. Organization, storage, and a chic look that ties seamlessly into your aesthetic are what create some of the best bookshelf ideas. They’re also a great way to add an architectural element to your home as well as to showcase your personality and style. Finding and styling the perfect bookshelf is a fun way to express who you are and incorporate all that you love into the design of your home.

So, even if you aren’t an avid reader, but are looking for some inspirational methods to add storage to your home, bookshelves can be a simple solution to your styling problem. If we’re being honest, they’re sort of a must-have piece of furniture that every home needs.

What makes a bookshelf architectural?

The architectural element of a bookshelf can be found in its irregular forms or shapes it offers.  It’s the way the shelves are placed: horizontally, vertically, slanted, criss-cross.  Additionally, it can be the way you stack your books on said bookshelves to add visual interest. Sometimes the constructive aspect is created in its multifunction purpose, serving as more than one thing. If modernity is an important style in your living space, you may spot the architectural styles in the way a bookshelf may bend or how it creates an illusion. Architectural design comes from your perspective depending on what you like and how it speaks to you,  but is also the practical designs and functionality it offers.

Ahead, Home and Texture has highlighted different styles of bookshelves that can add architectural elements to your home.

Tree-Shaped Bookcase

This tree-shaped bookshelf is a great addition as it offers geometric elements that add style and function. Place it in the corner of your home office, your living room, or your library. The vertical design of these bookcases makes it easy to slide into a corner if you’re low on space.

Built-In Bookcase

Built-in bookcases can be a breeze since they are already structured into the walls of your home. They add value to your home and imitate a home library. If your home doesn’t come with a built-in, it’s also a great DIY idea to add to your list of projects.

Personalized Bookcase

The options are endless when it comes to your creativity and implementing styles into your home that speak to you. For example, if you’re a music lover and avid reader, make it known and own it. Combine your love for music and reading by showing that interest off through your bookcase, like the piano bookcase pictured above. It’s a unique statement piece and eye-catching that really gives you a traditional and homey feel.

Abstract Bookcase

This artistic bookcase is a show-stopper. Not only is it minimal with metal crafting, but it’s modern and sleek. The abstract and angular shelves create an illusion and make it easy to blend with your current aesthetic. It’s also versatile as you can move the books around on different shelves to create a new look.

Stepped Bookcase

If storage was a bookshelf, it would be the stepped, stair-like bookcase. This bookcase offers the storage solution, not only for books, but for home decor pieces, too, and it’s all hidden in plain sight. Store toys, decorative and accent pieces, collectibles, and personal photos if you run out of books.