40 Fabulous DIY Projects to Improve your Home Library

September 26th, 2011

For many people, the home library is a cozy, sacred place for reading and contemplation. While the rest of your house may be filled with dirty dishes, toys, and clothes to wash, your home library offers a place you can go to relax and dive into a book. So if you’re going to have such a place, it’s a great idea to make it comfortable, stylish, and functional. And you don’t have to hit the stores or break the bank to do so: you’ve just got to put in a little elbow grease and get to work yourself. Read on, and you’ll find great ideas for bookshelves, reading lamps, and fun, festive odds and ends to make your home library really feel like a sanctuary.

1. Hidden door bookshelf: Hide a door with this beautiful bookshelf project.
2. Bookplates: Personalize and protect your books with DIY bookplates.
3. Catalog your collection: Use LibraryThing to catalog up to 200 books for free online.
4. How to Build a Rolling Library Ladder: Have you always dreamed of dancing on your bookshelves with a ladder like Belle in Beauty and the Beast? OK, just us? Well, whether you want to fulfill a childhood dream, or you just have really tall bookcases, this rolling ladder project makes it possible.
5. Chalkboard globe: Create a fun globe you can write on with Rustoleum paint and not much more with this project.
6. Teapot reading lamp: Have a spot of tea in your reading spot with this cute teapot reading lamp.
7. Vinyl record bookends: With this project, steamy water turns old LPs into useful bookends.
8. Mini portable library: These parents built a small, portable library out of spice racks and plywood for their kids. This is an easy project that offers big payoff for small spaces.
9. Slipcovered reading chair: Recover a reading chair easily with a sweet slipcover in this project.
10. Secret passage bookshelf: Create a secret passageway with this DIY bookcase door project.

11. Library sculptures: Want to jazz up your bookshelves? Create library sculptures! No, not out of stone, but books themselves.
12. Pallet reading nook: This project creates a cozy reading nook out of an old pallet.
13. Concrete bookends: Follow this project to create decorative concrete bookends that are both heavy and attractive.
14. Beanbag chair: Follow this DIY project to create a comfy chair to hang out in while you’re reading in your library or book nook.
15. Catshelf cubby: Libraries are warmer with a kitty in them, so give your cat a place to love in your bookshelf with this cubby project.
16. Wood blinds: Protect your book collection from light and upgrade your windows with beautiful painted wood blinds.
17. Barrel footstool: Turn an old barrel into a footstool to kick your feet up in your library.
18. Rainbow bookshelf: Arrange your books into a rainbow pattern for a bright and colorful library.
19. Bathroom library: Put a great book collection near your tub by installing some smart shelves in your bathroom.
20. Telephone box library: Read about this tiny library book booth you can set up in your home or community.

21. Stairway bookshelves: Make your stairway more attractive, and save space for book storage with these stairway bookshelves.
22. Built-in bookshelf: Turn a nook into a library with a built in bookshelf using this DIY project.
23. Secret compartment book: Turn your library into a safe with this hack that allows you to turn a book into a secret compartment.
24. Decorative shelf edging: Spice up your bookshelves and add some whimsy using decorative shelf edging.
25. Bookshelf in a flash: This bookcase project takes only 60 minutes, offering almost instant gratification for a place to put your books.
26. Rolling crate footstool: This footstool transforms an old milk crate into a footstool with book storage for your library.
27. Book bookshelf: Cut dictionaries and other old books into a shelf to hold even more books in a stylish piece of furniture for your library.
28. Victorian library: Create your own Victorian style library with this DIY project.
29. Faux leather-bound books: Create attractive decorative covers for books, and you’ll have a uniform look on your library shelves.
30. Steel piping bookshelves: Add a steampunk look to your library with these steel piping bookshelves.

31. Inverted bookshelf: Turn your books upside down with this illusion bookshelf.
32. Book page wall art: Take prints and pages out of books and mount them on your wall for easy library decor.
33. Book shaped reading light: Open up a book of light with this DIY reading light project that is put right inside a book.
34. Portable cushion: Use this DIY project guide to make a fresh cushion to hang out on in your reading area.
35. Desk made of books: Turn recycled books into an attractive, functional desk with this DIY project.
36. Pallet chair: Make a chair, storage, shelves, and more out of pallets with this design project.
37. Wallpaper art: Frame scraps of wallpaper and fabric for simple, easy wall art in your library.
38. Rafter book storage: Store your books in your rafters by adding planks of plywood to create cubby spaces.
39. Recovering a rocking chair: Kick back in a comfy rocking chair that looks awesome, too, with the help of this makeover project.
40. Crystal pendant lights: Turn a crystal decanter, mason jar, and other glass objects into pendant lights by following this DIY project.

Taken From Accredited Online Colleges