How to Transform Your Home Into a Library

Do you ever wish that you could live inside a library? What could be better than being surrounded by thousands of your favorite titles when you wake up in the morning or get home from work? Well, you're in luck, because there are nearly limitless opportunities to incorporate bookish flares into your home to make it feel more like a library. From small touches like book inspired candles to larger projects like building DIY bookshelves to house your collection, transforming your house from simple to scholarly can be as easy or as challenging as you want.

Turn Unused Space into Reading Nooks

From attics to the space under your stairs, you’d be surprised by the amount of unused real estate in your home that could easily be turned into a cozy reading nook. Depending on how much work you want to put into your renovation, creating your ideal reading nook could be as simple as installing a canopy and some comfy pillows or as complex as building an alcove beneath your stairs or in the corner of an unused room. This remodel is the "choose your own adventure" type where the level of difficulty is up to you.

A Clock to Read By

Marry form and feature with these uniquely nerdy book-themed clocks. With bright, cheerful colors, you can set this clock among your many stacks of books and keep track of time as you dive through your to-be-read list. Or you can ignore it all together and read to your heart’s content. The choice is up to you.

Dictionary Bunting

While it may feel wrong to take pages from books, this easy DIY can give new life to those old dictionaries that you inherited from your grandparents. Or, you can find cheap used dictionaries at your local Goodwill or Salvation Army. Using this clever DIY, turn the pages of an old dictionary into a decorative bunting banner. You can display your new bookish banner in any room that needs some fictional flare.

Wordy Wallpaper

Why limit your literary love to your shelves? Dust off those encyclopedias and thesauruses taking up space in your attic and use them as wallpaper to bring a touch of novel novelty to any room. From children’s rooms to entryways or bathrooms, using the pages of an unused book as wallpaper is a great way to expand your home’s library theme from the shelves and onto the walls.

Turn Your Stair Risers into a Bookcase

The front facing portion of your stairs, also known as the riser, is a great opportunity to add some paperback pop to your home. There’s a lot of wasted space just waiting to be used on your stairs’ risers. VIP decals will make you any book spine decal of our choice, that can then be easily transferred onto your stair risers, or you can try to freehand them yourself. If you want to build actual bookshelves into your stairs, please send us pictures, because that’s amazing.

Interactive Art

Have you been meaning to work your way through the classics that make up our literature world, but can’t seem to find the time or the motivation? Enter the 100 Essential Novels Scratch-Off Chart. Few things are as compelling in this world as an uncompleted scratch-off card. Use this functional piece of art to keep track of your journey through some of the world’s most well-renowned works of literature and enjoy a captivating piece of art in the process. Your walls will become your very own catalog with this print.

Start a Little Free Library

What better way to turn your home into a library than by starting a Little Free Library in your front yard? This easy to maintain communal bookshelf can draw members of your community together over their love of reading. Bookriot has a great guide to building and maintaining a successful Little Free Library that can be found here.

Igniting Scholarly Scents

You may be able to make your house look and feel like a library, but what about that signature library smell? You know the one. It’s slightly oaky with hints of leather, parchment, and sandalwood. It’s the scent that fills every literary dwelling. Well, we’ve bottled this elusive fragrance and used it to make our Oxford Library soy candles. Now, all five senses will tell you that your home is officially a library.

DIY Floor-To-Ceiling Bookshelves

Arguably, one of the most envious features of any library is its massive floor to ceiling bookshelves. But commissioning custom built-ins isn’t cheap, and trying to find enough bookshelves at thrift stores to fill any one room is nearly impossible. The solution to your lack of bookish storage might surprise you; apple crates. By getting creative with their arrangement, apple crates can be stacked in nearly any fashion to make unique and personalized shelving on a budget. All you need is a few screws, some paint or stain, and an imagination and you’re set. Remember to mount your finished bookcase to your wall for safety.

Create Your Own Library with Frostbeard

We’re all about incorporating bookish delights into our everyday lives, that’s why we spend our days making book themed candles and merch. Between our classic Old Books and Headmaster's Office scents, along with many others, we have the perfect book themed candle to complement your new library-themed dwelling. We’d love to see pictures or hear about your library renovations, so share a comment with us down below or on Facebook!