Bookcase Plans - Plans for Book Cases

Lets take a look at the different types of bookcases you might want to build.

Built-in Bookshelves - One of the more popular choices for building are of course built-in bookcases. These are units that are built into a wall or some other area like a fireplace. Especially popular for studies or dens, that can be used to feature items other than books. Almost any collectables ranging from antique cameras to model planes or cars are great on display on built-in bookshelves. Not only are they attractive, they also add personalization and warmth to your home as well.

Barrister bookshelves - For more than a hundred years, officials, lawyers and the like have accumulated large numbers of books in their libraries. Since these were quite expensive they invested in bookcases that would do a great job of protecting that investment for them. Barrister bookcases were designed to do a better job of that than just an ordinary bookshelf. These units are designed with doors for each shelf, usually with a glass pane. A typical barrister case will have the door hinges on the bottom, and it will swing down to allow access to the books.

Corner Bookcases - Just the ticket for hiding away in almost any room in the house, corner bookcases come in a variety of sizes and styles. A simple white shelf can be great in a kids room, or a fine wooden corner shelf standing several feet in height can serve as a display unit in the dining or living rooms.

Ladder Bookcases This is becoming a really popular style. These ladder bookcases often appear to be a ladder leaning against the wall. They are built by using the largest shelf on the bottom, and then increasingly smaller shelves as you go up. Usually there are three to five total shelves. Some are even tapered into a corner so they look like a pyramid.

Simplest for the home carpenter, the standard three shelf unit is a popular yet functional unit. Simple to build, this is a great starter unit. It will look good in the game room or one of the kids rooms. Paint it and you have a simple black bookcase that won't show the wear from the kids or the teens.

Plans can be found online for free at sites like Shopsmith, or you can buy books of plans from many book retailers. Another approach that is becoming quite popular is to download book plans after purchasing them online. Amazon has a big selection of plans; you can download bookcase plans here.

In our first home we quickly ran out of space after having 3 children in 5 years. We decided to add on a playroom for the kids, we hired a carpenter to put built-in shelves in the playroom. The unit covered the entire 20 foot wall and had storage cabinets in the lower third and book shelves in the upper two-thirds, floor to ceiling. The carpenter designed a space in the middle where we put a roll-top desk. This room was greatly enhanced with the unique shelf unit and the room was used by all family members. It was also a great selling point when we were selling that house.

It's very trendy these days to fill your book shelves with items other than books. You can add knicks-knacks, pictures in frames, keepsakes, collectibles, and just about anything you desire. If you are planning on filling the shelves with only books, one idea to help make your collection attractive on the shelf is to alter the direction of the books. Place some horizontal and also some in the traditional verticle position. You can also add volume collections like encyclopedias or vintage collections. You can have the "classics" all together or a grouping of one of your favorite authors - all these ideas add personality and richness to your shelf appearance, and reasons to make you smile every time you walk past the book shelf!