The bookcase: a piece of furniture that comes in various sizes
Choosing the right bookcase means taking many factors into account, including its dimensions. Selecting the right dimensions for a storage piece like a bookcase isn't always easy.
Before figuring out how to choose the right dimensions, it’s best to redefine what a bookcase is and what features it might have. Next, it’s important to analyze the space and volume constraints that such a choice entails, as well as the qualities of this rather unique piece of furniture.
Finally, it’s also important to consider how to incorporate a bookshelf into a home—specifically, possible locations (bedroom, dining room, office) as well as existing solutions for successfully installing a bookshelf.
A piece of furniture originally intended for books
Originally, a library was a place where books were gathered. Derived from the Greek words “biblio” (book) and “thêkê” (repository), the library thus represents a place that brings together knowledge. Not so long ago, knowledge was archived in books and manuscripts. To gain access to it, the elite gathered these books in places that have since become synonymous with universal knowledge (the Library of Congress in the United States, the National Library of China in Beijing, the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, etc.).
As books became more widely available and the general public gained access to them through mass publishing, libraries multiplied and became smaller so they could fit into single-family homes. Of course, there’s the Internet and all kinds of multimedia devices (phones, computers, e-readers, etc.), but the joy of reading has never been more alive, and books remain one of the top-selling products in e-commerce. So, while large public libraries have been preserved, a place has also been set aside for them within people’s homes.
Library Features
Starting out as simply a piece of furniture for storing books, the bookcase has evolved over time to become a piece of furniture in its own right, finding its place in both traditional and modern homes.
Bookcases have distinctive features that make them easy to recognize and distinguish from tall sideboards, china cabinets, and other pieces of furniture:
- It is often taller than a sideboard, since the items stored inside (books) are fairly easy to reach;
- The depth remains shallow, since ideally only a single row of books on a shelf will be visible so that nothing is hidden behind them;
- The width can vary depending on the space allocated to it in the room:
- Doors, drawers, and cabinets are not required; the books themselves serve as wall coverings with their spines;
- The style of the bookcase often sets the decorative tone for the room—and even the entire house—such as a traditional style featuring dark oak furniture or a modern design with light-colored materials.
A bookcase, therefore, has specific characteristics that set it apart from other storage furniture. In addition to the fact that it holds many books, it is easily recognizable by its size and imposing style, yet it blends in perfectly despite its bulk.
Adjustable dimensions for a custom piece of furniture
Choosing a bookcase means choosing a signature element for your home’s decor. It’s a piece of furniture that will inevitably serve as a decorative focal point in addition to its practical function.
However, its size will vary depending on where it is placed in the house:
- The living room is often the best place for such a piece of furniture and will allow you to think big;
- The room is more modest, and the library will be more hidden from visitors;
- The office can accommodate a small bookcase, but generally, it will hold professional books or binders—not books for leisure reading.
In addition to the space available for your bookcase, the number of books you plan to store in it will also determine the right size. If you only have a few books to store, then a piece of furniture with one or more single shelves will serve as a bookcase at a lower cost.
Filling a bookshelf withdecorative or practicalitems can make up for a lack of books. In fact, this has become a common practice that also allows you to add the finishing touches to your decor with a variety of objects:
- photo frames;
- multimedia tablet;
- decorative vases;
- chessboard;
- various collections;
- etc.
This allows you to fill a bookshelf while leaving some space for future books.
Choosing the Actual Dimensions of a Bookcase
Modern furniture comes in various sizes, but these generally fall within a standard range of dimensions. For example, when it comes to shelf depth, 30 cm is sufficient for storing books properly. A depth of 40 cm is an option, but it doesn’t offer much of an advantage (unless there’s a specific need) and puts the books a little further away from the user.
Some bookcase retailers offer models with adjustable widths, such as a 60-centimeter-wide bookcase that can be paired with another that is 40 centimeters or 80 centimeters wide, and so on. This allows you to precisely match the length of the space in the room, which can be useful for a wide hallway, for example.
The height often exceeds 200 cm. This allows it to cover a large portion of a house’s walls (typically between 2.20 m and 2.50 m per level).
To choose the right size for a bookcase, you need to think carefully about:
- the clearance space that must be maintained around the piece of furniture (90 cm for a chair to pull back, 105 cm for regular passage);
- in the space occupied by the other pieces of furniture so as not to take up all the space and to maintain a certain balance;
- Leave some space between the top shelf and the ceiling to ensure you have usable storage space (at least 30 cm).
The interior dimensions of a bookcase
There are interior dimensions for a bookcase. In fact, you need to consider the following:
- the thickness of the shelves, which determines their length so that they do not bend under the weight of the books;
- the dimensions of the library shelves to optimize storage for different book sizes (paperbacks 11x18 cm, comic books 24x32 cm, etc.);
- the depth of the built-in closets, since the bookcase may have a closed lower section that serves as storage (it is uncommon to store books at floor level because it is impractical).
The ideal bookcase therefore comes in many forms and meets a variety of criteria depending on the desired style and storage capacity. Such a piece of furniture is often expensive, and it is up to the future owner to carefully consider its shape, location, design, and other factors in order to make the right choice.
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