Let's talk about bookshelves
Is it obvious that I'm decorating my office?
For the past few months I’ve been turning the second bedroom in my apartment into my office, a room of my own. By turning I mean I’ve gotten a couple of paint samples on the wall (I found the perfect yellow!) and have a naked IKEA couch holding my clean laundry (it has become a massive version of “the chair”). But still, it’s mine. And it’s coming together. Slowly. Sort of. I have high hopes for this room, which I’ve imagined via moodboard and measured no less than ten times. It’s where I imagine finishing my second novel and listening to music and reading and playing Sims on a monitor.
There’s a few things I’m already planning for in this space: a bulletin board to hang up inspo a la Ali Labelle, a massive plush rug that covers most of the floor—think Nordic Knots but not NK prices, a cool lamp so I never ever have to turn on the big light. But my tip-top priority is a wall of bookshelves, because I have an ungodly amount of books with no plans to stop buying more. I currently have two walls of shelves in my apartment, which aren’t enough to store all my reads. I’ve resorted to stacking them in various corners around the house and I’d like to get them off the floor and into a proper home. Outside of function, a wall of bookshelves just looks cool and fulfills my lifelong dream of having my own library. Finding one to take up the wall (that isn’t custom or a million dollars) has sent me down a rabbit hole and into the DMs of stylish people with cool shelving and to the third and fourth pages of Google. After weeks (months) of research I’ve come up with a few solutions. First, the inspo images so you can see what I’m going for:
The room I’m working with is small (cozy) and dark (cozy x2), and the wall I’m planning to mount them on is a little over 111 inches long. I want said bookshelves to go to the ceiling (about 8.5 feet high!) and will likely paint or stain them a deep blue, which will play nicely with the deep yellow-with-a-hint-of-green I settled on— Golden Chalice from Benjamin Moore. The first and obvious option here is the ubiquitous IKEA Billy bookshelves.
I’ve watched no less than 45 TikToks and YouTube videos of people hacking their Billy bookshelves to make them look built-in, and while they undoubtedly look good when they’re finished, I can’t help but think that they’re made of particleboard. I currently have both solid wood shelving and particleboard in my apartment, and of the two, my pine shelves are holding up much better. Despite this, the Billy bookshelves aren’t entirely out of the running (cheap! nice-looking!), but it pushed me to consider alternatives. After weeks of noodling, I settled on IKEA’s Ivar system, which we have in our kitchen and love. It’s pine, adjustable, and affordable, but I’m not sold on the open shelving vibe, because what I really want is for the shelves to appear built in.
With that in mind, here’s my current plan: Ivar cabinets that run from one end of the room to the other and some kind of shelving on top. I’m (reluctantly) leaning toward putting the Billy bookcases on top of these cabinets, but the only thing I’m not sold on is the MDF/pine combo. Even painted, I’m worried it’ll look wonky combined. I’m also playing with the idea of stacking more Ivar cabinets on top of each other and just removing the doors but the problem here is that there’s inevitably one sort of short shelf. There’s also a world where I stack the open shelves/wooden posts on top, but I want it to look like one piece of furniture. Best case scenario, it’ll look a little something like this:
Honorable mentions
While I’ve consigned myself to the IKEA industrial complex, there are lots of other bookshelves that I considered along the way. Namely, Vitsoe. I was first turned onto the Dieter Rams-designed shelves by my former coworker Sydney, who can only be described as extremely cool. I was 22 when we met, and she, then 27, explained to me (while wearing tasteful, perfectly tailored clothing) that Vitsoe shelves were the best that money could buy and a worthwhile investment. That the cost up front was negligible when you considered the cost per use, because these were the kind of shelves you keep for life (true to her word, she’s moved with them four times). When I recently asked for bookshelf recommendations, this is what she replied:
Vitsoe’s modular shelving system has been around since the 60s, and the design has essentially been the same since Dieter Rams designed it. This is intentional. The continuity, both aesthetically and in quality, means that you can always adjust and expand the configuration in a way that works for you. The whole ordering process is also very bespoke. You work with a planner to come up with the best configuration, and they walk you through the process, selecting everything by hand. It feels like the customer service of a bygone time, refreshing in an era where I can purchase almost anything without talking to another human being. In addition to being classic, everyone I know who owns one is very cool. As an example, my friend Alex, the same one who carries her books in a vintage Bottega bag, has a wall of shelves in her apartment. My former coworker Louis, who now runs menswear at Magasin and very nearly convinced me to buy some a few years ago, has them too. Then there’s Tanisha Pina, another person whose taste I admire, whose shelves I’ve had in my save folder for a bit. But alas. Outfitting my entire wall would be in the low five figures, and that’s with just a basic shelf setup and maybe one drawer. So until I snag a million-dollar book deal (or get past this wedding), I’ll continue to gaze at them longingly and write about them here.
Other bookshelves
When I first moved into my apartment, dreaming of Vitsoe shelves but without Vitsoe shelf money, I turned to Home Depot’s track closet system, which has a similar mounting mechanism. The two are not at all similar but it is a very clean look (as proven by this Domino tour of Great Jones founder Sierra Tishgart’s apartment), and sturdy too. I will say that the MDF shelves that you can buy with the brackets warp over time, but I’ve used them with wood shelving (this is the current situation in my living room) and they’ve held up well over time. If you want that built-in-but-not look this is a good option, because you can paint the brackets and shelves to match the color of the wall, creating a very intentional look. For added storage you can also stick some kind of cabinet underneath. I considered doing this in my office but ultimately decided that a third set of Home Depot shelves in my apartment felt overboard.
These shelves are very obviously Vitsoe-inspired and don’t attempt to hide it. The modular storage system is ideal for renters because it attaches to the ceiling via tension rods, so you don’t have to drill into the wall. Carrie, my first-ever book date, owns them and they look great IRL. When I asked her why she went for these in particular she said it happened out of necessity. She lives in a massive pre-war apartment in Crown Heights, and this wall, an addition, isn’t strong enough to hold a wall of shelves. “There’s so many different options so it can function how you want it to,” she says. And you don’t have to play by the rules. Her “display shelves,” where she keeps cool art books and a copy of Homebodies, are designed to hold shoes.
Simple Living Margo Mid-Century Modern 3-Tier Bookshelf
I also own this bookshelf in walnut and I’m very partial to it. Its held up okay over the past five years (things got a little shaky during that earthquake), and although I’ve long since outgrown it and have turned it into record/Funko Pop storage, it’s a good option if you need to hold less than 60 books. I’d also recommend mounting it to the wall—it isn’t very sturdy on its own.
I love these because you can customize them down to the inch, ideal for tight or extra–wide spaces. We visited Connay’s god brother George in Seattle last year and he had these in his apartment. He uses them as ledges for his cats to climb on (he uses Vitsoe shelves for books, naturally) and told me that they’re both sturdy and nice-looking. These are available in a range of materials (including wood!), start at 12 inches and go all the way up to 118”. These can get pricey, especially when you start getting into hardwood, but worth it if you’re willing to invest.
Shelves I like the look of, but don’t own and haven’t seen IRL
These mounted shelves mimic the Vitsoe ones, especially when you line up a bunch. Six of them will run you less than a grand, and you could stick a storage cabinet (the Besta, maybe?) to create a cohesive look. This is a good option if you want to mix and match.
This shelf came recommended to me by Sydney, who told me she’s a sucker for an Etagere-style bookcase. This is particularly good if you have lots of art books or want to style out shelves. They’re a little too deep for my purposes, but these could make for a nice wall of shelves.
Metal shelves have been heavy on my mind since I got back from Mexico City, where I visited the Biblioteca Vasconcelos. There’s lots of industrial shelf options out there, but I was drawn to this shelving unit designed for the kitchen. I’d considered something like this for our own kitchen to hold baking supplies, but ended up going with the IKEA Omar, which was better suited for the space. This Vevor shelf isn't designed for books but could easily be used as a bookshelf. At 72 inches tall it’s a decent height and each shelf holds 330 pounds. At $158, it’s a steal. This was a no for me because they don’t go to the ceiling and I wanted wood but chrome shelves are undeniably cool.
Design Within Reach Story Bookshelf
If you have less books to store you could go for something cute if not practical. Carrie won’t let me buy these because she says it would be a waste of space considering how many books I own, but it’s beautiful and comes in the best colors. It has a tiny footprint and works well in awkward or small spaces. If someone buys this, I’ll live vicariously through them.
How are you storing your books? I want to know!
A friend of mine uses the String System for books (two former English majors and one current academic so they have lots of books). It requires drilling into walls but they’ve held up in two different NYC apartments. It’s a modular system so it’s very customizable and comes with extras like shelving for desks or a cabinet. I have a string system shelf in my kitchen and a smaller one in my bathroom too so it’s multi use too for when you finally get your built-ins!
the post we've been waiting for!