Do You Like Bookcases in the Bedroom?

Given a career that has me bouncing between DC and overseas, I've had a wide variety of housing in the last few years. From one bedroom apartments to three bedroom houses, the way I display my worldy goods is forced to expand and contract depending on the space. Though I grew up with a bedroom full of bookcases, I have come to realize that whenever I live in a larger home with a extra space, the first thing that leaves the bedroom is a bookcase.

That moving bookcase is partly due to the desire to organize all my books in one library space, and partly due to a desire to simplify my bedroom whenever possible. When I lived in a one bedroom apartment in DC, I had bookcases in the living room, entryway and bedroom, and it never bothered me; I love my books and don't mind being surrounded by them. That said, when I learned that my current home had a bonus room, I had all the bookcases moved into that space without a moment's hesitation.

My current bedroom has a bed, two nightstands, three dressers and a chair. It also has open floor space, 5 windows, and no clutter of any kind- a far cry from that DC apartment! Though at first I was afraid the room was too sparce, I have come to realize that given the chance, I prefer a more streamlined look because it helps make the bedroom feel like a sanctuary. When I move back to DC, I'm sure I will have bookcases in the bedroom once again, but for the moment, I rather enjoy the fact that the only book in the room is the one on my nightstand.

What are your thoughts on bookcases in the bedroom? The ones in the above-pictured room from Martha Stewart Living look like a definite design feature, one that adds plenty to the style of the room, but just as often it might be simply because the bedroom is the only place in the home with room to spare. If you have bookcases in your bedroom, is it due to space constraints or a conscious design choice?

Image:Martha Stewart Living

Comments (40)

I think bookcases are fine for a kid's room -- to keep their own personal books -- but otherwise, books belong in a less intimate and private space.

Bookcases in a a grown-up bedroom are too cluttered and distracting.

Depends on the size of the room. In this case; yes very much!

We don't have a bookcase in our room, but we need one! I have easily a dozen books on my nightstand and they need a place.

Love the look but have given up on having loads of books, especially near where I sleep, because of allergies. I keep what I'm reading and that's about it.

The last time I had a bookcase in my bedroom was in college - dorm life. To me, packed bookcases are loaded with ideas, stories and energy that begged to be absorbed and digested multiple times. I'd rather have peace in my bedroom. A wall of bookcases are better off left in the home office, study, den or family room.

IMO - They're fine for a kid's room or a room like this where they're built-in...

...but freestanding bookcases in an adult's bedroom? Just No.

My wife keeps a small pile in her nightstand (which is one of those IKEA cubes, with light on top and books and things in the cube) and I prefer that. I don't like having to go to my bedroom, where I don't normally allow guests, if I want to grab a book to lend someone or show someone. Basically, I like to keep our books in a more public space.

We have an odd space in our room, that ends up being a kindof a cross between a foyer and an alcove, but not nearly as functional or fun as either one.

We built in floor to ceiling shelves to turn the space into something usable, and its ended up being great. Its not part of the bulk of the room so it isn't terrible distracting, provides an intimate library for bedtime reading, and we left one shelf open, so as you walk into the room - there is a landing pad for wallets, and other similar things in little baskets.

Guest room built in yes but not for me too much dusting.

I love that table.

No... Bedrooms are for beds...

I've read that books in the bedroom are a no-no for allergy sufferers, which I am. So though I have books in my bedroom now, when I move out of my parent's house in a couple months I am banning more than three books in my room at a time.

I agree with Isabelbean. Depending on size of the room.

We have too many books and too small a place not to have bookcases in our bedroom. Curious as to why some think books are only appropriate in a child's bedroom...?

I have a bed and 7 bookcases in my master bedroom (and every room except for the bathrooms has multiple bookcases). I love being surrounded by my books, and luckily I have 2 walk in closets so a dresser is not required. I am uncomfortable in rooms where at least a few books are not present.

Not if it splits the books between different rooms, unless you are splitting by category (kitchen gets the cookbooks, living room gets the coffee table book, and bedroom gets the XXX?).

I think it only works if either you just don't have the room elsewhere, no other option, or you have so much room that it won't feel cramped, a bit like above, where your bedroom is big enough to be a living room. So either out of necessity, or out of luxury.

@SMM, I think it feels too dorm-y, again with the making the bedroom the center of your awake hours.

Although if your bedroom connects to a bathroom, I wouldn't want the extra moisture in the air to get on the books if you don't have good ventilation (we don't).

I'm with you, Colleen -- very simliar history. I have had shelves in my bedroom in apartments where there was little choice. In our last house, we had a fairly wide stairs landing, so we put our shelves there. It worked because we mainly selected a book and used it somewhere else anyhow. Now there is a room we pass through from the main floor to the upper floor, and since it was a passageway almost more than a purposeful room, we made that our library -- which is ideal!

I think the floor to ceiling built-ins in the photo are an exception to most bedroom shelving -- and that works as well as it does because the wall of books almost looks like wallpaper, not as overpowering and intrusive as some other configurations. Still, if you can avoid shelving in a bedroom I think it's way more restful.

Since my allergies rear their ugly head the most while sleeping, a very emphatic no. My bedroom needs to be as free of items as possible so I can clean out all the dust easily.

I've downsized my books also, I only have cookbooks and design/photography books. Everything I have fits on one sapien bookshelf. All other reading resides on my Kindle.

We have a couple of bookcases in our bedroom, with the books we return to again and again as bedtime reading. I like having them there.

Books bring me comfort. I want my bedroom to be a room of comfort. My books live in my bedroom.

I love this photo and with a different colour on the walls it is my dream bedroom. I just really love my books and with books in every room, I still keep my favourites (vintage home related books) in there so I can read them in peace and quiet when I get a chance (I have a toddler).

I love books.

No.

I am most comfortable in a home so brimming with books that they are in every room.

kewiser - I agree with you!

I love my books and I love having them close! I have a full bookshelf in my bedroom, one in the hallway and multiple stacks in every room! And that doesn't include my daughters two bookshelves! Maybe it's the academic in me but I love the look and feel of books in a home :)

Love books in my home but not in my bedroom. Too much of a dust magnet too close to where I sleep. I keep a short stack of what I'm reading but all books are elsewhere.

Apart from my family, of course, there is nothing I love more or find more comforting than books. So, yes, I have bookcases with my most personal and beloved books in my bedroom. Book energy fills me with peace.

Plus, my Kindle lives by my bed.

I don't have any plans to switch to all e-books, in fact I find that whole concept a huge nightmare, but our bedroom is too small for bookcases and has no built-ins.

If I had a much bigger bedroom I would do it. I even have a plan for built-ins in my dream house.

I would also say the extremes of either closed-door cases or books on floating shelves would be easier to work into many bedroom schemes than open but freestanding bookshelves.

I don't think it has to look dorm-ish. Especially, for example, with antique bookcases.

I have learned much today: books in the adult bedroom are distracting, and can only be tolerated in the rooms of focused people, like children!

No way! But for a reason not yet mentioned here: I live on the west coast of the U.S., i.e. earthquake country. I position my bookshelves so that they wouldn't fall toward any sitting or sleeping area. But especially not in the bedroom, because if I'm asleep, I'm going to be much less able to dodge falling objects!

Maybe if my bedroom were larger. I'd be okay with it if I had sweet built-in bookshelves like in the photo. But freestanding bookcases? No way. Not even if they're anchored, not if they're close enough to conceivably threaten me on my bed.

I live in a small apartment. I'm married to an English teacher. So yeah... I have a bookshelf in my bedroom. I have considered putting in a built-in shelf instead of the free-standing one for a more polished finish but it's not really in the budget right now.

I don't find it distracting when I'm going to sleep. The bookshelf faces the same way the bed faces. So when I'm in bed I can't even see it.

I like the look of bookcases in a bedroom. However, the dust and my bedroom's smallness make that not the best arrangement. Just current reading is on the nightstand. The bookcases are in the living room and office.

I am a library science student and a former English major, and I have had bookshelves in my bedroom all my life - and in the dining room, living room, hallway and office (plus boxes and boxes in the closets too).

However, when my husband and I buy a house in the next few months, the first thing I 'm going to do is get our bookshelves out of our bedroom. I have never liked to read in bed, and I prefer to keep all my books in one location, ideally in the living room or office. Having so many books in my bedroom is hugely distracting; I find myself reading the titles over and over until I have a headache - this is also why I have no posters or wall art with writing on it anywhere in my house. Plus, my cats like to jump on top of the bookcase at night, and they wake me up by knocking over stacks of books.

I used to, but not any more and I think it's much better.

I have bookcases in every room except the bathroom. The bedroom bookcase is small and holds just a few books--but they are the books that I tend to read when I can't sleep at night; familiar friends to while away the nighttime hours. The top of the bookcase also gives me a little display space for a few favorite photographs and space for a tray for my often-worn jewelery.

My bedroom has the bed, a dresser, two nightstands and the bookcase. It's not a huge room, but it is certainly not overcrowded or cluttered. (In fact, it's the one room that stays decluttered.)

I have a large bookcase in my (large) bedroom, and I love it. We do a lot of reading in bed, and it's nice to have a few titles close at hand if you're between books at bedtime. In our last apartment, we didn't have space for a bookshelf in the bedroom, and I hated it.

I happen to love books, though -- to me, they make a house feel like a home.

We move a lot too and lived in all kinds of floor plans and sq.f. places.
Only ones we had to have bookcases in our bedroom but it was big enough with walk in closet. In the bedroom we had only bed, chair, two small bedside tables and the bookcases with glass doors. Never felt cluttered.

If I have a choice I still preffer most of my books to be in separate room-office or guest bedroom.

Bookcases in the bedroom? No. A sideboard in the bedroom? Maybe. A sideboard with books in it in the bedroom? Yeah!

I read in bed; I like my books to be where I read. I just don't want to see them or breathe their dust. Plus, this way, they don't get dusty.

Poor grad student so books live where ever there is space. I am longing for the 5hour drive to Ikea so that I can have a decent sized bookshelf in my bedroom finally. The kids room thing is weird to me, but then I've not had the luxury of a lot of extra space in my life yet.

I'm currently using two $20 Target bookshelves as nightstands (pictured on my blog). I think the key to having bookcases in the bedroom is to not make them too book-heavy. I don't think I could handle the packed bookcase in that Martha Stewart Living pic. Instead, I try to use the books as accessories and mix them in with accessories I have. I'm not sure if they're a permanent solution for a nightstand, but I'm enjoying them a lot right now. There's lot of room to put the normal stuff I have next to my bed, and, since the bookshelves are next to me and not along an opposite wall, I'm not staring at a busy bookshelf while I'm trying to fall asleep. Plus, I kind of like the idea of my bed being surrounded by my favorite stories and ideas. I find it whimsically relaxing.

I have lots of books and kept them in a nice bookcase, Though they're not kept in my bedroom, I made sure they are safe and well kept in my living room.