Spruce up your book storage with stylish bookshelves

Heaped on tables, floor and on the sofas, books littered around your house can become irritating. But just like people, books need a beautiful “home”.
Doreen Azaninka of Azan designers, says bookshelves are not just a rectangular piece of furniture you can place anywhere and pile it with books. “For those that fancy books, stylish bookshelves, when wall placed, can serve as an interior art piece adding beauty to your house,”Azaninka says.

To Azanika, choosing the right style for your bookshelf can be determined by the number of books because different designs and size hold a different number of books.
Unlike before when bookshelves took a single shape and colour, today, bookshelves are made in a number of styles, colours, sizes and materials, which include metal, wood, plastic, glass and clay. Depending on your choice, these can either be in- built or freely standing.

Cliff Nsubuga, a carpenter at Kliph Furniture Nsambya, says there are different styles of shelves you can select from. However, few people pay attain to bookshelves thus they make rectangular shapes that are commonly bought by schools. Furthermore, in case a client came around with their own design, he says it can be made.
Here are some of the bookshelf styles you can go for:

Gobe cross shelves
Emily Rwezi of ZOE Creative Interiors, Naguru, says globe cross shelves or oval shelves are hang on the wall. These can be locally made or imported, depending on the usage. They vary in sizes and colours. She says globe cross can either be placed in the study room or living room.
It is a stylish bookshelf with a grid storage system. This adds character and elegance to the house. You can hang several of them to help you create an attractive feature.
“Depending on the size, these cost Shs300,000 for a small size and as the size increases, so is the cost” Rwezi says.

Abaco bookshelf
This stylish piece is made with a number of storage units that vary in size and occupies a bigger space. When all incorporated, this bookcase looks like a piece of art that is freely standing and can serve as a focal point for your living home.
Wilber Twesbaze of Essanyu enterprises says this kind of bookshelf can be livened with other art pieces and a TV, thus looking spectacular.
He says when imported, this can cost between Shs2.5m and Shs3m and Shs1.5m to Shs2m for a locally made. However the size and material also matters, and whether it is hard or soft wood.
Honeycomb
This is in form of a honey comb and its slates are held in place with panels. When blended well, Azaninka says it can serve as a main focus for your room. These can also serve as a room boundary between the living room and the dining room.

Book tree shelf
The book tree shelf with branches is striking enough to stand in an empty space than placing it in a corner. Depending on what you desire, this can have as many branches as possible holding your favorite books.
Rwezi says this is more striking when painted golden brown. It can be an eye-catching piece defining your personality and telling the story of your life. The branches are treated as shelves. Depending on the size and type of wood used, this can cost Shs250,000 and more. However, the book tree shelf cannot only be sculpted but also moulded.

Sculpted bookshelves
Nsubuga says these can be sculpted out of wood according to what you desire. Sculptures are normally made of wood or clay and can take on any shape. For example, an incredibly detailed, African woman carrying a basket of books would make a lovely bookshelf.

Floating invisible
It is very small. In fact, it is just a crafty piece of metal. According to awsomestuff365.com, you need to mount it on an old book and stack other books on top. These books will simply be lying on the shelf but will appear as if floating in the air. It is a good space saver and an awesome way to mesmerise guests.

Yin Yan bookshelves
The Yin Yan bookshelf’s design is beautifully made and intriguing with different book portions. This creates uniqueness in the shelves’ sizes, patterns and shapes. With its different partitions, your books will stay in place no matter at what angle. The books curve to the shape of the shelf. This shelf has a dual purpose in that it both decorates a room and holds books.

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