Ten years ago, many of us assumed that ebooks would make traditional books obsolete. While more of us are going paperless these days, we’ll always have a soft spot for paper books and the shelves that hold them. There’s something so viscerally satisfying about walking into a room lined with books of all colors and sizes. Part of their appeal is the wide array of storage and display options we choose to put them on. These incredible bookshelf designs not only store your books; they add a touch of style and character to your home.

Hug Your Books

(images via: LikeCool)

For people who really love their books, the Movement book storage system lets you give them love even when you’re not around. Pegs in the shape of arms and legs to into the wall, then books sit on the legs and enjoy the warm embrace of the arms. This may not be the wisest solution for a large collection, but it looks ideal for displaying just a few well-loved favorites.

Wokka Wokka Wokka

(image via: Mirko Ginepro Design)

Just about everyone will instantly recognize the simple yellow face of Pac-Man…but for legal purposes, this version is called Puckman. The bright yellow bookcase hangs on the wall, holding anything you need it to and adding a definite sense of nostalgia to anyone who spent hours playing the classic game. The hilarious Puckman bookcase might eat your TV, but he’ll keep you safe from the Ghosty Lamps also made by Ginepro Design.

A Case for War?

(images via: Dornob)

Inspired by global events related to missile tests, the designer behind Daniel Loves Objects created these amazing bookshelves. Carried upon the backs of tiny golden toy soldiers, the cases bear images of missiles – and numerous copies of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Part art, part political commentary, and all outstanding design, these shelves would be ideal both for storing your tomes and for starting conversations.

Moving Literature

(image via: David Garcia Studio)

These two designs from David Garcia playfully twist our perceptions of reading. The first, Archive I, is a balanced library: the reader’s chair is elevated, and the library has to be at least as heavy as the reader for the chair to remain in its heightened position. The round library, Archive II, is a throwback to the traveling libraries of days gone by: a simple concept that invites users to take their library with them as they explore the world with a book in hand.

Hardware-Free, Customizable Storage

(images via: J1 Studio)

If you frequently get tired of your existing furniture and long for a change of pace, the T.Shelf (short for triangle shelf) might be just the thing to keep your book storage furniture interesting. The pieces are held together with nothing more than steel cables and zip ties, so no hardware or tools are needed to assemble a personalized shelving configuration. Take them apart and reassemble them when the mood strikes or when new pieces of furniture require the shelving to morph into a different shape.

Expand Your Library

(image via: Yanko Design)

Small-space dwellers can appreciate the need for furniture that gets smaller when necessary but is able to grow as space allows. The Twin Bookshelf does just that, with stationary shelves in both halves of the case and a third set of shelves that appear when the two sides of the cabinet are pulled apart. It’s a simple but brilliant solution for adding more space as a book collection grows.

A Bibliophile’s Dream

(images via: Dornob and Triptyque)

Waking up to walls full of books every morning is every bibliophile’s dream. But how do you make the shelves fit your living space? These clever solutions both involve massive built-in bookcases that cover almost every wall. The first is a small-home solution from DBD design + built studio and consists of custom-cut, built-in-place bookshelves that make use of every available inch of area. The bottom design was built in a rather large living area by Triptyque. Though the sizes of the spaces differ, the idea is the same: to provide more than enough space to store every last book, record and knick knack on organically undulating surfaces.

Soft Shelves

(images via: made in design)

Who says book shelves have to be rigid wooden or metal structures? This soft hammock-like hanging bookshelf cradles your books and magazines with all the care you’d expect from fabric, while the expandable structure divides a room or just provides some wonderfully unique visual interest.

Clamp Down on Your Faves

(image via: DesignSpotter)

The Newton Bookshelf is a great way to display just a handful of perennial favorites without taking up the whole apartment. Devised from an old clamp, the Newton attaches to the wall and simply squeezes your stack of books in place.

Along Came a Spider…

(image via: Trendhunter)

This stunning spider web-like bookshelf was the focal point of an exhibit at Art Basel in December 2008. The simple black lines and geometric patterns might not go in every home, but the book collection would certainly be the centerpiece of any home with a storage system like this.

Bear-ly Reading

(image via: made in design)

Not every home would look great with a big white polar bear in it, but for the home with a safari room this bookshelf is right on the money. The large, adorable bear-shaped shelves hold books and other objects while proclaiming to the world that you care about the dwindling polar bear population.

Read + Roll

(images via: Dornob)

What do you get when you combine bookcases, comfy seats and wheels? You get portable storage that doubles as a relaxing reading space. These designs, both from Nils Holger Moorman, let you follow (or avoid) the sun by moving your reading space around to the optimal location. The lounge chair even comes with a built-in lamp, further enhancing the portable reading experience.

No Reading at the Dinner Table!

(images via: Minotti Italia)

Those of us who grew up with a book semi-permanently attached to our hands have heard the above proclamation millions of times. But the ex-libris table design defies parental orders and encourages reading at the table. The bookshelf legs provide ample storage for any and every book you could possibly need while dining; cookbooks would be an especially wonderful (if slightly obvious) choice for this setting.

A Monument to Reading

(images via: Fitting)

If reading is much more than just a casual hobby for you, it makes sense to erect a monument to your books. These massive silver pyramid bookshelves are fit for pharaohs – or anyone with a home large enough to accommodate them.

A Case For All Seasons

(images via: Modern Design Blog)

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, these clever tree-shaped bookshelves would look great all year ’round. Smaller objects or magazines could occupy the top levels while larger tomes would be relegated to the bottom, and when the holidays roll around you can simply replace the books with ornaments or gifts for a needle-free tree.

Knock it Down!

(image via: Treehugger)

Moving frequently can be hard on bookshelves, as anyone who has ever tried to disassemble and reassemble an Ikea bookshelf can attest to. But the Knockdown Bookcase is meant to be taken down and rebuilt over and over again with no tools and no hassle. The pieces simply slot together, so you can go from a box full of pieces to a fully assembled bookshelf in literally minutes.

Let Me Spell it Out For You

(images via: Yanko Design)

You know the kind of person who prints out labels for everything in their home? This is the bookshelf for them. The shelf is actually made of letters that spell out the word “shelf,” leaving absolutely no doubt as to what that thing hanging on the wall might be.

Stick ‘Em Up

(images via: Henry Julier)

You can’t always fit a large bookshelf into a living area, so Henry Julier designed the Magneto shelving system: each piece of wood contains super-strong neodymium magnets that allow the shelves to stick to fridges, whiteboards or other surfaces. They may not be strong enough to hold up your entire book collection, but they’re perfect for sticking a few up here and there.

You Can Take It With You

(image via: Design You Trust)

One of the best things about having a sizable book collection is sharing it with friends and family. This mobile bookcase design lets you do more than that: you can haul your books around behind you, becoming your own mobile library. Quitante, by estudio, is a simple design consisting of fruit crates, cargo straps, plywood and castors – and it’s completely brilliant.

Catch Them on the Flipside

(image via: Instructables)

If you’re the DIY type, and you have a sense of humor about your books, this unconventional storage solution might be just your thing. Without harming your books, you can create a fun upside-down shelf to display them – and you can even use the “bottom” of the shelf for storing other objects: double your fun!

Dog-Gone Handy Storage

(images via: Yanko Design)

The Pack of Dogs bookshelves are all made in different materials and all represent dogs of different breeds and positions, but they all have one thing in common: they’re unfailingly loyal while holding your reading material

Super Mario Furniture

(images via: Neatorama)

Every geek should have at least one video game-themed piece of furniture. These amazing Super Mario Brothers shelves aren’t available commercially; they were a DIY project and reside in a very lucky person’s home.

Books may seem ever more anachronistic as electronics and the Internet continue to supplant their traditional roles, yet there will always be a place for books in our lives – and in our homes. These 15 creative bookcases take outrageous storage to the next level… storageous?

The REK Bookcase

(image via: Dezeen)

Book storage turning you into a nervous wreck? Reiner De Jong has a solution: REK, an expandable bookcase that expands to accommodate your book collection. Composed of 5 sliding sections that fit together not unlike a jigsaw puzzle, REK will enhance any decor scheme with its tough laminate finish (gloss white outside, satin grey within).

(image via: Skyscraper City)

REK reminds one of the Cafe Wall Illusion made famous by the Australian Customs Service building. This iconic architectural optical illusion does NOT expand when more storage space is needed, but the building’s interior design could certainly be complemented by the installation of several dozen REK bookcases.

The Platzhalter Bookcase

(images via: Gizmodo and Shoplet)

The Platzhalter bookshelf has a split personality, which happens to be a good thing. Possibly inspired by that guy everyone knows whose bookcases are so full tomes can be neither stored nor withdrawn, the Platzhalter bookshelf splits down the middle providing about 30% more storage space. Of course, “that guy” will just overstuff it again, but at least someone’s making an effort.

Bookman Is On The Case

(image via: Declubz)

Remember that Seinfeld episode where Jerry’s being harassed by uber-diligent library cop, Lieutenant Bookman over an overdue book? Well, Bookman’s not only still ON the case, he IS the case: this anthropomorphic shelving unit can turn any thin, single and neat joy-boy into the ideal well-read man.

Coast To Coast, Cover To Cover

(images via: Neatorama, Visualingual and 770)

When you’re a famous artist like Ron Arad, you can get away with calling an America-shaped bookcase anything you want. Even, say, “Oh, the farmer and the cowman should be friends”. It doesn’t have to make sense (though it’s likely to make Arad dollars), it just has to look good. And so it does.

The Reaction Bookcase

(images via: Trends Updates and A.P.C.I)

This combination lounge chair and bookcase could have been called Psychotic Reaction but that’s another song for another time. The Reaction Bookcase, or Bibliothèque Réaction in the language of its French designer, Olivier Peyricot, resembles an oversized hamster wheel six feet in diameter – or maybe the library on the International Space Station.

Yin Yang Bookcase

(image via: Apartment Therapy)

As solid and strong as the above Yin Yang Bookcase may look, in truth it’s made of cardboard – and you can make one too! Eric Guiomar and the gang at Instructables provides complete plans that will allow anyone to add a little balance to their home environment while impressing the hell out of their friends in the process.

The Skew Bookcase

(images via: Hooked On Houses and Designboom)

These shocking pink bookcases look like they have a skew loose… or, they look somewhat askew. Whatever. The Skew Bookcase is a modular product that looks like the normally straight-laced designers at IKEA got into some bad acid. That’s not too far off the mark, actually, as Smånsk is, in their own words, “a Stockholm based design studio that brings you happiness, good health and beautiful furniture and interiors.” Heavy man, far out.

(image via: Smansk)

Above is Smånsk’s design for the Vagabond Travel Workshop, most definitely the place for a “trip” in every sense of the word.

The Infinity Bookcase

(images via: Book Patrol and Neatorama)

Where does one keep an infinite number of books? In the Infinity Bookcase, of course! Dutch conceptual artist Job Koelewijn created this large-scale figure 8 bookcase to reflect both the infinite power of books as they relate to the infinite nature of knowledge. It’s hard to say how readers access the inner shelves of the bookcase… but with infinite time, someone will surely figure it out.

The Blurred Bookcase

(image via: Designs Delight)

The Blurred Bookcase looks as if its owner is The Last Of The Red Hot Readers. As for the design itself, it appears stable enough though if you stare at it enough, it might have you wondering the same about yourself.

JUXTAPOSED: Religion Bookcase

(images via: Design Public and The Green Head)

The JUXTAPOSED: Religion Bookcase by BlankBlank plays by the numbers: it holds just 7 selected theological books, was made in a very limited edition of 50, and costs $2,500. Once you get past that, it’s easy to appreciate the unique attributes of this most unusual reclaimed hardwood shelf that puts very different religious books, for example the Bhagavad Gita, Bible, Qur’an, Analects of Confucius, the Tao Te Ching, Discourses of the Buddha and the Torah on the same level. Literally.

Scaffold Bookcase

(images via: Behance Network and Tuvie)

These modular scaffold bookcases by Maria Yasko can be used to store much more than books. Made from Corian, a tough but light synthetic material often used to make countertops, Yasko’s pieces come in a variety of appealing colors. How they’re connected depends on the mood of the owner with the only rule being “the more, the merrier”.

Amazing Maze Bookcase

(images via: Inhabitat)

This amazing bookcase from German design firm Woodloops looks so good, you won’t want to distract from the design by stocking it with even one single book. Like all of Woodloops’ creations, the maze bookcase is constructed using only FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood hand-finished with natural waxes and oils.

Mydna Bookcase

(images via: Yanko Design)

If the Mydna Bookcase from Mexican designer Joel Escalona looks familiar, it also sounds familiar: as in “My DNA”. Available in two versions – one static and the other rotating on its pedestal, the Mydna Bookcase puts a new twist on storing one’s books.

Billy’s Brother Bookcase

(images via: ADDI)

This somewhat disturbing bookcase from Sweden’s ADDI might look like it’s about to topple over but never fear, it’s just an illusion. Even so, the oddly named Billy’s Brother Bookcase effectively blurs the line between hardware and sculpture.

Bibliothèque Zelli Bookcase

(images via: Woohome, Blog Naver and Dar en Art)

This beautiful, snowflake-shaped bookcase from Younes Douret is called the Bibliothèque Zelli. Measuring 140cm (about 56 inches) in diameter, this is one piece of furniture that will be the center of attention wherever it’s placed. The bookcase, distributed by Dar en Art, comes in white or black and according to Douret, is not actually based on a six-pointed snowflake – instead, Douret draws inspiration from an Arabic graphic called a “Zellij”, which has 8 points and is composed of 8 identical segments making it surprisingly easy to build.

Well, that should cover it (sorry), at least for the moment. Reading will never go out of style and we can thank the world’s bookcase designers for helping ensure that style never goes out of our reading.

(Check out our complete collection of Unusual, Creative and Transforming Furniture.)

Lacking some library space in your crowded house or apartment? Our original 20 distinctive ways and places to house your books featured a number of ecological, flat pack, transformable and portable furniture solutions. This follow-up furniture selection has everything from cozy chairs and strange figures to suspended hangers and adjustable modules for you to fit your favorite books into. Whether or not you are already settled on the perfect way to use your living space, we present those designs now for your leisurely perusal as both functional and entertaining pieces of unique urban furniture.

The Bibliochaise:This “book chair” simply integrates a series of bookshelves around a place to sit, making it perhaps the perfect reading chair.The shelves come in a variety of colors, as do the cushions.You even have the option of upgrading to leather cushions if you feel a splurge coming on.

Alog Modular Shelving System:Looking to make a visual statement with your bookshelves?You may have found what you’re looking for with this system, which allows you to reconfigure the shelving modules into hundreds of different configurations.This bookshelf is proof that functionality, attractiveness and the possibility of customization are far from mutually exclusive.

Suspension Shelf:This extremely novel shelf uses a row of straps from which your books hang until you’re ready to pick them.Apart from being extremely interesting to look at, the aligned tops of the books can be used as a storage space of their own.When not in use, the suspension shelf takes up almost no room at all – a practical feature for a cramped urban domicile.

Geometric Modular Shelving:Somewhere near the zenith of customizable shelving stands these wall-mounted geometric shapes.As you will decide for yourself the nature of their arrangement on your wall, the possibilities are limitless.If you love to express yourself, these bookshelves could be an excellent way for you to personalize the place you call home.

Rolling Shelves:This extremely useful design allows you to roll away portions of a shelf to accommodate any objects too tall to otherwise fit between shelves.Available in the finish of your choice, these shelves could be made to match any decor and would certainly provide a striking way to store your books along with the occasional vase or unruly bottle.

Multi-functional shelf:With one simple curved line, this unusual design can outfit your abode with your choice of shelving, a desk or a stool to perch upon — depending on your mood or your greatest convenience.

UBend:Simpler still than the multi-functional shelf above, the UBend is a simple, single bar.If you didn’t know better, you might mistake it for a towel bar, but the bend in the bar provides a slot for a book to rest, and this book in turn acts as a book end for the rest of your books to lean against.You don’t have to order it in the pictured Punky Brewster color, but there’s something oddly comforting in knowing that you can.

Magnetic Modular Shelving:Truly an eye-catcher, this magnetic shelving is composed of strips of magnetized sheet steel affixed to the wall along with magnetic-backed boxes which can be arranged on the steel in any manner you deem appropriate.Since you can mount the steel — which serves a track for the functional boxes — in any orientation you choose, and you can mount as many strips of steel as you need, the design possibilities are without end.

Cell Shelf:One of the more unique pieces of any kind of furniture you’ll see, lighting will be key if you choose to display this unusual shelving unit.Though it may border on the impractical, these shelves are gorgeous enough that you might not even want to use them to store books.

Angled Bookshelf:Leave it to a former aeronautical engineer to come up with this chic and handy twist on a common bookshelf.The slanted shelves render bookends obsolete while the bare, crisp lines ensure that functionality need not come at the expense of form.

Stacks and “The City”:These versatile vertical frames are ready to be manipulated to suit your needs.You can lean them vertically, stack them horizontally; by attaching two together, you can even create a free-standing skyline of unparalleled bookshelf majesty.While the utility of these shelves is somewhat in question, their compelling visual nature certainly is not.

Assembled Boxes:Fastened together with two straps, these boxes are each covered with a unique print, creating an interesting, impossible to ignore pastiche effect.Though designs such as these are sure to make the organization of your books something of a confusing chore, the elegance that this shelving unit brings to a room outweighs those considerations.

Budak Modular Shelving:Like a pile of wine glasses or a multi-layered forest, this shelving and seating combination can be extensive as you want it to be thanks to its modular nature.Use just a few pieces for a small shelf or a bedside table (or a bench), or combine hundreds of pieces in the form of your choice to house your entire library.

The Neverending Bookcase:Another conceptual design with limited functionality, this tribute to the infinite is nevertheless sure to amaze guests with its graceful curves and — particularly if they are fans of Georg Cantor’s research on the mathematics of infinity — its philosophical implications.It’s likely to look better on its own than it will holding your math texts, though.

Collapsible Corrugated Shelving:If you’re looking for something that’s both lightweight and economical, you probably won’t do much better than the PLoP! storage and shelving system.Though the standard four section unit is pictured, the PLoP! is modular, which means that you can easily extend it up to twice that size without sacrificing the collapsibility and ease-of-transport which — along with extreme cost-rationality and a low overall resource expenditure — make these shelves so accessible and enchanting.

Previously: Unusually Brillant Bookcases

If you need something to store books anyway, why not choose something that makes a statement or serves two purposes like a bookcase or bookshelves that double as a secret door or a book shelf the is also a bed? Some of these creating and unique shelving systems are virtually invisible while others are virtual works of art in their own right. So, if you or a book-lover you know are stuck on how to redecorate your urban dwelling and store your favorite volumes here are twenty unusually clever book shelving solutions. Stairs Bookshelves: What started as a space-saving strategy turned into a centerpiece of this interior redesign. The experience: complete book-overload as the London owners make their way to the loft bedroom above the main floor of their condo. Shot from virtually any perspective the result is remarkably attractive and a good reminder that a lack of space can be a great design opportunity. Bookshelves and Bookcases Made of Books: Jim Rosenau has a very particular (and peculiar) furniture-made niche related to his love of books: furniture (particularly shelves and bookcases) made of books. His work is sold around the country and the world and can be purchased online from his website or made-to-order. His past experience as a comedy writer and carpenter seem like as good a background as any for someone creating these clever and humorous bookshelves and bookcases. Bookcase Bedroom: Most parents want to surround their children with books, but most don’t take that advice quite so literally. This bookcase bedroom designed by Point Architects in Tokyo is a great example of a Japanese approach to space-saving interior design: why have walls or bookshelves when you can have both in one? Color-Coded Books: This amazingly organized color-coded bookshelf arrangement is a great example of how not only bookcases but the books stored in them can be decorative. Can you imagine the time, energy and dedication it would take to meticulously sort your entire book collection by color? And worse yet: what do you do when you have to add another book to your collection? Bookcase Door to Hidden Room: We’ve all seen it in the movies: you pull the book from the shelf and the mysterious door opens into a secret room to the side. Well, this isn’t a mansion in a murder mystery – just someone’s house – but when they were renovating they wanted maximum book storage but to get it they had to obstruct a door. Instead of an ungainly workaround they simple bookcased over the door and made a secret one instead. Bookcase Door: Besides one-off secret-room bookcase doors there are entire design firms and creative interior design lines dedicated to dual-functioning bookcases. The Woodfold Bookcase Door System is designed to camouflage anything from a closet or a wine cellar to a wall safe or a private retreat. Rafter Shelving System: Exposed rafters can be a nice touch visually but if you’re living in cramped quarters you know that every bit of usable space has surprising potential. This is definitely a simple solution and easily executed by one that provides great overflow space for anyone who finds it hard to throw old books away. Hanging Bookshelves: This book hanger system is designed with style and materials clearly in mind. The concept is to have books hanging like clusters of grapes that sway with any movement and can be casually plucked by people passing by. The overall aesthetic impression is one of fragility, reflecting the delicate nature of old books and running contrary to the traditional idea of bookshelves and bookcases as some of the heaviest objects in a room. Bed Bookcase: While not everyone may find the results attractive the concept behind this convertible bed-and-bookcase design is an admiral start anyway. As a space-saving device this would be a great way to keep an extra bed around and then let it blend into the background, wrapped around bookshelves, when not in use. Invisible Bookshelf: If you really want to wow your guests an invisible shelf system might be just the solution. Talk about minimalist design: once your books are in place the support seems to disappear entirely. However, since hidden grips hang onto the insides of your books you might want to use this solution primarily for throw-away paperbacks and magazines. Invisible Bookshelf Stacks: While these shelves are quite visible when bare, once they are filled up they all but disappear. The resulting effect is the appearance of a disturbingly tall stack of seemingly unsupported by anything but the books of which it is composed. This has quite a lot of potential entertainment value: sit back and watch your visitors bump into one and leap into action trying to keep it from toppling (which it won’t). Floating Bookshelf: Available for around 10 dollars from Amazon this simple-but-clever invisible bookshelf design is definitely priced right. The appearance? Books seem to hang invisible along the wall, stacked apparently on nothing. The trick? The bottom book isn’t real and supports the rest. DIY Bookcase: Don’t want to spend all that money on a fancy bookcase? Someone submitted a 60-minute do-it-yourself bookcase design-and-construction process to Instructables worth checking out. Sure, the joinery is pretty low-tech and the material is plywood but for a cheap shelving solution built from a single piece of ply in an hour the result is surprisingly sophisticated. Gravity Bookshelves: While this wonderful bookshelf system is not yet in production it is an excellent example of how a few well-chosen materials and a minimal number of cuts can go a long way. This apparently complex and visually compelling shape is held together entirely by gravity – a great example of modernist interior design principles of simplicity and structural honesty loosely translated into a far-from-simple form.

Next: 15 More Creative Bookshelves