Bookcases and Floating Shelves That Break the Mold

Honeycomb, angular, cubed … there are more bookshelves than straight up and down. If you’ve been craving a change of pace where your library is concerned, consider these nine out-of-the-box ideas.

1. Curving and snaking. Throw your book collection a curveball by choosing a shelf that winds its way around your walls. With built-in bookends to keep your books in place, a curved shelf is more functional than you might think. Use a single floating shelf, like the one shown here, in the office or kitchen to keep necessary items at hand in style.

Shelving: Perfekte Velle Design


This large metal version can fill an entire wall, providing storage and making an artistic statement at the same time. While a curving bookshelf like this one will not hold as many books as a bookcase taking up the same wall space, it has visual lightness.

Shelving: Bookworm Bookshelf, The Conran Shop


2. Honeycomb. Geometric shelving like this is well suited to displaying decorative items — but it could just as easily hold an entire design library. Bold and unusual, a honeycomb-shaped shelving unit would look right at home in a modern space.

Shelving: Luminaire


The shelving unit here is modular (it’s made up of two pieces), so it can be configured in different ways. The round openings are not as practical for holding decorative items that must stand upright, but they work well for magazines, newspapers, books and soft items like spare throws.

Shelving: Cloud Bookcase, Hive


3. Acrylic. Add a glamorous touch to the kitchen, bath, bedroom or home office with a set of crystal-clear acrylic floating shelves. Taking up no visual space, these are ideal in compact rooms. Used to display glassware, they look especially light.


4. Angular. The shelves in this bookcase are actually straight, so they pose no challenge to arranging your book collection. But the edges have wonderfully unusual angles that make it an eye-catching piece. This is sure to be a focal point.

Shelving: ZigZag by Henrique Steyer for Florense


5. Connected floating shelves. Almost as simple as a plain floating shelf, but not quite — the connection at the ends kicks it up a notch. Use one of these units in the kitchen or living room, or anywhere else in place of traditional floating shelves. Bonus: The closed ends work as built-in bookends.


This custom shelving unit was built to include the fireplace surround, TV and book storage.

See more of this historical Rotterdam home


6. Boxes and cubes. Wall-mounted boxes and cubes are appealing because the top surface can be used in addition to the interior. Try them in the living room with decorative items or small books inside and art propped casually on top.

Shelving: Gepetto


7. Jumbled. Colorful clips hold together boxes of varied sizes in this modular arrangement. With a unit like this you can add or subtract pieces to suit your needs, or reconfigure them to perfectly fit a certain space. For a personal touch, try painting or papering inside some of the boxes.


Here a jumble of floating, color-blocked boxes has the graphic appeal of modern art.


8. Vintage bookshop. A rotating book display holds an impressive number of books in a small space. Use one in the kitchen to house a comprehensive cookbook collection, or put one in the bedroom or living room for easy access to your favorite tomes.


9. Library cart. A sturdy metal book cart on casters makes a capacious — and mobile — home for a favorite assortment of books and supplies.

Book cart: similar one, School Outfitters

Tell us: Are any of these shelves making you want to curl up with a good book? Or do you prefer traditional bookcases? Please share your thoughts in the Comments section.

More:
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24 Amazing Walls of Books

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