Having a full library is a luxury, even in traditional-sized homes. These cozy spots are even more luxurious in tiny homes, where every square inch is dedicated to something more functional like a kitchen or a living room.
Despite the fact that tiny homes are under 500 square feet, there’s no reason why you can’t add a designated space for your beloved books.
Can You Fit a Library In Tiny Homes?
So how do you add a library in your tiny house? Finding new ways to store your books and downsizing your collection are two great ways to make your tiny library dreams happen. With a little bit of work, you can create one that’s made to fit your tiny space.
Getting away with having a library in a tiny house is a lot simpler than you think. For starters, you need to reimagine what this space should look like. In such a small area, it’s just not feasible to have a separate area for our books.
On the other hand, the limited space allows you to explore more creative options for storing paperbacks and hardbound copies of your favorite literature.
Library Inspiration For Tiny Homes
Fitting a library in a tiny house can be grueling, but not at all impossible. With some imagination, you can create a cozy reading nook in your tiny abode.
Not sure where to get started? Scroll through four amazing samples below to find an Instagram-worthy tiny house library.
1) Give Them a Lift
Tiny homes are all about vertical storage. Barely have enough space to fit a bed and a couch? Forget bulky bookshelves; consider putting up high shelves next to the sleeping loft to store your paperbacks and hardbacks. This storage solution prevents the home from looking too cluttered while maximizing the available space in your tiny house.
This tiny house design installed two shelves along the sides of the trailer. The shelves are lined with a brass handle to keep the items from falling off, while also allowing the ladder to securely latch on for easy access.
2) Use Them as Decor
Artist Jason Koxvold’s tiny-house-turned-library is a true forest hideaway vacation home. This picturesque tiny house serves the dual purpose of proper home and library by using the books as part of the decor. The Hemmelig Rom, Jason Koxvold’s picturesque New York tiny house, is even made cozier with additions like a wood stove and the use of reclaimed oak as the paneling.
You can easily recreate this room by using built-in shelves instead of using entire bookcases. Spreading them throughout the tiny space would make your living quarters feel bigger, while also allowing a more equal distribution of your tiny cabin’s weight.
This may not be an issue if you have three to five books, but it is definitely something to consider if your collection is big enough to pack on serious pounds to your tiny house’s overall weight.
3) Create a Reading Nook
We said you’d have to give up on the idea of having a real library, but what if we said there are ways around it? If Jason Koxvold’s books-as-decor idea doesn’t suit your tastes, and you’re really keen on creating a dedicated area for your reading pleasures, you could always scale down and designate a tiny reading nook.
This tiny library design is an amazing alternative to the grand libraries we’re used to. With enough shelving space to host 30 to 50 books and a floor space where you can read, this sort of space functions almost as a secret room where you can curl up and read.
Not sure how to implement this in your tiny house design? If your loft doesn’t allow the extra space, think about reserving some space under the stairs as your reading hideaway.
4) Don’t Forget the Stairs
Speaking of stairs, if fitting a human-sized cubby just isn’t possible, there’s always the option of transforming your shelves into stairs. Building codes require stairs to take up a significant amount of floor space, so using that space to function as storage would be a great way to utilize that space efficiently.
Read more in our article: How to Build Tiny House Stairs.
Using drawers to store books or simply leaving them hollow for easy access are two great ways to reinvent stairs as bookcases. This storage solution provides a specific area for your literature, while keeping your tiny space clutter-free.
Downsizing On Your Book Collection: Tips and Tricks
Unless you’re Jason Koxvold and you’re using your tiny house as an outdoor retreat hidden in the oak trees, chances are you need to save every square inch of your tiny space for functional everyday living.
Ultimately, to create a great library for your tiny house, you have to reconsider downsizing your collection to a reasonable amount to make storing them a little easier. We know how difficult it is to say goodbye to some of your books, so here are some tips to make it easier:
- Keep cookbooks, DIY books, and other technical books as ebooks. These books are typically bulky and can take up much-needed space in your tiny house. Save them on a device for easy access.
- Ditch hardcovers and stick to paperbacks. Again, hardcovers are heavier than their paperback counterparts. You can make an exception for rare covers and editions.
- Stick to a category. The fact is you can’t keep all of your books, so it might be simpler to narrow down your “to keep list” with a category. Do you keep books you’ve already read? Do you only keep a certain genre? Knowing this will make it easier to decide which one to toss and which ones to keep.
The tiny house movement has inspired amazing ideas, including how to fit a library in such tiny quarters. These examples show that a reading nook is a possible addition to tiny homes, as long as you’re willing to put in the creativity to make it work.
Going tiny doesn’t mean you have to let go of creature comforts. If the tiny house movement has proven anything, it’s that you can make tiny homes into your relaxing little paradise - whether you’re adding in a luxurious bathtub or a library.
The post Tiny House Library: How to Create a Cozy Reading Nook In Your Tiny Abode appeared first on Tiny House Bloom.
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