Joanne Kempinger Demski

Special to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

To so many of us, books are an important part of our lives.

They help us relax, learn and expand our horizons.

We curl up with them in cushy chairs or in our beds to while away our time, while we read tomes about life lessons, faraway places or even romance. We get advice from them too, and learn about new or trending topics.

They’ve been around for centuries, and without them we would never know about our ancestors, past civilizations and how others before us led their lives.

Books also give others information about who we are, said Daniel Goldin, proprietor of Boswell Books, 2559 N. Downer Ave.

“When you put them in public spaces, like your living room and dining room where people see them, they show who you are” because people can see what you’re interested in.

“Your home is where you spend a lot of your time, so it should be a reflection of you,” he added.

In addition to making us happy, books also make a house a home, creating a warm and comfortable atmosphere whether they’re stacked thickly on shelves, set decoratively on stand-alone cabinets or piled on a coffee table.

But how we store them differs greatly.

Bookcases all over the house

Goldin said throughout his Bay View home, he has 16 bookcases in different styles and sizes in which he organizes his books by subject matter as well as author.

“I have my fiction on a wall of bookcases in the dining room. … Another place for books is in the living room. ... My nonfiction books are pretty much in the study, and my food-related books are in the kitchen,” he said. “Those shelves have kitchen pieces on them too.

“I also have bookcases upstairs with books I’ve read and don’t know what to do with, and a bookcase with things waiting to be read.”

Having lots of books “is a problem for everyone who reads, but when you’re a bookseller the problem is on steroids,” he said.

Because his bookcases tend to fill quickly, he said, he uses a method for what he keeps.

“Officially, it’s one book in and one book out,” he said. “I have to think, ‘is it a keeper or not?’ But if it’s a book I love, I keep it forever.”

But keeping lots of books isn’t for everyone.

Books as design pieces

Goldin said there is a trend by some interior designers to get rid of books when they are decluttering homes, and that they suggest homeowners toss books they’ve already read.

“I’ve watched these design shows for years,” Goldin said. “They say once you read a book, you don’t need it any more. It’s the exact opposite for someone who loves books. What you want are the books you did read and love. It doesn’t matter if you want to read them again. You want to look at that book and trigger the memories of how much you liked it. It becomes sort of like a record collection.”

Other trends he’s are to put fewer books on bookcases with other accent pieces, to stack them with their spines to the back and to remove the book jackets and organize the books by color. Some people are even having books dyed different colors, he said.

He said these individuals may not be readers, but they want books in their homes for a warm feel.

Amy Carman, owner of Amy Carman Design in Wauwatosa, said these trends are occurring because some homeowners and designers are trying to create a sense of order and warmth in their homes, and they believe the book covers, or the spines, are visually distracting and take away from the room.

But no matter how books and bookcases are used in a room, they do play an important part in the way our homes look.

“Today, bookcases are as important, if not more important, than they were 10 years ago,” Carman said. “They are a core element in my work. What’s interesting now is that most of the content that we consume is digital, so they have taken on a new purpose. I think they are really about displaying things that are meaningful to you, such as books, artwork or family photos.”

Pattern and repetition

For those who want an updated look when filling a bookcase, it’s important to create pattern and repetition, she said — especially if it’s a large piece.

“If I’m designing something 9 feet high and 6 feet wide, that’s a lot of real estate to fill,” she said. “You want to have something very beautiful for your eye to land on. … You want to create pattern and repetition, not just fill it randomly with books.

“Try to create a sense of order across the center of that bookcase. Maybe you are looking at your favorite books. … Then, if you fill up the rest of the shelves with books, and other pieces, it doesn’t look busy or overwhelming.”

When selecting bookcases for your home, Carman said, they can be added to just about any room, but the style of the home and the pieces in the room should be considered, as well as the number of books and favorite pieces you want to add.

“We are working on a project in Wauwatosa now where there is a library wall in the kitchen that has a collection of cookbooks and glassware,” she said.

“I also love the idea of bookcases in a dining room. If you have maybe a buffet and a china cabinet in it, and you add bookcases, it adds warmth and something to let your eye take in as you’re spending time in that space. It adds a lot of character.”

Stand-alone cases are trending, she said, especially étagères, which have open fronts and sides and a number of shelves on which to display items.

“We’ve been selling a lot of those. … They’re not the standard bookcases, they’re more elegant.”

But built-in bookcases are also big and are being added to home offices and living rooms.

“We put them on either side of a fireplace or maybe on a 15-foot-wide library wall,” she said. “If you have a plain room, a bookcase adds architecture.”

Three bookcase styles

JoAnn Feldges, studio proprietor of Design Within Reach, 167 N. Broadway, a modern design furniture store that does custom work, said she’s seeing a trend toward built-ins, stand-alone bookcases and separate shelves, as “people typically love books and want to have a space for them.”

Three types she suggests are the story bookcase, folk ladder shelving and string shelving.

“The story bookcase, a stand-alone piece, has a very compact footprint horizontally or vertically. It’s for the book lover. You can put books and collectibles on them, and you can customize the way the shelves are displayed.” It comes in different finishes and is a good option for any style of home, Feldges said.

“Folk ladder shelving is a leaning stand-alone bookcase that has shelves that get larger as they go down, and it’s mounted on the wall,” she explained. “You can use a collection of them if you have the space and need for that.” Made of thick solid wood, this shelving has a very elegant shape, she said.

String shelving is also mounted on the wall, and comes in modular units in different heights and widths. This style of shelving can be used in a kitchen, library or closet, and is very versatile.

Lighting and ladders

Lighting is also a trend in bookcases today, according to Carman, and rolling ladders are popular.

Some lighting illuminates the contents of the bookcase, she said. “It’s low-profile lighting in the cabinet. But we are also using decorative light fixtures on the piece itself, like sconces and picture lights that are mounted on the face of the bookcase. It’s like jewelry for your bookcases. It adds character and style.”

She’s also been designing rolling ladders into projects with bookcases, including in kitchens.

“Library ladders are so timeless, but lately we’ve been designing them into non-traditional spaces that have bookcases such as back bars, wine cellars, kitchens and butler’s pantries,” she said. “They provide so much character and are quite practical for spaces with higher ceilings.”

While some homeowners care about an updated look, others opt for pieces that are simply functional.

Goldin said his bookcases are “relatively inexpensive” and some have only books, while others have books mixed with accent pieces.

“If there’s too much stuff mixed in with the books, it can get in the way,” he said.

When putting books in his cases, he displays them vertically as well as horizontally and in alphabetical order by author, but he also has random piles.

“For the nonfiction part of the house I have little yellow tabs like in our store,” he said. But if you have a pile of books you’re interested in reading, “they shouldn’t be in a case, as they can get a little lost there. They should be in front of you so you can see them and remember them.”

And remember to set aside a special place to read. Here, according to Feldges, all that is needed is “a place where you can sit comfortably — maybe a chair with an ottoman or a side table and a good light.”