The Rise of Home Libraries in a Screen-Saturated Era
Having a space for books is the ultimate stamp of personality that enriches your living environment, writes Riya Patel
A relaxing library retreat in a London home designed by Pirajean Lees. Photo: Michael Sinclair
No matter how many bookshelves a home may have, there’s something special about a dedicated library. Who hasn’t dreamt of curating their own shelves, dusting off old favorites and getting lost for countless hours between the pages? The popularity of the personal library as a luxury home feature seems to have increased over the past few years, perhaps as a reaction to the pervasive presence of digital consumption. In the online era, a room of books is a regular reminder to reconnect with the pleasure of reading, to surround yourself in words with personal meaning, and to define a space that’s screen-free.
While studies and home offices imply the drudgery of work, a library can be something much more whimsical—and this is reflected in design approaches. “They provide endless opportunities to add a personal touch,” say designers Clémence Pirajean and James Lees of London-based firm Pirajean Lees. Indeed the recent “bookshelf wealth” trend points to the power of expressing oneself through the books and items on home shelving. For a 2023 townhouse project in London’s Marylebone neighborhood, Pirajean Lees included a library as an “inviting, quiet retreat—a relaxing space perfect for a morning coffee or a Sunday read.” Layered with the owner’s collected novels and titles on art, fashion and design are pieces of framed art, sculptural vases, and decorative objects that reflect his life story.
In the Pirajean Lees project, the owner’s personality is expressed through the books and objects on display. Photo: Michael Sinclair
Compared to the neutral color scheme for the rest of the townhouse, the library sets a different tone with bookcases painted in the rich and nostalgic “Hague Blue” by British paint and wallpaper company Farrow & Ball. The compact space has several touches that work together successfully: a deep-seated armchair, a variety of lamps, a handcrafted rug and a wood-paneled ceiling that adds warmth, while absorbing sound.
A glamorous Toronto home designed in 2023 by leading American interior designer Kelly Wearstler also offers a small library as a place of escape. Like a castle turret, this dramatic wood-paneled room has a circular plan where shallow bookshelves sit between slot windows. The family’s large-format books are the crowning glory here; the front covers face outward, displayed as they might be on the shelves of a shop, allowing their designs to be fully admired. Instead of a chair, a glass table in the center of the room is the place to leaf through anything that takes the reader’s fancy.
A library hideaway in a Toronto home designed by Kelly Wearstler. Credit: Adrian Gaut
Families are particularly keen on imaginative library spaces as they draw members together, away from the allure of personal devices. In a 2022 remodel of a California residence for actor Samira Wiley, writer Lauren Morelli and their growing family, a generous three-seater sofa is the central feature of the classically styled library. LA-based designer Stefani Stein set the statement furniture piece in a nook surrounded by bespoke joinery, painted in a deep green with a gloss finish, and filled with books and decorative objects. A large artwork behind and wall-mounted lamps with pleated fabric lampshades make a clear invitation to linger and enjoy the space. A low coffee table set up for playing chess or board games also marks this room out as a place for the family to entertain guests or enjoy time together.
New York-based architect Frederick Tang has another theory about why we love to make books a feature of our homes: to impress. “Whenever I go to someone’s home, whether for the first time or the twentieth, I always spy on their shelves,” he says. “Book collections are the clearest window into someone’s preoccupations and always an opportunity to establish the point of view of a space.”
The multifunctional library space in Frederick Tang Architecture’s Quarry Loft project in New York. Photo: Gieves Anderson
Quarry Loft, a New York apartment designed by Frederick Tang Architecture in 2022, features an adaptable library that can also function as a sitting room, guest room, office or entrance hall, thanks to a timber and fluted glass sliding partition. It’s a light and contemporary rendition of a classic library that makes the most of the small footprint. The white oak shelves are minimally arranged rather than stacked full, and the room’s barrel-vault ceiling does the job of lending the space its distinct character.
In French designer Pierre Yovanovitch’s 2024 conversion of a quintessentially Parisian apartment, the main hallway also functions as a library. It’s a nod both to the book collector who formerly owned the home and the aspirations of the couple who live there now, who wanted to combine period charm with a modern expression. Curved walls are fitted with slim bookshelves that surround doorways, maximizing the capacity of the small space to store and display books. Much more than just a room to pass through, the library features a playful ceiling fresco by artist Matthieu Cossé, a table by collectible mid-century designer Jean Royère, and thick textured wood surfaces that give it the feel of solidity.
A hallway library in a Parisian project by Pierre Yovanovitch. Photo: Giuilio Ghirardi
In homes both contemporary and classical, the library is showing serious staying power, helping us feel both grounded and connected to bigger ideas. “Books always elevate a room,” says Tang. “On a purely visual level, a surface of perfectly aligned spines becomes a living wallpaper. On an intellectual level, a giant coffee table with big art catalogues and monographs projects one’s curiosities and inspirations.
This article was originally published in Sotheby’s International Realty Extraordinary Living Blog in January 2025
