For book enthusiasts who cherish the experience of reading, constructing a DIY bookshelf to house their collection can be an enjoyable weekend project.
It offers the opportunity to customize the look and feel to match storage needs and design preferences. Whether opting for freestanding bookcases, built-in shelves, tool-free projects, simple hacks, or seeking projects for various skill levels and budgets, there’s a project for nearly every room in the house.
Additionally, for those interested in giving an existing bookcase a DIY makeover, there are plenty of options to explore.
Tile-Backed Bookcase
Thistlewood Farms gave an existing bookcase an easy DIY makeover by using leftover tile to decorate the back.
DIY Pine Bookcase
The Merrythought built a pale wood DIY bookcase with a Scandinavian-style feel for a kids’ room. It is used to store books, objects, toys, and more. The pine boards were only minimally sanded to retain a rustic, natural look.
Diamond Bookshelf
A Beautiful Mess created a DIY wall-mounted bookshelf in the shape of a diamond, designed to hold books alongside small décor items. This completed piece serves both as a wall accent and a storage space for reading materials.
DIY Bookshelf Media Wall
A Beautiful Mess constructed a DIY bookshelf wall on the far side of this living room, leaving room for a flat screen TV. Both the wall and shelves are painted in the same matte black as the wall behind the couch, letting the colors of the books create an accent and the TV screen partially blend into the dark background.
DIY Corner Bookshelf
A Beautiful Mess constructed an adjustable corner wall-mounted bookshelf using popular wood boards and white shelving standards. This design fills the space and can be modified as needs evolve. The shelving offers space for books, transforming an awkward, unused corner into a functional feature.
DIY Bookshelf Wall
A Beautiful Mess constructed this wall of bookshelves to resemble the pitched roof of the living room. Painted white to match the rest of the room, the house-like design gains a childlike charm by arranging a large collection of books by color.
Lighted Bookcase Wall
My 100 Year Old Home installed battery-operated remote-control lights at the tops of the bookshelves in this attic bedroom. These lights add dimension and provide ambient lighting in the evenings, all at an affordable price.
Industrial Pipe Bookshelves
Crafting your own wall-mounted bookshelves offers the advantage of tailoring them to fit the unique quirks of your home’s layout and features.
Floating Bookshelves
The Merrythought built DIY space-saving, wall-mounted shelves to add book storage to a small reading corner that is practical but has a light touch.
Featured on DIY Candy, these DIY bookshelves are crafted from industrial pipe and pine boards, resulting in a custom design with vintage charm.
Positioned on either side of a high, small window, they incorporate a wine rack and a central shelf to balance the wall feature. You can source affordable industrial pipes online or at a wholesale plumbing supply store.
Reclaimed Wood Bookcase
Lobster and Swan used reclaimed wood throughout this hand-built English country cottage kitchen, from the hood vent to the cabinetry and open shelving. There is also a rustic bookcase under the window that houses cookbooks.
Wood Pallet Book Shelves
Turning wood pallets on their side and securely fixing them to the wall creates a simple DIY bookshelf or plant shelf, or both.
Upcycled Painted Bookcase
If you’ve come across a charming secondhand bookcase during your weekend trip to the flea market, thrift store, or a local yard sale, personalize it by painting it in a fresh color, such as this light blue bookshelf from Thistlewood Farms.
Wall Mounted Bookshelf
Most Lovely Things incorporated a group of shelving above the dining room table in a NYC apartment, resembling a wall-mounted bookshelf. It serves as a multifunctional space, housing everything from books to plants to dishware and silverware.
Floating Cookbook Shelves
Living with Lolo’s built-in desk and mini cookbook library is a delightful feature for those who appreciate having a dedicated space to display and peruse favorite cookbooks and plan meals.
Transforming an existing nook or built-in desk in a spacious kitchen is achievable with removable wallpaper and floating shelves, or you can assemble a freestanding version by hanging floating shelves above a console table on the wall.
Leaning Bookshelf
Fish & Bull crafted a light pine wood leaning bookshelf for a total cost of just $60. With its modern, minimalist aesthetic, this piece is perfect for storing books and showcasing plants and small objects. Its simple design boasts a light and airy profile that complements a variety of styles and can be used in different rooms.
DIY Kids’ Bookshelves
A Beautiful Mess outfitted a shared kids’ room with a full wall of DIY bookshelves. The shelves are painted with trim paint for durability, matching the wall color for a seamless built-in appearance. Positioned at a low height, children can access them independently.
DIY Bookshelf With TV
On the left side of the fireplace, this DIY shelving unit from Almost Makes Perfect creates space for books, records, and a flat-screen TV.
DIY Mounted Shelving Unit
Almost Makes Perfect constructed DIY shelving units on both sides of a small fireplace to utilize space on a large wall. These units accommodate books, objects, and a small home bar. By using wood shelving and black brackets, the bookcase was intentionally designed to be “symmetrical but not identical” on each side.
DIY Baby Bookshelves
In a nursery, A Beautiful Mess installed painted wood display shelves on the wall to showcase children’s books, allowing for easy rotation as seasons change or new books are added. This adaptable system could also be utilized in an adult space to exhibit photos or photography and art books.
Opposite Bookshelves
Thistlewood Farms transformed a pair of bookcases situated on opposite walls into built-ins by constructing a frame that extends to the ceiling, incorporating crown molding, and finishing it with a fresh coat of modern farmhouse white paint.
Angled Shelf Bookcase
Brepurposed crafted a DIY knotty pine bookcase with angled shelves for a nursery, inspired by a wine rack found on Pinterest. The asymmetrical design adds visual interest to this otherwise simple piece of furniture.
Stacked Shelves
If you’re not inclined towards DIY but still want to achieve the appearance of a wall-mounted bookshelf at a lower cost, consider stacking a few basic wall-mounted shelves on top of each other along a narrow wall, similar to what Most Lovely Things did in this corner of an NYC apartment desk.
Home Cloffice Built-Ins
Blogger Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona converted a closet into a small home office space with built-in bookshelves painted in a rich dark blue hue, creating a custom and personalized appearance.
Wooden Crate Shelving
The Merrythought crafted a striking statement wall of shelving using humble wooden crates. These crates are stacked in alternating directions to infuse dynamism into the design and are painted with a dark shade of Rust-Oleum Chalked Ultra Matte Paint, resulting in a dramatic appearance.
Modern DIY Standing Bookshelf
In just five simple steps, Anika’s DIY Life constructed this contemporary book and display shelf. The dark stain accentuates the rustic grain of the wood, adding character to the piece.
DIY Plywood Bookshelf
The Merrythought‘s modern DIY bookcase is crafted from straightforward plywood and finished with clear polyurethane. Its pale wood appearance contrasts beautifully against the dark walls of a kids’ room, while also harmonizing with a DIY desk situated on an adjacent wall.
Rotating Corner Bookshelf
Anika’s DIY Life constructed a rotating corner bookshelf for the corner of this kids’ room, offering a solution to accommodate a growing collection of books without overwhelming the space with a large bookcase.
Reclaimed Wood Bookshelf
Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona showcased a reclaimed wood bookshelf, infusing a significant dose of rustic style against white walls. This versatile piece can serve various purposes, from storing books to providing additional kitchen storage.
DIY Makeover
A Blissful Nest rejuvenated an old bookcase with a DIY makeover using chalk paint, giving it a fresh and new appearance. Styled with books, seashells, and cobalt blue glassware, it exudes a coastal vibe.
Barn Wood Bookcase
Anika’s DIY Life created the appearance of a weathered barn wood effect bookcase using an oak laminate piece. This transformation involved the use of chalk paint, wood paste wax, and peel-and-stick wood tile in a weathered barn wood pattern, resulting in a rustic aesthetic.
DIY Old Window Bookshelves
Liz Marie Blog built this DIY bookcase from upcycled antique window frames. Placing simple chicken wire to fill the space where the glass used to be, and adding shelves and painted white legs gives the piece a homemade, modern farmhouse feel.
DIY Rolling Bookshelf
Liz Marie Blog crafted a rolling DIY bookshelf painted in gray and finished with wax to achieve a weathered farmhouse appearance.
Midcentury Modern Shelving
Hammer & a Headband constructed midcentury modern-inspired DIY wood and metal bookshelves, evoking vintage vibes at a more affordable price compared to original models. To enhance the midcentury modern ambiance, they incorporated a George Nelson-inspired clock.
Rustic Shelving
Repurposed for tool storage in a home workshop, these rustic DIY wood shelves from Funky Junk Interiors could also serve as bookshelves in an industrial-style loft.
Wood Shim Bookcase
Thistlewood Farms transformed a plain bookcase with an affordable package of wood shims. By sawing them in half and attaching them to the back, they achieved a rustic, textured farmhouse appearance.
DIY Wood Wallpaper Makeover
Styled alongside a collection of milk glass, these bookshelves from Thistlewood Farms are adorned with wood-effect wallpaper, offering a faux rustic touch that complements a modern farmhouse-style room perfectly.
DIY Spool Bookcase
Thistlewood Farms constructed a DIY spool bookcase, which fits seamlessly in the modern farmhouse entryway, adorned with vintage books and rustic objects for a charming display.
Integrated Book Storage
Thistlewood Farms incorporated book storage into a DIY pallet wood desk, complemented by a wall-mounted shelving unit designed to accommodate a small selection of books.
Add Crown Molding
Not every DIY project needs to be a major overhaul. Thistlewood Farms enhanced a plain white bookcase by adding an additional panel of pine wood and crown molding. After painting the entire piece again, they achieved a polished and refined appearance.
PIN IT, SO YOU DON’T FORGET IT.
Jasper Reed is a seasoned expert in home decor, DIY projects, and nail art. With over a decade of experience, her innovative designs and practical tips have inspired countless enthusiasts. Jasper’s work has been featured in top home and lifestyle magazines, and she is a regular contributor to several online platforms where she shares her passion for transforming spaces and creating stunning nail designs.