Design Guidelines for Bookcases

Support

• Depending on the amount of items and what you plan on placing on your bookshelf – most likely books – you need to ensure that the material you use to build the bookcase is sturdy enough. Each type of wood has a different span limit. This means that different types of woods span further and hold more weight than other types. For example, solid hardwood boards are able to support a greater weight than particle board of the same length and thickness.

Users

• When considering the height of your bookcase, you need to consider who will be using the bookshelf. For example, for a child’s bookcase, you should consider keeping the shelves closer together and not make the bookshelf so tall. You want your user to be able to reach the items on the bookcase. For bookcases in libraries, you can design the bookcase much taller, as users may be able to access the books with a ladder.

Style

• The style of your bookcase depends on what its purpose is. If you are building a bookcase for a child’s room, chances are you don’t want the bookcase to look fancy. However, if you are designing a bookshelf for your newly remodeled study, you may want to add special designs to your handmade bookcase. The style you design also depends on your surrounding furniture and accessories.

Purpose

• If you are simply using your bookcase to hold books, more than likely all of your shelves will look similar, with the exception of shelf spacing. However, if you want to be able to put other items on your bookcase, you may design each of the shelves differently. If you want to display a small item on your bookcase, you may want to add a vertical board to a shelf to make a smaller cubby.