Luxury Home Library Design: A Room to Read and Stay

Give the designer a useful picture of the collection before discussing the appearance of the shelving. Photographs of existing shelves, approximate quantities and examples of unusually large books are a practical beginning. Include the books you expect to add.

Separate everyday reading from volumes you handle less often. Collections of journals, oversized art books and small paperbacks need different storage arrangements. Objects displayed among them also take space.

A short collection brief can record:

The joinery designer and maker need to establish shelf spans, loading, supports and fixing for the actual collection. Those decisions belong in the detailed design.

Consider whether you want to withdraw from the main living rooms or remain close to them. A library beside the salon can become a quieter sitting room during a gathering. A more secluded room can offer uninterrupted reading.

Review the routes through the house. If everyone must cross the library to reach a terrace, the furniture will need to accommodate that movement. If the room is also used for private conversation, its door and relationship with adjoining rooms deserve attention.

Daylight changes the atmosphere across the day. Study the windows from seated positions and consider how curtains or blinds will be used. Where the collection includes sensitive material, bring its care requirements into the lighting and environmental discussion.

A room can contain many books and still lack a good place to read. Try the posture you prefer: an upright chair, a deep sofa or a seat with space to put your feet up. A reading light and a surface for a cup should be considered with that choice.

Two facing seats invite conversation. A longer table can accommodate open books or shared reading. Keep the route to the shelves usable while someone is seated.

If the library also contains a television, decide how prominent it should be. Its position affects the seating, the available shelving and what you see on entering the room.

In AD’s Private Villa in Cambodia, the library is part of a sequence of living spaces. Facing pale sofas sit beside full-height curtains and views towards planting. Illuminated bookshelves flank a marble television wall, bringing books and everyday living into the same composition.

The shelving has a distinct rhythm, while the facing sofas give the room a centre. Through the adjoining opening, the material palette continues towards the dining space.

AD’s appointment covers the residence’s interior architecture, material design and bespoke furniture. The library illustrates how one room can have its own use and atmosphere while remaining connected to the rest of the home.

Look beyond the front elevation. Doors, skirtings, sockets and ventilation openings all meet the joinery somewhere. Establish which shelves are adjustable, how lighting is maintained and how the highest storage will be reached.

Review timber, metal and stone samples beside the proposed upholstery and the books themselves. A finish that looks attractive on a small sample may feel different across an entire wall. Drawings and larger samples help make that decision tangible.

The complete room should be reviewed before fabrication: shelving, furniture, light and circulation together.