We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.

Libraries have a tendency to be serious; dark, wood-paneled walls, strict cataloging systems, and a shushing staff are a recipe for stiff and severe vibes. Books, though, are anything but. Lighthearted beach reads, enlightening nonfiction, and image-packed coffee-table tomes are endless sources of inspiration and pure joy. So why shouldn’t our libraries—whether whole rooms or a corner—reflect that?

Your Sally Rooney novels or Pierre Yovanovitch anthologies belong on baby blue shelves. Your treasured copies of Agatha Christie and George Orwell should live in a purple piece with bright yellow ledges. Yes, your collection deserves better, and these colorful options are up to the task.

If sci-fi is your genre of choice…

Tales of faraway galaxies will feel right at home in this futuristic purple design by Italian studio Chapel Petrassi.

Storage Products photo
Contemporary Bookcase Purple Bikini Lacquered Wood, Chapel Petrassi ($8,922)
Shop

If you’re all about romance novels…

Give your favorite love stories a charming backdrop with this bubblegum pink bookcase.

Storage Products photo
Crowley Standard Bookcase, George Oliver ($166)
Shop

If you’re a thrill seeker…

Are your favorite titles Into the Wild and Between a Rock and a Hard Place? Display them in this nature-inspired forest green piece.

Storage Products photo
Shelving System, Floyd ($695)
Shop

If you can’t say no to an art book…

Part bookcase and part pedestal, this shelving unit is perfect for highlighting your most transportive coffee-table volumes.

Storage Products photo
Cheba 138 Table, Madulum ($1,287)
Shop

If books in your house are stashed alongside Legos…

Kids can easily grab their toys (and bedtime stories!) from this low storage piece.

Storage Products photo
Foshay Console Bookcase, Room & Board ($699)
Shop

If your collection consists mostly of cookbooks…

Red is a color known to spark the appetite, so stash your favorite recipes on this crimson shelf.

Storage Products photo
Tubular Bookshelf, Another Human ($1,500)
Shop

If the whole bookstore is your oyster…

This quirky storage piece has a bit of everything: fun zigzag shapes, an array of color, and enough shelves to display a varied assortment of paperbacks.

Storage Products photo
Climb Shelving, La Chance ($771)
Shop

If you’re a sucker for beach reads…

This powder blue unit will remind you of the ocean, even when you’re just kicking back with a best-seller in your living room armchair.

Storage Products photo
Work Bookcase, Normann Copenhagen ($1,280)
Shop

Discover more products we love: 14 Colorful Consoles That Make a Strong First Impression Goodbye, Fluorescent Lighting; Hello, Beautiful Kitchen Pendants 28 Mirrors That Will Make You Stop and Stare