Bookcases: What Kind Do You Need?

In our modern, multi-media world, the idea of a "bookcase" is almost quaint. The items many people use as bookcases are sold as "entertainment storage units" and can also be used for CDs, DVDs and other media. These often come with adjustable shelves (to accommodate the variance in height between CDs and books) and are sold unassembled at places like Wal-Mart and Target.

They will be shelved on book cases. The question is what kind. On built-ins? On prefabricated book cases? On old eclectic choices I find while antique shopping for metal or wood or those ubiquitous pressboard book cases? God willing, they may even be displayed on brand new book cases. But there�s the biggest dilemma: which style book cases to go with? The options are endless, really, considering the interior decorating styles: there�s modern contemporary, French, Mediterranean. There�s baroque and Goth, there�s traditional, and there�s mission and eclectic and shabby chic.At the close of the 19th century, Mission style bookcases, part of the pragmatic Mission style furniture set, were readily available in homes due for the most part to the influences of the Arts and Crafts movement that was evolving, pioneered by such great creative minds as William Morris, Gustav Stickley, and Frank Lloyd Wright through the 1920�s. But we ended up with were book cases of simple, elegant lines and solid construction may be the smartest choice for my needs, regardless of if I happen to stay in one place or have to move yet again.

Another option is having shelves built directly into the walls of your home. This is almost always done when the home is being built, though it is possible to add them after the fact. Built-in shelves save space, obviously, and are sturdier than even the strongest freestanding bookcases. (There's no way to knock over built-in shelves unless you knocked the whole house over!) They are especially prized in small apartments or homes where space is otherwise at a premium. It's an option worth considering when looking for a new home.

Author: Martha Mountjoy