Bookcase Room Divider

If you have a large open area and want to divide it into more defined spaces, one of the best things to use is maximize the function of that divider and make it a bookcase. This is something you can either build yourself or buy in a popular furniture or home remodeling store.

You need to decide if you want the bookshelf to be accessible from both sides. If you do, then you'd have a balanced set of shelves around a center piece of wood which gives you access from both sides as well as creating an open, airy feeling instead of a solid closed off appearance.

You can also combine the function of this room divider and make it both a bookshelf and storage area. For instance the bottom could be closed door shelves, while the top is open, or perhaps have a pantry type appearance on each end with open bookshelves in the middle; really the options are limitless. Depending on the structural setup of the area where you want the divider it could be mounted to the ceiling, the floor, or built wide enough to sit solidly on its own. If you don't have it anchored to something you're in danger of having it tip over, so the best advice is to either fix it to the floor or ceiling.

Building your own bookcase room divider would be a great weekend project for a highschool student or a father-son bonding project. It doesn't have to be the most fancy thing in the world, but it should be stable, functional, an attractive enough to sit in the middle of a large open room. There's a good chance it will become somewhat of a focal point, so dress it up or down with decorative items as needed.

In a students room you can make one side of the bookcase into a desk, with shelves above it. In rooms that are shared by more than one child this is a great way to define their own personal areas as well as provide functional work and study space.