Best Bookshelves for Small Spaces — 12 Perfect Picks as Chosen By Livingetc's Editors

Whether you're living in a studio apartment, a loft, or a tiny home, this edit of the best bookshelves for small spaces will certainly have something for you

illustrated graphic of bookshelves
(Image credit: Illustrated |Bludot, Wayfair, Walmart, Cura Home, CB@)

If you're living in a city loft, a suburban apartment, or a teeny home, one thing you're more than likely running short on — especially if you love furniture and home decor, much like all of us at Livingetc — is space. 

If that sounds like you, it stands to reason that you probably shopped our round-up of the best bookshelves and thought to yourself, "I'd love to buy one of these, but I don't have the room!" Perhaps you even went so far as to pull out the tape measure, just in case. But you knew it was a losing game.

It's time to turn that frown upside down, however, because we're back again with a curated edit of the 12 best bookshelves for small spaces, each of which has been carefully selected to maximize space, minimize visual clutter, and ease your storage issues as quickly as you can press "add to cart."

12 of the best bookshelves for small spaces

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How should you choose a bookshelf for a small space?

When choosing and styling a bookshelf for a small space, interior decorator and blogger Vivianne Chow says you should "maximize the vertical space as much as possible," she told Livingetc. "Choosing a tall bookshelf will be ideal to draw your eye up and maximize storage." Or, you might try "wall-mounted shelves," which also function as a "space-saving solution." Options for both suggestions are linked in the edit above.

When you begin to style the shelf, start with a "less is more" mentality so as "to avoid overwhelming the room," she went on; this is extremely important in a small space. After that, "stick to neutral minimalist decor pieces that blend cohesively and try not to clutter each shelf with too many items."

Brigid Kennedy
Style Editor

Brigid Kennedy is a style editor at Livingetc.com, where she is responsible for obsessively combing the internet for the best and most stylish deals on home decor and more. She was previously a story editor at TheWeek.com, where she covered both U.S. politics and culture. She describes her design style as colorful and clean, and in her free time enjoys reading, watching movies, and curating impossibly niche playlists on Spotify. She lives in New York.