Since books are a rather important part of my life (obviously!) I’m always trying to find new ways to store them in an attractive manner.  I am also in the process of redecorating my bedroom (a feat which will apparently never end) with a lighter style that provides more wall space and a less cluttered look than what I currently have.  In my ongoing quest for book storage I came across two different bookcase solutions at The Container Store – my newest addiction – and thought I would share them with my readers.  So let’s take a look at a vertical solution and a more traditional horizontal bookcase that I discovered.

The Sapien Bookcase (13 ¾” w x 13 ¾” d x 60″ h)

First up is the vertical solution – the Sapien bookcase.  Made in Italy, this all-steel bookcase has 10 small shelves that simply slide into slots along the spine of the case.  Two screws are utilized to attach the spine to the weighted base and, voilà, you suddenly have a pyramid of books climbing your wall (an anti-tip strap is also included so you can secure the bookcase to your wall).  Below is the official photo of the bookcase so you can see the small shelves, and another photo of the bookcase in action:

Sapien Vertical Bookcase
*courtesy The Container Store

Sapien in action

Extremely simple to put together, I had this completed and filled with books in less than 10 minutes.  Actually, I spent more time arranging and rearranging the books on the shelves to get the most attractive layout than I did on assembly.  As you can see I started with some larger, thicker hardcover books on the bottom and worked my way up to smaller paperbacks at the top.  Each shelf holds 3-8 books, depending on thickness, and the books are easy to see and access.

Rating:  4 stars (out of 4)

Linea Leaning Bookcase, Narrow  (18″ w x 13 ¾” d x 71 ½” h)

For a nice twist on the more traditional horizontal bookcase, I bought and put together a leaning bookshelf that is part of the Linea Collection at The Container Store.  I actually purchased the whole set (desk, wide bookshelf, narrow bookshelf, and media center), but I’ve only had the opportunity to assemble the narrow bookcase at this point.  I’m using it more for decorative purposes, but I’ve included a photo below with some of the shelves holding hardcovers and paperbacks so you can get an idea of how much the narrow bookcase will hold.

Linea Leaning Bookcase, white, narrow
*courtesy The Container Store

Linea in action

This bookcase was a little more difficult to put together, mainly because the directions are not the greatest.  Thankfully I read reviews for the wide version of the bookcase which provided some alternate suggestions for assembly, and had the bookcase together in approximately 20 minutes.  The key here is to make sure the wooden dowels are in place BEFORE screwing the side support to the middle shelf (if you purchase this for your own home, you’ll see why as soon as you try to assemble it).  An anti-tip strap is included in this kit, as well.  Once in place it is very sturdy and I think I’ll be extremely happy when I get the rest of the Linea shelving together and in place.  I’m going to knock off half a star from my rating for the poor directions; otherwise this is a nice little bookcase.

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 4)

So there you have it – a couple of suggestions for some small, space-saving bookcases that are attractive and not too difficult to assemble.  There are less expensive versions of the Sapien bookcases available on Amazon, and I know I’ve seen similar leaning bookcases to the Linea collection, but I was able to purchase these particular bookcases during The Container Store’s annual shelving sale which saved me some money.  I’m very happy with both purchases and can definitely recommend them as nice twists on the classic bookcase.

Have you found any great bookcase solutions?  If so, let me know in the comments; I’m always looking for great ideas!