Books, ceramics, framed prints, inherited objects and pieces picked up on travels usually arrive in a room after the furniture. They end up on whatever surface is free, and the room looks crowded even when it is not. Planning the collection together with the shelving and furniture avoids that: you decide in advance what goes on open shelves, what hangs on the wall and what sits behind doors.
This guide gives practical measurements and placement rules for doing that, whether you are furnishing a new home or reorganising an existing living room or study.
Start with an inventory, not a shelf
Before choosing a bookcase, measure what you own. A few numbers are enough:
- Books in running metres. A typical hardback is around 3 cm thick, so 100 books need roughly 3 m of shelf. Paperbacks need about 2 m per 100.
- The tallest and deepest items. Large art and photography books are often 30–35 cm tall and up to 30 cm deep; they set the spacing for at least one or two shelves.
- Objects. Note the height of the tallest vase or sculpture and the footprint of the widest bowl or tray.
- Artwork. List each frame with its width and height, and mark which pieces matter most to you.
Then decide how much will be on show. A common approach is to display about half of a collection and store the rest, rotating pieces every few months. The room stays calm, and the objects you do display get attention.
Shelving: depth, spacing and span
Most books fit on shelves 28–32 cm deep. Objects and large-format books need 35–40 cm, otherwise they overhang the edge. If one unit has to hold both, a deeper lower section with a shallower upper section works well.
Typical clear heights between shelves:
- 25–28 cm for paperbacks and standard novels
- 33–38 cm for art books and box files
- 40–50 cm for vases, sculptures and framed photographs
Watch the span too. A wooden shelf loaded with books can bow if it runs much past 80–90 cm without support, so long walls are usually divided into several bays. Leave around a fifth of each shelf empty, and mix vertical rows with a few horizontal stacks; a stack of four or five books also makes a base for a small object. Combined units such as the Loft TV unit & bookshelf let a single wall hold the screen, closed storage and open shelves; you can see the other models in our TV units and bookshelves collection.
Hanging art in relation to furniture
On an empty wall, a common gallery rule places the centre of a picture about 145–150 cm from the floor. Once furniture sits below it, the furniture sets the height instead:
- Above a sofa: keep the bottom of the frame 20–25 cm above the backrest, and aim for a total width of about two-thirds of the sofa.
- Above a sideboard or console: leave 15–25 cm between the top and the frame, with the artwork 60–75% of the piece's width.
- Groups of frames: use the same gap throughout, usually 5–8 cm, and treat the whole group as one rectangle when you apply the rules above.
A large painting needs a quiet background: a plain wall colour, no shelving immediately beside it and no busy pattern on the sofa beneath.
Consoles, sideboards and tables as display surfaces
Low furniture gives objects a place at eye level when you are seated or walking past. On a hall console, for example the Grace console, keep to a lamp, one tall vase and two or three lower pieces. Odd-numbered groups with a clear difference in height usually look more settled than a straight row.
A sideboard top is long and low, so it suits a framed picture leaning against the wall with a few objects in front of it. On a coffee table, keep at least half the surface free for daily use: a short stack of books and a Leather Tray T01 to gather small items are enough. Fragile ceramics, photographs and pieces you rotate are safer in a cabinet with doors.
A bookcase behind a sofa
On our TÜYAP 2016 fair stand, a wooden bookcase stood directly behind a sofa and a leather armchair. The layout works at home too, with two conditions. First, a sofa back is typically 75–85 cm high, so the lowest shelves will be hidden; closed cupboards are more useful in that section. Second, if you want to reach the books, leave a passage of 80–90 cm between the sofa and the shelves. Our article on circulation patterns and furniture placement explains how to plan those walkways. A reading armchair at one end of the bookcase, with a side table and a lamp, turns the wall into a reading corner.
Light and protection
- Keep paper, photographs and textiles out of direct sun; it fades them, just as it fades leather upholstery.
- Use warm light of 2700–3000 K for shelves and lit pictures, aimed from the front or above so it does not cast hard shadows.
- Put heavy books and stone objects on the lower shelves, and fix tall bookcases to the wall.
- Closed or glazed sections cut down on dusting for ceramics and glass.
Every Sitdesign piece is handmade in our own factory in Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, and custom dimensions are available on request, so shelf depths, bay widths and console lengths can follow the collection you already have. Send us your measurements and a few photos through our contact page, and we will prepare a quote.
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