enchanting book box

brilliant illuminated display case for your favorite books

Do you also like reading books? And maybe you also like Berlin's upcycling style? Then read on and see how I created this box for my books at home. Let me start by saying that we are all big bookworms and literature lovers at home and therefore everyone has a considerable number of books. Unfortunately, there is never enough space and my piles of unread books waiting to be read at the next opportunity, or the books that I am currently reading more or less in parallel and are therefore always lying around in the bedroom, on the sofa or in the veranda, are considerable and sometimes annoy me when I would actually like it to be tidy. That's why we have to find creative solutions that are aesthetically acceptable in order to keep everything tidy, minimalist and beautiful in our home.

At first, we thought about simply using a wooden box from Ikea. Of course, any other wooden box will do if it's sturdy enough. In Berlin, where I lived for a while a few years ago, there was a big market for these kinds of recycled crates (from fruit or wine merchants) and I was amazed at the hefty prices they commanded. Now they are fashionable and many people use them to build shelves for books, kitchen utensils or whatever thanks to their modular nature.

According to my partner, often a little too pragmatic, the crate would have been enough to fulfill our needs just like that (probably also because he didn't feel like wasting time with my creative fantasies), but I, as a perfectionist and aesthete, wasn't satisfied with it yet, which is why I thought about how to make this crate stand out even more and become an eye-catcher.

What you need:

• Wooden box

• rolls

• Patterned adhesive foil (variant with colorful dots or pink lace)

• LED strip lights

I was currently working in a theater and somehow had to think of a theater stage. I glued a patterned adhesive foil to the back wall of the box as a colorful background. The LED lighting (long enough to take up at least three or all four sides of the crate) provides indirect lighting and allows the colors of the background to shine. We fitted four castors to the bottom of the short side of the crate so that it can be easily adjusted, and the crate also appears a little more airy due to the small distance to the floor. For a long time, this box was our bedside table next to the bed: all the books for bedtime reading within easy reach, soft light for dozing off and space on top to put an alarm clock, bouquets of flowers, a cell phone, glasses of water or anything else you might need next to the bed. It is also ideal as a coffee table, which is where it has moved to after a while.

Of course, you can also paint the back wall a different color or leave it as it is instead of covering it with adhesive foil. Or you can actually create a little stage by hanging fabric on the sides as curtains and letting cuddly toys play out scenes instead of books.

I recently reworked the project as the struts in the corners inside the crate were bothering me and used an old fruit crate. My magazines have now found a home in it.

What do you think of the book box? Would it find a place in your home? Or would you do something different? I look forward to hearing your opinion. A hug and see you soon!