A home library can add elegance and sophistication to an interior. More so, I have always been drawn to bookshelves that are built around a door, as they tend to add such sophistication to a space, while also allowing you to make use of dead space in your interior.

A doorway framed by shelves or bookcases can have such an impressive effect on a space, especially if you put some effort into styling it nicely. You can combine books with other things and accessories you want to put on display. Play around with it to find the right balance to accommodate storage and accessories on display without it feeling cluttered.

Incorporate different materials and find a stylish and creative setting for your doorway bookcase. Have a look at these beautiful built-in bookshelf ideas around a door for inspiration on how to plan and style them.

Custom built-ins in a dark grey color decorate a majestic doorway

The wide doorway connecting the dining room and living room in this majestic Swedish apartment is adorned by a custom doorway bookcase that fills the whole wall. The contrast of the dark grey shelves with the white walls that can be seen through the open doorway is very powerful and contributes to the minimal black-and-white interior aesthetic in this apartment.

The base cabinets are deeper, providing lots of space to store things away, while the open shelves rest on top of them. The big shelf is decorated with a mix of carefully selected accessories in monotone colors and piles of books facing backward for a modest yet elegant effect against the dark grey color.

Photographed by Alen Cordic for Bjurfors

A creative doorway bookcase underneath a sloped ceiling

In this light-flooded attic apartment with beautiful exposed wood beams, all the space up until the ceiling is filled up with a custom-built bookshelf including closed storage modules on the bottom.

A custom bookcase is a great way to fill up the unused space in awkward corners and this doorway bookcase that fills the entire wall is painted in the same paint color as the bedroom door itself for a beautiful effect that accentuates the beautiful green bedroom wall color peeking through.

The home library includes a mixture of books, an impressive hanging plant, and a selection of vases. The shelves even contain an integrated glass cabinet for storing wine glasses conveniently next to the dining table.

Styled by Cream and Navy, photographed by Anders Bergstedt for Alvhem

A bookshelf-around-door layout with an integrated mirror

This beautiful living room with a light grey wall color with blue undertones features a beautiful custom doorway bookcase that includes closed cabinets on the bottom on which the top shelves rest.

Since the original crown molding on the ceiling can’t be seen anymore, moldings were applied to the top of the bookshelves for an integrated effect. The paint color used on the bookcase is the same as the wall color in this beautiful interior and the mirror on the back of the biggest compartment is such a smart idea to make the space look bigger.

The left part of the built-in shelves is used for interior objects and to store books, while the area on the right is used for glasses. I imagine the section with the mirror would work great for displaying bottles as well, functioning as an integrated bar in your bookcase.

via Stadshem

A bookshelf with storage space around the bedroom door

The doorway connecting the dining room with the bedroom in this turn-of-the-century apartment is adorned by a beautiful custom built-in doorway bookshelf that extends wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling for an impressive effect in this majestic interior.

The bottom of each of the bookcase modules includes a closed storage compartment with paneled white doors, which are paired up with open shelves on the top that display a combination of books, accessories, and storage boxes for keeping small stuff.

The interior color palette of both the rooms is black and white combined with natural tones in the wooden furniture. The paper of the aged books adds beige tones and by placing the extra colorful books the other way around, you create a serene color palette that fits the interior.

I love the way the small oak seedling pops out on the shelves, adding a subtle green touch in between all the neutral colors present in the bookcase.

Styled by Greydeco and photographed by Janne Olander, for Stadshem

Open shelves on the top half of the wall decorate a large doorway

Even though the furniture is placed against the bottom half of the doorway wall in this living room, the top half is decorated with white wall shelves with white brackets for an impressive effect in the interior.

The top shelf is used to store books, while the lower shelves have small boxes and a few delicate decor pieces in natural colors. The open shelves blend into the wall in a subtle manner, making the high-contrast items in the interior like the blue door and the cognac leather butterfly chair stand out in a more powerful way.

via Stadshem

Balcony doorway bookshelves fully integrated into the room

The built-in shelves going over the balcony doorway in this living room with white walls go over into a custom bench with a wall pillow, which is such a smart idea.

The solution combines closed cabinets on the bottom with open shelves above it and a long wall shelf extending wall to wall over the doorway. By doing so, a lot of shelf space is created without taking up too much floor space.

The white open shelves integrate nicely with the white wall and the white window and door frames, which are complemented with white furniture and white curtains for a bright look that makes this small room look bigger.

via Fantastic Frank

A half doorway bookcase with books and antique finds on display

While built-in shelves that extend over an entire wall can have such an impressive effect on an interior, this is not possible in smaller spaces. Doorway bookcases can be a great solution for small space living and studio apartments, however, since you can utilize the doorway wall for additional storage opportunities.

This beautiful white bookshelf extends over the doorway, yet doesn’t continue on the other wall, making it a smaller solution that takes advantage of the available ceiling height.

The shelves themselves are filled with books with their backs faced away for a calmer (yet more confusing) look that is enhanced with a beautiful selection of vintage finds on display on the top shelves. By filling some shelves entirely with books and others with accessories only, you create an interesting look that is finished off with the cute antique table lamp on one of the shelves.

via Historiska Hem

Built-in bookshelves connected by a single top shelf over the door

If you don’t want to add too much shelf space above the door, you can connect two built-in bookshelves on each side of the doorway with a top plate that gives the doorway bookcase its integrated look into the space, without having to construct the module above the door.

This beautiful living room with a warm grey wall color features shelving next to the doorway painted in the same color as the wall. This grey-on-grey color palette accentuates the white French doors leading up to the other room. The shelves are filled with boxes and objects in darker colors that stand out and add a lovely contrast to the space.

via Bjurfors

Built-in bookshelves in a corner layout above French doors

This spacious green living room has a creative bookshelf solution that is planned out in the corner of the room and extends over the doorway leading up to the bedroom. The built-ins are painted in the same color as the window and door frames in this majestic and characterful interior. It’s a mint green color that is a bit darker than the walls which results in a unique effect in the space.

The built-in bookshelves are used to organize books and display accessories, while the shelving above the door is used as an elegant magazine display showcasing the book covers for a lighter look.

via Historiska Hem

A sage green dining room with wall shelving extending over the door

This combined living room and dining room features open shelving that extends above the doorway in the dining area, and a blank wall above the sofa. Planning out the shelves like this allows for a visual distinction between the two functional areas in the space.

Open shelving is typically a bit easier to install around a door than bookcases and the final result can be just as impressive. In the case of this apartment, I like the way the white shelving and the white doorway stand out against the sage-green living room walls.

via Alvhem

A doorway bookshelf in the same grey color as the walls

One of the walls in this dark grey living room has been turned into an amazing feature wall with a wide bookshelf design that fills the entire wall and the area above the door. The beautiful collection of colorful books and a careful selection of art and decor objects decorate the shelf in a wonderful way.

Styled by Bon Interior, photographed by Maria Sahlander, for sale via Bjurfors