Espresso Bookcase: Perfect Choice for Collectors and Booklovers Alike

The Espresso bookcase or more specifically the espresso finish bookcase is an essential piece of furniture that blends perfectly well with the colors and motif of a room. It is not only a storage unit of books but a unique display unit wherein travel souvenirs, mementos and portraits can be kept. More often than not, it draws attention and becomes a center of attraction for guests of one's home especially if it is made of high-quality materials.

This kind of bookcase is available in a wide variety of sizes and styles. Popular options include the following: 2 shelf, 3 shelf, 5 shelf, ladder, folding and leaning and can accommodate as few as 24 book to as big as an entire wall in one's study. One popular type of the bookcase is the ladder-style leaning bookcase which offers 5-tier shelves that are suitable for all kinds of books. It is also ideal as display area for one's photographs and toy collections because of the wide spaces. The design resembles a real ladder so it could serve as a point of interest in one's room.

This type of espresso bookcase is perfect for small apartments, condo, bachelor's pad, and for the study room other popular kinds of the bookcase available in the market are revolving bookcase, boat bookcase, standing bookcase and barrister bookcase. Styles come in a wide array and ranges from basic and geometric to old fashioned, intricate and elaborate ones. It is indeed understandable why this kind of bookcase is very popular among interior designers and homeowners alike since it does not only come in a variety of selections with regard to style, size, shape and types but also because it can match with any kind of interior and color of walls. Its versatility is totally unmatched in addition to its functionality.

In buying this kind of bookcase the following are the basic considerations: First, make sure it matches with the colors and general dynamics of one's home. Second, measure the size of the room - this is to ensure that one will not end up taking home a bookcase taller that the ceiling or too wide to fit a designated area. Third the main purpose in buying a bookcase - whether as a storage of books which is one that should have plenty of space or as a display unit of photographs and other knickknacks, which should have taller and broader shelves.

Espresso bookcases are generally made of wood materials such as mahogany, pine and maple although composite wood is also widely used. Highly preferred is the solid wood variety, solid wood being the common term for furniture made from lumber planks. However, softwood such as those from Douglas firs also makes excellent, classic stock material for espresso bookcases. Other materials that work best as bookcase materials are the following:

Plywood: Made by stacking thin sheets -- "plies" -- of lumber and gluing them under pressure, it features grains that alternate direction for strength. It can create the appearance of fine wood but molding or edge veneer is a must to complete the illusion.

Particleboard: Wood chips glued together, it is much cheaper than solid wood. Bookshelves crafted from veneered composite boards can look and feel as good as real wood.

MDF: Wood fibers, tiny chips and sawdust collected and glued into sheets form medium-density fiberboard (MDF). It is cheap and makes an excellent base for veneers, has consistent strength and shapes well.

Metal: It is resistant to moisture and fungus, and the shelves of metal bookcases are easier on books' bindings. The strength-to-weight ratio is excellent and it is not costly.

Glass: Glass bookshelves weigh more than other types but it gives one's home an unbeatable contemporary feel. The glass espresso bookcases' smooth, transparent surfaces add levity to a decorating piece that might otherwise be notably opaque and heavy.