Home libraries are making a comeback as a sophisticated symbol of luxury

In British whodunnits, it is often a dusty library in which some of the key action takes place. 

But the idea of a stuffy room, filled with dull but worthy tomes – and a creaky old butler on call – is as cliched as old-fashioned dramas.

“Today’s home library is a sophisticated symbol of luxury,” says bespoke library outfitter, interior designer and cabinet maker Amos Groth, who creates dream-like spaces with his son, Oscar.

With more people collecting books and people spending an increasing amount of time at home post-pandemic, never has a custom-made library been more popular, he says.

Each and every one is designed to reflect not only the home’s style and heritage but also the owner’s personality, with books that tell the stories of lives or aspirations or express interests and predilections, curated and displayed.

“A custom-built library is also a value-add, not just an interior extra although, from a design perspective, it is the most reliable way of adding colour and curiosity to an open space,” says Groth, who has been designing and installing residential libraries for 25 years.

He says clients consider a library an investment in their property that is reflected in the sales value.

 “A luxury library space certainly does add value,” agrees Jo Zucco, partner at McDonald Upton Real Estate.

“Especially since COVID, a quiet, private space is highly sought-after by discerning clients.”

Zucco says a library of every and any style also brings a certain sense of warmth to luxury homes, as well as being a talking point for guests.

As well as housing books, well-designed reading rooms can discreetly double as home offices with high-tech equipment under the guise of a low-tech aesthetic, or as a place to entertain family and friends. 

Groth says that, besides custom-made bookcases that incorporate contemporary or classic details, features on the style agenda include custom-made desks, mirrored walls, aged mirrors, brass grilles, hand-painted finishes in milk paints or enamel, integrated lighting and bespoke mouldings and wood panelling.

For a recent commission, a transcription chosen by the owner was included in the panelling.

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“We also incorporate secret doors and one-off pieces and recently designed a cocktail cabinet, on hydraulics, for the library, which was pretty cool,” he says.

While the interior designer and his son have yet to encounter a book collection as large as the tens of thousands contained in the Hogwarts Library in Harry Potter – another, rather dusty English book depository – they have designed a space for an Adelaide family who had 6000 books. 

In such cases, a book ladder is a necessity – “we send them all over Australia”.