12 Low Bookshelves That Will Easily Change the Vibe of Your Entire Living Room
Stash these options behind your couch or at the foot of your bed for some stylish, easy, and functional decor. A great decluttering solution for the new year!


Are you in need of some hidden, low-profile storage? Are you looking to level up some of the vibes in your living room or bedroom with a singular piece of functional decor or furniture? Do you love to keep up with trends? If the answer to all these rhetorical questions was yes, then boy, do we have the edit for you.
We're on a quest to round up the best bookshelves to buy right now, and this special edition is focused on low bookshelves, in particular (otherwise often known as low-profile or horizontal bookshelves if you were confused); you can put these babies behind your couch, at the end of your bed, or hidden in corners of your living room. So prepare to get reading and shopping — we really think you're going to like this one.
12 of the best low bookshelves to buy right now
Price: $214.99
Was: $242.61
A bit different from your typical ladder bookshelf, we love how this Wayfair piece channels the angled, cascading look of the ladder style but shrinks it down to size. If not a bookcase, it would make a great shoe rack for an entryway.
Price: $30.15
This Amazon option, great for behind the couch in the basement, is definitely the most affordable bookshelf here. For $30, it's hard to do much better.
Price: $520
Was: $1169
It would be easy to purchase something like this modern bookshelf for up to 3x the sale price here. But why would you do that when you have the option to buy it on Wayfair?
Price: $180
This option has some mid-century modern sensibilities ... and should excite out in the living room or tucked away in a bedroom.
Price: $140.30
Simple but effective, perhaps use this bookshelf as an impromptu way to divide a room, especially if you're living in a small space.
Price: $699
Want a bookshelf that makes your living room look more expensive? Stop scrolling. This is the one. And it will surely start some conversations, too.
Price: $134.99
Was: $159
Chic and minimalist, the Arntraud should work for basically anyone and basically any room.
How should I style a low bookshelf?
Given its landscape makeup, you might be wondering if it's at all different styling a low bookshelf than a tall, traditional bookshelf. 'Obviously what's important is what you put on top of the shelf,' says interior designer Eliza Gran. 'I like the look of some large framed art against the wall, leaning works well to keep it casual, along with your favorite vases full of foraged flowers and eucalyptus branches, sculptures and other crafts projects from the kids in your life, and a few stacks of stray small books too.'
To keep things fresh, you'll want to 'rotate this collection frequently, adding whatever you feel like,' she adds.
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Brigid Kennedy is a freelance writer and former style editor for Livingetc.com, where she scoured the internet for the best and most stylish deals on home decor and more. She also served as the website's in-house sofa expert, completely revamping and reworking Livingetc's expansive sofa buying guide by interviewing a total of 17 interior designers and sofa experts at top brands like Article and Benchmade Modern; sitting on upwards of 50 sofas across both Pittsburgh and New York City; extensively polling her friends and family for their own sofa-buying anecdotes and product recommendations; and traveling to Dallas, Texas, to tour the floor of a couch factory. In total, she estimates she has spent 40+ hours (and counting!) reading, writing, and talking about couches with accredited sofa connoisseurs o then pass that knowledge on to you. She describes her personal design style as colorful and clean, and in her free time enjoys reading, watching movies, and curating impossibly niche playlists on Spotify. She recently relocated from Manhattan to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she's decorating and DIYing a new home downtown.
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