What are book nook kits? These mini-scenes are taking over bookshelves across social media

Bookshelves are the talk of the town for 2024, and social media is awash with a new way to make your at-home library more engaging than ever: book nook kits. 

Book nook kits allow you to craft tiny rooms or scenes that are then carefully placed on your shelves to give an adorable whimsical feel. And rather than ordering the nooks made-to-order, part of the fun is putting it together yourself, though it'll require patience and a steady hand.

With the ongoing popularity of the bookshelf wealth anti-trend, which is all about curating your existing collection of books and trinkets to bring cohesion to your home, we love the idea of adding a book nook to bring another level of personalisation.

Here's a little more on how book nooks are tying into the bookshelf wealth home decor trend, and how you can get hold of one for yourself. 

What are book nooks?

Coined by the countless fans of this trend across social media, the hashtag #booknook has over 300,000 posts on Instagram and over 35,000 videos on TikTok, with users poring over the kits.

Popular nooks often feature tiny pieces of furniture, LED lights and mirrors, which can trick the eye into making the scaled-down world appear bigger on the inside. 

You can also buy themed kits depending on your favourite novels so that your nook matches the books already on your shelf.  

Alice Marshall, the book blogger behind the Instagram account @mostardentlyalice, thinks that book nook kits hold an allure for a couple of different reasons. 

Alice says 'While I've yet to build my own book nook, I think they're a really sweet way to add some extra charm to your bookshelves, and potentially fill in any awkward gaps you might have (not that I can relate – I have no extra space!).'

Alice goes on to touch on the mindful side of these kits too, saying 'I also imagine putting one together is a lot like building Lego, which is known for being quite therapeutic. Definitely a great gift, too, for a bookworm who seems to have every book imaginable already!'

A post shared by Natasha Kotwal on Instagram shows the process of creating one of these adorable tiny houses. 

Designed to look like a cosy greenhouse complete with an array of miniature houseplants, it's safe to say that the mini greenery might be easier to look after than the best indoor houseplants. 

And as we touched on earlier, as well as looking adorable, the process of building one of these nooks is all part of the fun, much like with our favourite recent IKEA bookshelf shelving hack. 

Creating the rooms from start to finish tends to take a couple of days, according to social media users, thanks to the tiny nature of the parts. 

In one Garden House Kit created by the craft brand Rolife, which you can pick up for £41.95 from Amazon, the scene is even lit by tiny LEDs to create a truly cosy vibe.

You can pick up one of these book nooks directly from Amazon, where there are plenty of different kits to choose from.

As well as making a great gift for the book lover in your life, we think these scenes are a fun way to spruce up your space, and they're certainly a hit with the Ideal Home team.

If you wanted to get super creative, you could even fashion your own DIY book nook by cutting and painting old cardboard into furniture and scenery if you've got the patience. 

Either way, we love the rise of bookshelf trends for 2024 - long may they continue!