I made my own book nook shelf insert DIY from a miniature kit in the past, and talked about stores selling them before, but would you know how to make a book nook yourself?
Well, today I am going to try and walk you through how to make these fantastic pieces of mini art that look amazing on your real-life bookshelf, so let's just dive straight into things!
Updated 18/07/26
(The featured image is a book nook by WhiteRabbitArtWorks on Etsy )
First: Which Materials Do You Need To Make A DIY Book Nook ?
Here's a little list of the things that you could need to build a book nook, but it's not restricted to/or you could want to use fewer materials.
- For the base, any of these basic materials could do the trick: cardboard, PVC board, foam board, or wood.
- Glue ( a glue gun, wood glue, crafting glue, tacky glue, etc.).
Some blogs mention super glue, but I would never use that again for miniatures (unless for metal or plastic), it is a total disaster for the skin of your fingers, and it doesn't always need to glue instantly.
(That is unless you want your fingers to glue together haha)
If you want it to stick together fast, I would use Tacky glue, but the "grab fast" version, as I use it for my miniature kits.
- Miniature lights, preferably battery-operated LED lights.
- Anything you could use to make a (street) scene more "real"-looking, like twigs, little stones, fake sand, etc..
- Cutting materials, depending on what you will use for the base, and/or interior. A table saw, a craftsman hacksaw, a crafting knife, scissors,..
- anything you can use to craft miniature furniture, windows, doors, walls, etc: popsicle sticks, balsa wood, egg cartons,..
- If you would like to add curtains, cushions, etc then you need all kinds of fabrics.
- acrylic paint and paintbrushes (for obvious reasons)
- You could use polymer clay to make stone brick walls, or use:
- Wallpaper/prints
- Plastic sheets for the windows
- ( You can also produce book nooks by using laser cutting machines, but that is a totally different story )
Check out these 5 book nook reviews
2. How To Make The Base For The DIY Book Nook? A book nook tutorial
You can make the base for the book nook out of wood, which I still prefer, honestly, but why not craft it out of other materials, such as cardboard, PVC board, or foam board?
Whatever material you use, always start with cutting out the walls, one by one, followed by the ceiling(s) and floor(s), and glue them together in the end.
The measurements for all of these are basically totally up to you, as they are all made in different sizes and shapes, mostly dependent on the theme.
For example, if you make a street, this will usually be smaller than, let's say a "hobbit home".
- Now, I get that figuring out the measurements of a book nook can be a tricky part, as with all dollhouse plans.
Firs