My husband and I have a lot of books. Between my reading obsession and his medical books, we could fill numerous bookshelves. We actually have a ton of ours in our guest closet, simply because our loft doesn’t really provide the room to keep them all out. I love book for the very reason that they are cheap decor (if you already have them). I dream one day of having a whole room just filled with built ins (see pictures below) and I’m hoping the next place we move will have a little more room for one of those Ikea shelving unit that are open, I love those. However, for now, this single bookshelf is keeping us company in our living space and while it’s small and not really my style, it does the trick for now (residency income budget!).
I love styling things and I know it comes easy for some and hard for others, so today I thought I would share some tips on how I styled our bookshelf.
1. Use books to your advantage. I always think it’s funny when people have book shelves and no books. Keep them out! You can organize them in so many visually appealing ways. Stack them, arrange them by color, arrange by height- there are so many options and Pinterest makes it even easier. Take and pull what you like from certain photos you find. Think both horizontally and vertically.
2. Use unique pieces as book ends. I have vases, picture frames and candy dishes are book ends- get creative.
3. While we don’t have any, cute little decorative boxes can be great for not only storing things, but also creating visual appeal. It’s also a great way to hide the clutter!
4. Think in different dimensions. By putting photos in the back and books up front, you create appeal for the eye and make it interesting.
5. Use pieces that are special to you. See the pineapple below? Two of my dear Southern friends explained that in the South Pineapples mean welcome. One day when we were antiquing I found this one with them and it has sat right on top of my bookshelf ever since. I love the story behind it.
6. Mic old and new. Just like that Pineapple, I also have filler pieces from Homegoods, etc. Mixing these creates character- you don’t have to have one common theme- fill it with things you like!
One day, Im hoping the Mr. will let me fill an entire wall of bookcases in our dream home.
I am loving these images found on Pinterest.
Pinterest (here)
Pinterest (here)
Pinterest (here)
That last one?! Swoon. I love the mix of pieces and the books.
Have a fantastic Friday all! Thank you for reading!
I love your bookcase! I underwent a similar process with my own… and then bought more books when we moved. So now… I need to get another one in order to have room for the decor part again… 🙂 haha I especially love the coral on the second shelf and the little trio on the fourth shelf! Very cute ideas! Thanks for sharing.. and maybe I'll get one up eventually too 🙂 -Alexandra
Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things
Such great inspiration! I have a small one in my living room and it's one of my favorite parts of my apartment!
I feel like I'm looking at my bookcase. Not because mine is organised but because we have the SAME books. Jodi Piccoult (my fave author). Redeeming Love. The Help. Heaven is For Real. The Paris Wife, etc. Now I just need my bookcases to start looking like yours in organization… Great tips, I always get overwhelmed when trying to decorate mine!
I love these inspiration photos a lot. I've always wanted some kind of library in my house! (I think a room with bookshelves count!)
looks great! I just redid my bookshelf too! xo
http://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com
I always have the hardest time with this kind of decor…great inspiration! Thanks 🙂
I hope you get a wall of bookshelves too! That would beautifully amazing.
oXo
Jenn
This is such a great idea! I've never really thought about how I arrange things on bookshelves. I'm definitely going to use these when I move into my apartment, thanks so much!
Can't wait to move into our house and start decorating our book shelves like this.
Rebecca {at} Preppy Panache
These are such great tips! Styling bookshelves can be SO intimidating. I love what you did with yours!
The Grass Skirt
I totally love this. Gotta be honest, I haven't given much thought to bookshelf styling, but now that I see this I am thoroughly inspired.
Love this 🙂 I've been wanting to refresh our book shelves. We love books, too, and our collection keeps growing!
My bookcase broke when I moved last year. I've been searching for a new one ever since. I like antiques though and can't find what I want on my budget. I love that you stacked books on top and used bookends. I have some Eiffel tower bookends that are too heavy to put on the shelves, so I'm going to copy that for sure!
-ash
http://www.thestylizedwannabe.com
this is on my list of goals for the year!
Super cute! I reorganized my book shelf a few months ago and I love it! I need to be more creative with the other stuff too. Thanks for the ideas!
-AJ