Maybe you’re lucky enough to have built-in shelves in your house, or perhaps you’re cursed with them. Perhaps you’re one of those people who can’t get rid of a novel. Or, even worse, an item hoarder in need of shelving to house your antique baby doll heads set.
In any case, making your home’s shelving look put-together, engaging, and stylish is complex, and poorly styled shelves are an issue that plagues America. The trick to styling the shelves (as well as any other surface or piece of furniture in your home) is illustrated in the book STYLED. The intimidating task of making your home look put together and beautiful is broken down into very manageable steps.
How to restyle?
If you’ve ever been faced with an empty bookshelf and stacks of books and knickknacks on the floor, you know that decorating a bookshelf is more complicated than it seems. In reality, it’s a topic about which we get a lot of questions.
Styling the ideal bookshelf is a combination of art and science, requiring you to consider how it will look and how it will work. If you’re starting from scratch or looking for a quick refresh, we’ve outlined our favorite simple ideas for adorning your shelves.
Here are seven steps to make your shelves look as fascinating and put-together as you do. Before we get started, there are a few ground rules for styling any surface or space in your home that I’d like to go over:
#1. Create a unified color scheme, and edit out everything you don’t need or want. That might seem to be self-evident, but it isn’t. If your items aren’t
- useful,
- sentimental
- beautiful
Please give them away or donate them. That’s just a general rule on how to style any surface.
- Begin with your books, whether you have a few or an entire library full of dusty old novels. For a more collected but put-together look, stack them both vertically and horizontally and evenly sprinkle the colors around.
In other words, unless you’re doing the color-coding thing, which is more appropriate for a proper bookshelf than a set of pieces and items like this, don’t put all your darker books in one corner and your lighter books in another.
#2. Include artwork – Not all shelving can accommodate artwork, but if it can, DO SO. Using art on your shelves has a number of advantages:
- It adds personality because art is one of those purchases that we make because we like it rather than because it serves a purpose.
- It draws your attention to the back of the shelf, making it appear deeper and larger and adding a layering effect.
- It occupies a lot of visual space that would otherwise be difficult to fill with smaller pieces.
#3. Mix it up – Add all your pretty stuff here, like artifacts, paintings, vessels, sets, and even lighting. To avoid looking like a thrift shop, mix up the textures, sizes, patterns, and tones while staying within the color palette.
#4. Vertically lined-up books are the norm for library shelves, and for a good reason: they make finding and retrieving books a breeze. Try experimenting with horizontal stacks for books that are intended to be decorative rather than often reached for. They’ll give your space an extra layer of texture and interest, particularly when combined with vertical rows.
#5. When it comes to decorating children’s spaces, it’s necessary to think of both the playful and the practical: you want to build a space that they’ll enjoy while still being easy to clean and organize. So, take a cue from these charming shelves, which combine colorful toys and books with woven bins and baskets for clutter storage. If you use a stuffed animal or a toy truck as an impromptu bookend, you’ll get bonus points.
#6. Hang artwork or another wall decor in front of your bookshelf, as this decorator-favorite move suggests. We love the statement-making look of the oversize piece here, but smaller works, as well as works hung in multiples, can make just as lovely an effect.
Hang artwork or other wall decors in front of your bookshelf, as this decorator-favorite move suggests. We love the statement-making look of the oversize piece here, but smaller works, as well as works hung in multiples, can make just as lovely an effect.
#7. This decorating move is sure to please fans of visual order. And the possibilities are seemingly endless: you can arrange books in a rainbow pattern, group them in color blocks, use just one color, or stick to neutrals. We suggest experimenting with a few different options to see what works best in your room.
In conclusion
Restyling your bookcase can be fascinatingly beautiful for your home. Take the above-stated tips to rule how your living rooms would look with the simplest and most functional restyling designs with us!
