Truth: A well-styled bookshelf is one of my favorite design elements in a room.
Kels here! Decorating and styling bookshelves can be intimidating because, let’s face it, there’s a lot of stuff to consider. Books, decorative items, things with sentimental value, others that don’t mean much at all but you simply like the look of. It can all add up to aesthetic challenges, for sure. How does one organize and set them up in a way that looks great and adds value to a room?
Through the years, I’ve learned some tips on styling bookshelves that make the process painless. Because, at the end of the day, decorating your home shouldn’t be stressful. It should be fun!
Before I dive into those tips, I’d like to address a few key notes when styling. First, always start with empty, bare shelves before you begin! You don’t want your shelves to look like a cluttered mess, but rather clean, simple and appealing to the eye. Starting completely bare will help prevent you from getting carried away.
Second, when all else fails, remember that a good basic rule of thumb for decorating shelves is one-third books, one-third accessories (accent pieces, greenery, picture frames, vases), and one-third empty space per shelf. This somehow works out to be an ideal formula for a clean, visually appealing look.
Now for some easy tips that’ll make your shelves look great in no time!
5 Easy Tips On How To Style Bookshelves
Styling Bookshelves Tip #1: Leverage Books
They’re called bookshelves for a reason! Plus, there’s no greater conversation starter than a book. Leveraging books as decor helps to showcase your interests, passions, and favorite reads in a visually appealing way. I love going to other people’s houses and flipping through the books they’ve showcased – it really is a fun way to glimpse into their personalities.
While using books on bookshelves, make sure to stack books both vertically and horizontally. Having books go both directions creates a nice visual balance. When stacking vertical, leveraging things like vases or bookends to hold the books in place is practical and also helps to build in additional interest. Likewise, placing a delicate accent piece on top of horizontally stacked books creates a clean, eye-catching look.
Styling Bookshelves Tip #2: Greenery Brings It Alive
When in doubt, add greenery! Adding greenery brings life to any space, including bookshelves. The juxtaposition of having a living plant paired with books or objects is a great pairing. They provide a natural dimension to the room.
Position the plants on their own, or on top of horizontal stacked books. The more, the merrier — as long as there’s a variation of height and style, you really can’t go wrong with adding greenery!
Plus, there’s a fun sense of pride from growing plants. If you don’t want to sign up for the responsibility of another life, faux plants potted in chic containers are inexpensive and look just as good.
Styling Bookshelves Tip #3: Vary Up Textures
Natural stones? Metals? Glass? They’re all fair game.
Adding in a variety of textures to your bookshelves helps to break up the basic look of stacked books while adding a nice little element of style. It also effectively adds a pop of color! Leveraging items like colorful agate bookends, or gold animal figures, are a great way to tie in a mixture of textures.
Styling Bookshelves Tip #4: Display items that vary in size and height
Same is boring, in life and in decor. Having a shelf filled with objects similar in heights and sizes is always less interesting than if there is variety built in!
Staggering the height of objects as you’re styling is a great rule of thumb. Not only does it create a more visually appealing space, it helps to fill the shelves in a way that has a better flow. For example, pair something like a tall vase next to a short candle, or a robust plant next to an airy gold item. Pay attention to the back space of the shelf, too. If you have a space that’s clean and airy, try to put a photo in the background next to it, to capitalize on that variety and visual interest.
Styling Bookshelves Tip #5: Consider A Color Scheme
If you’re looking to challenge yourself a bit with styling, consider playing into a color scheme. This could be anything from monochromatic to multi-colored. (See examples below) Using a color theme or sticking to one palette is an opportunity to add cohesion and consistency to your shelf. It really helps to create a design focal point that shines!
When arranging, try to space out the color-themed items fairly evenly. Whether you have pops of bright colors or keep it simple and neutral, keeping your colors unified can help tie it all together. (Another option is to change your color scheme around for different seasons!) Just made sure the color chosen is a natural fit within your space, or your shelves could look off in the room.
The biggest tip of them all? Have fun with it! While there are certainly great rules of thumb in the design space, at the end of the day, they’re YOUR bookshelves. Their set up should bring you joy when you look at it.
What other tips do you have for styling bookshelves? Leave them in the comments below!
PS – Boho Style Interior Decor: Our Living Room Reveal + How To Create An Eye-Catching DIY Floral Balloon Arch + Josephine’s Nursery Room Reveal
