Ideas For Decorating Bookshelves – Struggling with how to decorate an empty closet in your home? In this post, I’ll share my method for creating beautifully stylish shelves and bookcases every time. No interior design experience required!
Over the years I’ve designed a ton of shelves and bookcases. Most of them have been in my own home, but I’ve used my tips and tricks to create beautiful stylish wardrobes in other homes too!
Ideas For Decorating Bookshelves
The beauty of this simple technique is that you don’t have to buy completely new decorations. You don’t have to be an experienced interior designer either. I am not
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Even for self-taught home decorators like myself, you can often create beautiful designer-quality wardrobes in our homes.
I had to learn how important it is to have a game plan when it comes to decorating closets. I was staring at the empty closets in our first home that I shared on my blog (when it was called hmydearblog.com, I knew nothing about decorating) and was close to tears at the overwhelming feeling of not knowing where to begin. .
It’s been 7 years since I started my blog and over the years I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks and now I know that decorating a bookcase or floating shelf can save you a lot of time if you have a game plan beforehand. Get started!
Shop our living room silk area | Then | Coffee Table | 48″ Floating Shelves | Gold Floor Lamp | Similar Leather and Wooden Chairs My Method for Decorating Shelves –
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Decorating closets can feel overwhelming and you may not know where to start! At least that’s how I felt when I tried to decorate our closets. I’ve often been on a tear trying to figure out how to style wardrobes to always find the right balance and see what I’m going for.
Over the years, I’ve fine-tuned the method I use when designing wardrobes, and I promise that the next time you decorate, every time, the end result will be perfectly styled wardrobes!
My method of decorating closets is to put things I use. I’ll style our closets three different ways with items from our home, but I’ll use the same space to show you how easily it can be adapted in your own home.
Always start at your top shelf and work your way down. Starting with the top shelf, you’ll place the decor from one end of the shelf to the other, covering most of the shelf.
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A key ingredient to designer-quality wardrobes is placing home decor at different heights. For example, look at the image below. I’ve made sure that the top shelf doesn’t just have tiered decor from one end, I’ve used decor that varies in height.
Some ideas for tall objects are plants that can grow very tall, such as snake plants, large pictures placed vertically or horizontally, and large decorative objects such as candlesticks.
You want to make sure that you add enough items to your closet so that it doesn’t look like it’s cluttered. Your ultimate goal is to have a bookshelf or closet that’s organized and thoughtful, and not piled high with all the cute stuff you’ve stuffed into it.
Once you’ve designed your top shelf, you can move on to the bottom shelf. On this shelf, we’ll now divide our decor into two sections instead of spreading it across the length of the shelf.
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As you can see in the picture above, that doesn’t mean you can only use one item on both sides of the shelf, although you can if you want a more minimalistic look.
You can arrange many decorative items in a convenient way, but the most important part is to leave some empty space or white space between the two groups.
The goal is to have a stylish look, not to look like we just threw a few things in our closets. We want it to look intentional, and the two groups below give our eye somewhere to rest and are more visually appealing.
Repeat. This method works no matter how many floating shelves or bookcases you have. Decorate the next shelf across the width of the shelf, then do the next shelf in groups of two, and so on until all your shelves are decorated.
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When I’m done, I like to stand back and take a picture to help me see if there’s anything I need to add or remove.
Taking photos, or at least looking at a camera, helps you notice things you don’t really have.
I shared a minimal look using very minimal decor and using the same method of layering the decor in groups on each shelf.
If your style is more farmhouse, you’ll use more farmhouse decor and less boho or mid-century pieces.
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If your style is modern again, you will use less decoration and mostly use large objects and small objects.
Hope you find this post and video helpful! Adding floating shelves or decorating with built-in shelves is a great way to add personality to your home.
Once you get a formula that’s easy to follow, it’s also a lot of fun! It’s an easy way to switch up and change your outfit as your taste and style change!
Check out our blog post on our favorite sources of floating shelves. Our post on how to properly install floating shelves. Our shopping guides for all your home decor shopping inspo!Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
22 Chic Bookshelf Decorating Ideas
Whether you work at home or in a corporate office, it’s important to have a space that feels like your own. A personal touch can help you feel more relaxed and inspired while working, and adding a bookshelf is a great way to do this.
But not all office bookcases are created equal. With the right styling tricks, you can make your office bookshelf look professional and beautiful at the same time. Here are 20 office bookcase decorating ideas to inspire you!
Boxes and baskets are perfect ways to hide the office supplies you use every day. But why not hide those items in a decorative way?
Built-in bookcases and freestanding shelves also provide you with functional storage space. So incorporating some pretty boxes and baskets is one of my favorite ways to decorate bookshelves.
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One of my favorite ideas for decorating office bookcases is to take advantage of hanging file folders and stackable letter boxes. You can find some nice palettes of folders and desk accessories at many online stores.
Keeps all your documents and to-do lists organized and provides privacy when you have guests and visitors in your office.
Some beautiful folders have a way of adding texture and complimentary color schemes at very affordable prices. Plus, functionally, nothing curbs stacks of papers better than beautiful folders.
Binders look great if they’re all the same size and color and grouped together with simple, neat labels. The dark print on white is my favorite – classic and simple. And keeps things uniform and clean.
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We buy hard square binders and skip the sliding edges, so they always make nice sharp lines that don’t add business to the shelves.
Collect your favorite books and stack them horizontally on your shelves for a break from the vertical distance of a bookshelf full of books. I like to organize layers by color and size. Take all the books with the same back colors and stack them from largest to smallest on top.
A good idea I’ve seen is to color the book spines or visible covers. All whites and creams in one closet, pinks and reds in another, and so on.
Plus, if the books don’t coordinate with your color palette, use a colored cardboard box to use as a dust jacket—and you’ll have color-coordinated books as your favorites and available to grab when you need inspiration. .
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You can also include some of your favorite classic novels, books related to your profession, or a collection of works by a favorite artist. This may seem like a very simple office bookcase decorating idea, but it can make a big impact.
As mentioned above, pay attention to the color of the front facing parts of the books. Whether it’s spines, dust covers or covers, try to have a seamless color palette – it makes a huge difference!
If you want to turn your wardrobe into an interesting conversation piece, put out your favorite book covers and try to make it proportional.