Living Room Bookshelves Decorating Ideas – If you’re looking for design inspiration for a specific space, we’ve rounded up bookshelf decorating ideas for every style. Whether it’s floor-to-ceiling shelving or sophisticated bookcases, a book lover appreciates more than just a stylish place to display their collection. Aside from books, the style possibilities for bookcases are endless and can be customized to reflect your personality. Dress up empty shelves with artwork and lush greenery, antiques or treasured trinkets that remind you of recent travels.
From home office and living room to bedroom design, bookshelf style is an art. Too much decoration can look cramped and random, while too little can. If you organize everything too neatly, your wardrobe will look more trendy than organized. You’ll want to display books, art, and decorative items that catch the eye but also reflect your style. Below, we’ve included design tips from experts, including how to display books with color, how to incorporate art, and the importance of proportion.
Living Room Bookshelves Decorating Ideas
Start scrolling through these beautiful bookshelf ideas, from modern and minimalist to more liberal, whimsical designs. These 24 bookshelf ideas are proof that creativity, attention to detail, and a well-curated collection are key!
Dos And Don’ts Of Decorating Built-in Shelves (simple Tips)
Don’t limit your display to books. Take notes from design firm Living with Lolo and create art, sculptures, houseplants, and any decorative items that reflect your personality.
Draw attention to your bookshelf by placing picture lighting, as Maestri Studio does in this moody living space. Gold fixtures not only brighten up your collection, they serve as a modern accent.
For this sleek bookshelf, designer Megan Evans arranged hardcover books in rainbow order, assigning a tier to each color. They start with red on the top and change from purple to pink on the bottom shelf.
Designer Ryan Swan relied on neutral hardcover books, abstract sculptures and clay vases for this navy blue built-in decor. For a minimalist style, it’s best to leave negative space on each shelf.
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Floor-to-ceiling built-ins offer a great opportunity to showcase decor that reflects your interests and hobbies. Here, designer Bria Hammel added two tennis rackets and some small bowls.
Arrange books of different heights and thicknesses for visual interest. Take notes from Outline Interiors and weave in a variety of decor – think meaningful art, sculptures and patterns. Aim for different items for each shelf to make it more neat than stylish.
From vases and figurines to artwork, this bookcase is filled floor-to-ceiling with eye-catching antiques. Design firm JAM adds a sliding ladder to make tall shelves more accessible, allowing homeowners to rearrange decor as their collection grows.
If your bookshelf is in a sunny location, it’s an elegant place for houseplants. Mix small herbs and succulents into your bookshelves, or dedicate an entire top shelf to larger plants, like this setup from Outline Interiors.
How To Style Bookshelves
By stacking books vertically and horizontally, design firm Maestri Studio creates visual interest in these golden bookcases. For horizontal stacks, always place the largest books at the bottom.
Overcrowded shelves can create the illusion of clutter. Instead, leave empty space on each shelf and let it focus on your best decorations.
Add personality to any bookshelf with fun figurines, colorful trinkets and books you’ve actually read. Arrange books of different shapes and sizes, even stack small decorative items on top if you’re going for a classic look.
You don’t want your closets to look too stylized. Group things, go for different heights, leave space, and most importantly, don’t style every shelf exactly the same. Some shelves can hold two or three items, others four or five – variation is key.
Simple Formulas For Styling Bookshelf Decor
Take the traditional approach and let a collection of dictionaries and encyclopedias become home office decor, as Maestri Studio does here. Don’t forget to throw in personal items like family photos, awards, and college diplomas.
From a framed diploma to a brass tea set, this well-designed display case adds charm to this office space. There is also a compartment, large chest and file organizer for extra storage.
Do you miss traveling abroad? Use your bookshelf to show the world the inspiring curiosities you’ve collected over the years. Finish the look by placing some globes on the top shelf to keep the theme going.
From model rockets and sky globes to moon books, this home office has a cool theme that won’t overwhelm the room. A mix of art, sculptures, bottles and fake plants add a lot of personality to the space.
How To Style A Bookshelf
Inspired by mid-century modern credenzas, these custom office shelves have a great old-meets-new look thanks to the baby blue penny tiles.
Soft pinks, robin’s egg blues and lemon yellows, the accessories are perfect choices for spring shelf updates.
Use rustic shelves to highlight a fine china collection. Balance the display with color-coordinated books, then elevate the look with artwork hanging on the shelves.
Bring in colorful fabric bins to not only liven up your bookshelf, but to provide extra storage. Store toys, wires or household items in a nearby bin without sacrificing style.
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22 charming ideas that are full of charm. 70 living room ideas to steal in an instant Here are the best pesky clogs 10 best chairs and half chairs for a cozy retreat. I’ve talked about this many times with readers and friends about how to style shelves, and it got me thinking about the process I use and what tips and secrets I can share to make it a little less complicated. Whether you’re decorating bookcases in your living room or open shelving in your kitchen, this method can be used as a guide to creating perfectly styled shelves anywhere in the home. First, I’m going to break down the items for the shelf styles…for “merchandise”. And then I’ll show you how to combine them with a harmonious color palette and simple vignettes… “recipes”.
I hope these tips give you a starting point for creating beautiful spaces in your home that showcase your unique personality and style without taking the guesswork out of decorating. Let’s start!
When I organize my shelves, there are a few things I always stock up on. It’s good to have several different options from each category that vary in color, size, and shape, since each shelf requires different items depending on what you start with. And don’t feel like you need to go out and buy all new things to decorate! Chances are you already have a lot of things in your home that you love, so buy a home first before you buy anything else! One thing to remember when collecting is to have a few items that stand out, as well as many pieces that are plain and simple to bring balance to the overall style of the shelves.
20 Office Bookshelf Decor Ideas
Art and framed photos are great things to start with because they usually take up a lot of real estate on your shelves. Choose your favorite pieces, make them the center of attention and create around them. Think about the height you’ll need to play with between your cabinets and look for frames that fit well in the space. You’ll also want to start thinking about your color palette and what frame colors will work best with your decor.
Start collecting pottery and vases in a color palette that matches your style. Again, look for different shapes and sizes and finishes. I like some pieces that look aged and full of lots of texture and padding, as well as some pieces that have a simple, solid, glossy finish to balance the contrast. Small vases and bowls are great for placing on top of piles of books, while larger vases and pots can make a statement and lighten up an area with lots of knick-knacks.
The obvious thing to put on a bookshelf is…books. But you don’t have to fill all the shelves from end to end; Instead, try stacking several books together on different shelves, some lying down and some standing up. You can use your favorite coffee table and decorative books facing the spine or for a simpler look, flip them so the pages are out. Collect old books