How to Decorate a Bookshelf

1) DETERMINE THE FUNCTION OF YOUR SHELVES

Here’s my take on shelf organization. You almost need to decide whether you need the shelf for storage, or if you want it to be decorative. I have bookcases in my house designated for book storage because we have a TON of books. That is a personal need in our house. However, certain shelves in my house are designated as decorative.

In my opinion, it’s hard to fill a shelf full of random items and get the look you see in magazines. Less is more when styling shelves, and strategically picking items that have a cohesive theme. So, my first advice when it comes to organizing shelves is to determine what shelves in your house you need to use as storage, and what shelves can be decorative.

2) CHOOSE YOUR STYLE AND YOUR COLOR PALETTE

There are many styles that you can pick from when decorating a room, such as coastal, vintage, modern, farmhouse, bohemian, rustic, etc. Your shelves should contain items that match your theme. This may also be a certain wood tone, color, or shade of metal.

This may take some internet searching to find a bookcase that matches your style and then try to mimic this look. I cannot stress the wealth of information sites like Pinterest and Houzz provide. For someone trying to decorate their home, there are a wealth of photos on the internet that you can use to guide your selections.

3) CAREFULLY CONSIDER YOUR CURRENT DECOR ITEMS

If you don’t maintain a cohesive theme throughout your shelf decor, it just won’t achieve a carefully styled look. This may involve making some hard choices. You may have to go through the trinkets and home decor you have in your home and determine what fits your chosen style and what does not. I love to keep sentimental items and work them in, but if you are trying to achieve a certain look some of your items may need to be set aside. Donating home decor to local charities may make it easier to part with these items by knowing they will bring joy to someone else.

4) START WITH A BLANK SLATE

To start your bookshelf styling adventure, I would recommend starting with a blank slate. Take everything off the shelves, so you can carefully select and curate the perfect item for each spot.

5) CREATE VISUAL BALANCE

Visual balance? What’s that obscure word? To me visual balance is just making sure you have the right balance of heights and sizes to make everything look aesthetically pleasing. If you look at the image at the top of the page you can get a sense of what I mean. If everything on the shelves was the same height it wouldn’t look great. If each shelf had one item it would look empty, but if each shelf had six or seven items it would look cluttered. It’s important to get the right balance of all of these.

It’s good to mix a taller item like a picture frame or a plant, with a lower item like a decorative object or a decorative box. It’s also good to add in a few shelves with one larger item to pull back on the busyness. This is why it’s good to start with a blank slate. You will get a feel for what looks right if you try adding a taller item, coupled with a smaller item and then stand back and assess how each individual shelf feels. Add a grouping of three items with a stack of books or a picture frame. If you feel like it’s getting too cluttered, try paring down some items, or putting just one item on a shelf. Also balance out opposite sides of your shelves. If you have one side that has tall items, a grouping of items, or one statement piece, you probably want to mimic that feeling on the other side, especially if you have shelves flanking a fireplace or a television. The picture below shows some mistakes that can be made when styling shelves.

6) ITEMS TO CONSIDER ADDING TO YOUR SHELVES

Now that you have carefully chosen items to keep, you will most likely need to gather things to add. I often buy these things on the internet or at local stores, such as Target, HomeGoods, Pottery Barn, etc.

I also enjoy rummaging through thrift stores for fun finds that may fit my theme. This is not for the faint of heart. I love it, and I’ve found many things that I love, but it takes time and things will not usually jump out at you. It takes some patience.

I suggest looking for certain types of items, which I have listed below.

BASKETS

Above I said to pick between decorative and storage, but a great way to maximize storage and still maintain the styled “look” of your shelves is to utilize baskets. Rectangular or square baskets on the bottom few shelves can hold toys or miscellaneous items that you need to store, but you want out of sight.

Have fun and enjoy decorating your shelves!