Decorate your new bookshelf to flaunt your favourite books and other items. As exciting as it seems, it can get messy if you are not following the dos and don'ts below.
Good styling is simple when you know the rules. For decorating a bookshelf, you need planning, effort, and lots of creativity rather than randomly throwing hardbacks and knickknacks, hoping it will work out for the best.
You may need some time to figure out the correct balance and aesthetic to avoid creating an overly decorated and cluttered display. After you find the desired blend of elements, you can create a delightful space to display all your treasured items. While books should be the main attraction of your bookshelf, you should also consider incorporating other items. Below are some styling rules you should keep in mind when decorating your bookshelf.
You might be tempted to display all your books and fancy decor items, but placing too many items on the shelves will appear messy. Instead, create a balance between decor items, books, and empty spaces. It will allow each item to stand out.
Always ensure you are adhering to a cohesive theme, style and colour palette—such as rustic, vintage, modern, and more—when decorating. If you place random items on the shelves, without any visual connection, it will look disorganised and cluttered. By incorporating unifying elements, you can bind everything together, delivering a harmonious look.
While library and office bookshelves are meant to display books only, the aesthetic shelves in your living room can hold some accent pieces, too. Intersperse ceramicware or flower vases to enliven the shelves. You may add small showpieces to add height or fill up empty spaces.
Placing all the books vertically will appear dull. For an appealing display, stack some books vertically and others horizontally. It will create more natural spots to display your decor items.
Make sure your shelves don’t look flat—keep adding depth by layering different items to spruce it up. You can prop a framed photo against your books or flaunt your delightful collection of fragrant candle jars—assemble them in varying sizes. Experiment with different items until you get the perfect look. Place all the taller items at the back and stack the smaller pieces in the front.
If you scatter all the small items, they will appear lost, individually. Create an impactful look by grouping all the smaller items. You can use a trinket tray or a pretty tile to place all the small items.
If you focus too much on symmetry, everything on your bookshelves can appear stiff and boring. Try to opt for a relaxed way of arranging all the items to provide a more inviting appeal.
While your emphasis should certainly be on the shelves, the wall in the back is equally important. A splash of vibrant paint or a pretty wallpaper can beautify the wall behind the books and the decor items. Good lighting also plays a crucial role in drawing attention to the items that might go unnoticed. Illuminate the shelves with small lamps, library lights or battery-operated lanterns.
When styling open shelves, you have to draw a line between chaotic and perfectly appointed. To ensure that the items on your shelves are perfectly appointed, allow every piece to have its own moment. Creating some breathing room will make your display feel more harmonious and less crowded.
Keep these dos and don’ts in mind—when arranging your trinkets and books, and the final look will blow your mind.
