How to Style a Bookshelf

Styling your bookcase is an excellent way of adding a personalized touch to your house and also adds beauty to your living space. In this article, we will share some of the unique bookshelf ideas that you can apply to style a bookshelf.

Start with big books first

When designing a bookshelf, ensure you arrange your shelf by first filling your shelf with large books and decorative items such as artworks and woven baskets. It helps get the scale right and give your shelf a unique layout as well as modern bookshelf designs. 

Decorate in odd numbers

Arrange your books in an odd number arrangement. Instead of following the standard way of arranging, create arrangements of a sequence of 1, 3, 5 or 7 as you continue. It helps create a balanced look on your shelf and make the shelf not appear like its having the same items.

Incorporate some accessories on your shelf arrangement

Placing pieces that impact on the look of the shelf can make the bookshelf look well arranged and amazing. Placing an accessory per shelf serves as an anchor and builds shelf vignette. Furthermore, accessories such as sculptural objects, potted plants, and decorative box or tray create visual impressions that are easily noticeable. You can add sculptural metallic sea fan, bone-inlay frames, small ceramic items in shades of turquoise, a pair of blue agate bookends and similar kind of items.

As you place the accessories, take a moment to observe the shelves as a whole since some areas may need more color than others. Consider what is pleasing to your eyes and incorporate it in your shelf arrangement and design. Change the angle in which the objects are placed until you achieve a natural-feeling of bookshelf inspiration.

Add decorative objects

Choose ordinary items such as rocks or shells. They help make space look extraordinary, and such simple shelf arrangement can make a dramatic impact on the shelf display. Furthermore, decorative items add to the shelf styling and decorative accents of your shelf. Treasured family heirlooms and decorative pieces collected when traveling add to the eclectic style of your shelf design.

Consider having open shelves

Open shelves offer a good shelves design for living room and provide an enhanced display. You can display a collection of vintage books, flowers, and compelling items such as personal treasures in your open shelf compartments.

Incorporate artwork

Having artwork in your shelf offers an inexpensive way to make your shelf space more unique. Framed pieces of art can enhance the mood of your living space and add decorations that inspire and create interest. Choosing vintage pieces of art such as old leather-bound books and unique ancient vases add to shelf décor.

Add a mix of book sizes in your shelf

Arranging different sizes of books horizontally and vertically in your shelf adds to the uniqueness of your shelf arrangement. Besides, a mix up of book placement adds a homely feel to shelf styling and help balance the shelf appearance.

Add some greenery aspect

Add some green in your bookshelves such as indoor plants and flowers. The green adds an element of life and a unique way of how to style a bookcase. The plants can be put in stylish and affordable pots or vases which add to the shelf styling. Large brass pots or grey terrazzo pots are examples of ideal accent vessels to display the plants on the shelves. You can also decorate the shelf using the vases and pots but put items such as tea light candles to add to the décor. Other items, such as toy cars can also be used or any other items that can help showcase different personalities that you like.

Ensure you add a collection of beautiful books

To make your bookshelf arrangement stand out, have a selection of beautiful books. A bookshelf is not the right place to put your old college textbooks or worn novels. Look for a variety of books with decorative spines and covers with a mix of vintage and new polished covers to make your bookshelf have a modern bookshelf design. 

Conclusion

Finally, when arranging your bookshelf, place tall objects on the center of your bookshelf to make them more prominent. Items such as a slender vase, a beautiful ceramic ginger jar can make your bookshelf feel and look nicely filled. Besides, you can have metallic objects with a touch of gold, silver, brass, or copper that gives a metallic accent to the bookshelf, which helps elevate your shelf styling. Remember to stand back and edit your arrangement as you admire your bookshelf new look. Those are the major ways to style a bookshelf / styling a bookshelf.