How To Style A Bookcase

Now when the renovation of our house is ready, it is time for the “favourite” part: cleaning and organising. Although there is something on this stage which I really love: styling the space.

In our room we have this book case, and after all construction works it converted into a large collector of dust and mess:

I will skip the cleaning part as there is nothing interesting in it: washing every shelf, vacuum cleaning every book and sorting out things which I can get rid of… I will focus more on the styling stage as probably every person at some point was facing a problem of arranging nicely a bookcase and a pile of books and various objects, accumulated and collected during the life time.

Here are several little rules which will help you to do it:

1. There should be some logic in books organisation, otherwise the shelves will look very messy and also you will face difficulties when need to find particular book . You can sort them by subject, author, edition, etc. Also try to match the books by colour and size: your bookshelf will look very neat and tidy. For example, I dedicated one shelf for architecture and interior design, another shelf was set aside for my husband’s culinary books:

2. Think vertically and think horizontally. There is nothing interesting when all books are put vertically on the shelf. If you stack some of them, you will create additional dimension and break the monotony. You can also put some interesting decorative objects on the stacked books, which will be standing on them like on pedestal:

3. Add to the books on specific topics various objects on the same theme. For example next to the book about Coco Chanel I have put vintage sewing machine:

4. Use various decorative objects as bookends – figurines, vases, bowls… Remember, that they need to be quite heavy to support the weight of books.

5. Add some unexpected objects. The more unpredictable and the more creative you are with your books display, the more attractive and interesting it will be. Put there natural stones, shells, pots with flowers, flea market finds… well, practically, anything! I used these vintage glass-holders inherited from our grand parents as book ends:

6. Display your collections. Who said that bookcase has to be only for books? It is a perfect place for showing off your collections and favourite items as well. I think tin soldiers guard from my husband’s childhood looks pretty cool in it:

7. Add vintage. I don’t know why, but books and vintage is a perfect match. So before styling a shelf, visit the nearest flea market – perhaps, you will find there something really interesting as your books neighbour. In our bookcase I have found place for the vintage Zenit photo camera, old adding machine, clock, calendar, sewing machine and many other curiosities.

8. Don’t forget about photography. Your family pics, vintage postcards or art photography will always look great together with books. Use them solo, in front of books, or layered in a row – they will create additional interest and depth.

Last thing to remember is to leave some negative space on the shelves. It will add some order, neatness and airiness to your bookcase.

After following these little rules my bookcase looks entirely different. Voilà!