Tips for Styling Bookshelves

I was thrilled when we built our library to have a place for our books, but lets be honest I did not have THAT many books to fill this whole wall of built-ins. I love that my hubby and I designed the look of the bookshelves. He built it and we both painted it, but when it came to styling, he turned to me and said "have fun." Love that guy!

I got loads of deals when shopping for books at thrift stores, yard sales and library book sales. I got some knick knacks at yard sales.  A BIG tip is to look for things at thrift stores and yard sales- you will find tons of things that would look good on a bookshelf to add interest. 

I styled the bookshelf and was happy. However, over time there were some things that were not quite right and started to bother me, like I tried to lump too many books together. There were some things that needed to go in the baskets and I needed to figure out the spacing of things. Recently, I took most of the books and things out of the bookshelf and started again to style. Sometimes we just need to start afresh. 

Here are some BEFORE shots:

See how I don't have enough books to stack tall? I think the plates are pretty but not large enough. There are some awkward spots.

NOW:

With five bookshelves in a row I tried my best to add symmetry into the mix and break up the books. Here are a few tips/ideas that helped me.

Add some art: I put in a few black and white photos of our family and this beautiful old painting that my husband's great great grandmother painted. Some modern art would look good in here too. I like the idea of hanging art in between the shelves, but I haven't convinced my husband yet, hence the leaning of art.

Add baskets and bins: Baskets can break up the books or you can put books in the baskets. I love that you can throw what you want in those baskets and they might be messy on the inside but on the outside it looks organized.

Stack books in different directions: It's easier on your eye to have two stacks of books on one shelf and then the next to have them standing. Variety is key!

Use bookends/knick-knacks: This is where you could have a lot of fun with some accessories. I got these two dog bookends at a yard sale for $2. It doesn't need to be expensive to look good. I also shopped my house to bring in some more white pieces of urns, busts, pots, milk glass all of these items helped break things up more and add interest. 

I'm really liking how our shelves look now. Styling can be the fun part but it may take a couple of times to get it right. What suggestions do you have for styling a bookshelf?

Styling Our Bookshelves

You might be tired of hearing about our built-in bookcases but I can't finish this topic without a post about how I styled this beast. I was looking forward to styling these bookshelves since we had boxes of books in our basement waiting to be put out. Don't you think a home feels more 'homey' and collected with books somewhere in the decor? I love the look and smell of books (and reading books). Steve and I decided that one of our goals for our children would be to have a collection of books in our home. This would help them put an emphasis on education and reading (along with us reading to and with them).

I had been collecting books at thrift stores and library book sales. Seriously, if you are looking to buy a large amount of books and or knick- knacks the place to go is- Salvation Army, Good Will, D.I, library book sales, or yard sales. BUY USED BOOKS! You can find some real old books, series, collections and current novels, encyclopedias, etc.

I found these three plates and two coordinating prints at a barn sale. There is quite a few barn/antique stores in my area where you can find items like these inexpensively.

Also, SHOP your HOUSE. Many items on our shelves were in some other area that I thought might look better in the library.

Here's a close up of the sconce before and after with some ribbon trim.

I used a No-Sew fabric glue to attach the ribbon to the shades. 

Adding some navy blue ribbon was easy and helped make them unique.

First, I took two wire baskets I had and put on the outside bottoms to anchor the bookshelves, and put a large green bowl up at the top middle. It's good to use baskets to anchor your shelves whether it be in the middle or sides.

I wanted the encyclopedia set to go in the middle and be a focal point (I found this set at a yard sale). The three plates would center the bookshelves. At first, I put them one shelf too high and moved them down one shelf so they would be more at eye level.

Second, lay out all the books and items on the floor. This will help you see what you have and how to go about putting it all in. You want most pictures to be at eye level. Also, feel free to use a mix of boxes, containers, and other items along with your books to fill your shelves. All this adds a nice variety.
When I brought out all the books- it was like Christmas morning. Our girls were so happy to sit there and look at all these books that hadn't been unpacked yet.

Third, I created certain sections like children's literature, history/historical fiction, gardening, art, religion, fiction, and encyclopedias. Creating sections for bookshelves helps so you know where most things are at a glance. Some people organize by color- which is a great way too.

Fourth, put larger books on their sides to give variety to the standing books. This also acts like a bookend for some of your books.

Who spies a Massachusetts cribbage board? My father-in law made a couple of  these unique cribbage boards and now I'm happy to finally have a place to display them. Both my husband and I are from Massachusetts so we love that piece.

Overall, it takes some time to put it all together and there will be editing along the way. However, a bookshelf is a great place to display the things that have meaning to you.