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My Secret to a Well-Styled Bookshelf

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, on purchases made after following an affiliate link. See my full disclosure here.

October 5, 2013 By Jackie

Styling a bookshelf is one of the most expensive and complicated undertakings of interior styling!

Even the pros look for alternative solutions to traditional bookshelf styling.  This amazing wall of bookshelves was expertly styled without any books by Emily Henderson!  She DIYed ombre jars to fill all the shelves.  Such a great example of using crafty DIY skills.

We do almost all of our reading digitally now, meaning we don’t have stacks and stacks of books.  And, without all the books, what’s the need for bookshelves anyway?  A once functional storage piece, is now just an eyesore waiting to be filled up.

So, it probably comes as no surprise, my secret is to skip the bookshelves.  We have very few bookshelves in our house and the ones we do have are mostly styled sans books.

Bookshelf as Side Table

This tetris bookshelf in our living room, once held all the kids books.  We use different picture ledges for those now.  I filled most of the open spaces with baskets and decorative vases.  I did sneak in a few mommy books :)  And, one of the baskets hides all my furniture store catalogs.

Styling a Tetris Bookshelf

Styling a Tetris Bookshelf

Bookshelf as Nightstand

The nightstand in our guest room is a short red glass front bookshelf.  I love the look, but did not have nearly enough books to fill it up.  Instead I added a few books and magazines that guests might enjoy during their stay.  A Tiffany box and a cool wooden bowl fill up the rest of the shelf space.

Bookshelf Styling for Glass Door Cabinet

redbookshelfnightstand

Mostly Shelf-Less Built-Ins

The built-ins in our living room are open with only one shelf above.  I thought for a hot minute we should put more shelves on the left side, then I realized I would have nothing to put on them.  I filled the tall space with some of my favorite decorative vases.  The shelves above are styled with a mix of objects, vases, and candle holders.

hello wood sign

familyroomfireplace2

Open Craft Room Shelves

In my studio, the open shelves hold a mix of books, craft supplies, and decor.  I love how varied it is.  I played around with the arrangement until I found an eye-pleasing style (more on that here).  I stacked a few favorite decorating books and put a jar of craft paint on top.  My favorite sewing and print-making books are horizontal against the wall to the left.  For less attractive books, I put them backwards in decorative magazine holders, so only the whites of the pages shows through.

Open Craft Studio Shelves

Open Craft Studio Shelves

Studio Home Office

More Bookshelf Styling Resources

Lame, right?  I teased you with the promise of a secret tip for styling bookshelves, then told you to just skip the bookshelves altogether, or at least the book part of it.

But, fear not, if you are plagued by bookshelves in need of some major styling, here are some other great resources:

  • Love these stunning well-styled and colorful shelves
  • The bookshelf in this kids room is pure eye candy and inspiration
  • A few good and simple classic bookcase styling tricks
  • For the purist, whom believes bookshelves are meant for books
  • The original article is gone, but this step by step bookshelf styling picture is still helpful

Also, if you find yourself in need of pretty books to fill up your shelves, I love these ideas for making over less attractive books and paperbacks:

  • Paper-wrapped Hardcover Books
  • Fabric-covered Hardcover Books with Mod Podge
  • More Fabric-covered Hardcover Books with spray adhesive
  • Paper-wrapped Paperback Books

Click here to see more of 31 Days of Interior Styling!

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DIY Chalk Paint Hardcover Books

Comments

  1. Michael Wurm, Jr. says

    October 5, 2013 at 4:16 pm

    Thank you so much for linking up my shelves. :)

    xo Michael

    • Jackie says

      October 5, 2013 at 6:29 pm

      Michael,

      Why of course. Since I cop out and try to steer clear of bookshelves, I have to refer my readers to the true experts :)

  2. Diana says

    October 5, 2013 at 9:01 pm

    Great ideas, Jackie. I agree with you on bookcases- most of our books in our house are kid books after going to online books.

  3. Chelsea @ two twenty one says

    October 5, 2013 at 11:27 pm

    Thanks for linking to my fabric covered books!

    • Jackie says

      October 6, 2013 at 8:47 pm

      You are very welcome, Chelsea. Love the fabric covered books! I feel like I keep trying to Pin them and Pinterest kindly reminds me I have already pinned them :)

  4. Jule {inside9B} says

    October 6, 2013 at 2:54 am

    Hi Jackie, although I also read books digitally sometimes, I don’t want to miss the feel of paper in my hands and turning pages. I just love reading the old-fashioned way and we have tons of books. I have rearranged our living room bookshelf recently, but might go back and do it again after seing the helpful links that you posted.
    Recently on the fleamarket, I caught myself buying books solely for their precious spines, but also got beautiful editions of books that I knew and loved and replaced the paperbacks I had. ;)
    Jule

    • Jackie says

      October 6, 2013 at 8:49 pm

      Jule, I find myself transitioning back to real books with my son. Now that I am starting to read chapter books to him, I prefer turning real pages. I just feel like kids should have the experience. Plus, less screen time for kids is good.

  5. mette says

    October 7, 2013 at 8:54 am

    Slightly off-subject, but love the blue colour on your walls – what is it and by whom?

    • Jackie says

      October 7, 2013 at 11:14 pm

      Mette,

      The dark blue is Azurite by Martha Stewart.

  6. Bonnie Marie Z says

    October 9, 2013 at 8:10 am

    Jackie,
    I think you are the queen of shelf styling! When I was stuck with what to do with the bookcases in our condo living room, I was inspired by the great shelves in your office. Your shelves always seem to look perfect! Thanks for continuing to share the great tips and ideas.

    • Jackie says

      October 9, 2013 at 2:12 pm

      Bonnie, Wow… “Queen of Shelf Styling”…I don’t think I deserve it, but I’ll take it :) Thank you!

  7. Amanda says

    October 27, 2013 at 11:51 pm

    Great post, it truly is an art. Slightly off topic, but I love your light fixture in the craft room- where did you find it? I’ve been looking for something similar, but haven’t had much luck.

    • Jackie says

      October 28, 2013 at 8:07 am

      Thank you, Amanda. The light is the Finn Chandelier from West Elm, but it is no longer available :(

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