Five Tips to Decorate a Bookshelf

Published on by Our Humble Abode

If you follow us on Facebook, you have already read that our office bookshelf was featured on The Steven and Chris Show, a Canadian design/talk show.  To say I was thrilled is an understatement.  The downside?  The show doesn’t allow streaming outside of Canada, so I couldn’t watch it!  Recently, though, I received a dvd of the segment from a producer, so I’ve been able to bask in all the glory.  So, I guess I may be called an ‘expert’ on decorating bookshelves?  That’s pretty extreme, but here’s the photo that was shown, taken from this post.

Here’s the play-by-play on what was said about our bookshelves. 

Steven said, “This is well-organized.”  Chris (who is more minimalist) said, “To me, this is flawlessly done.”  Their guest, design expert Cobi Ladner, said, “That is beautiful because you’ve got your storage, you’ve got your books there, but it still looks great.  There’s a knack to that and there are certain rules that you can apply to make that happen.”

So, what are Cobi’s rules? 

1.  Heavy items should go on the bottom.  This isn’t limited to literal weight, but also to visual weight.  Boxes, baskets and large collections, such as our encyclopedias, should stay toward the bottom. 

2.  Add height to the top.  This makes a bookshelf feel more built-in, even if it’s not.  If you have a stand alone shelf, adding baskets to the top to fill the space between the shelf and ceiling will help the shelf appear built-in.

3.  Use books to create pedestals.  Don’t let decorative objects take up cupboard space, put them on display.  Stack larger books and top the stack with a decorative object, adding height and drawing attention to that object.

4.  Stand back and look for balance.  If you have one side that seems more filled or visually heavy, shift items around to make the shelf feel more balanced. 

5.  Negative space is usually what makes the beauty.  Don’t feel like you have to fill every space with books.  Adding the decorative objects with space on all sides will create a reprieve for the eyes.  Your shelf will also look less like a library or bookstore and more like a display with books mixed in.  If you have tons of books, don’t feel that you have to have every book you own on the same shelf.  Add a small stack to a coffee table, nightstand, or another bookshelf elsewhere in the house.  Create book pedestals there to display more decorative items, too.

24 thoughts on “Five Tips to Decorate a Bookshelf”

  1. Amanda, congrats on being featured on The Steven and Chris Show! I’m so intimidated by bookshelves because I always have such a hard time decorating them without making them look cluttered. You did such a great job with yours. Cobi’s tips are great!

    Reply

  2. Hello – New to your website. I’m curious about your bookshelves…did you construct yourself? I’m looking to do the same at my house. Keep up the great work. Enjoyed your blog so far!

    Reply

    1. Hello Angie,

      Yep, Ben constructed those built-in bookshelves. Thanks for stopping by, glad you found us!

      Amanda

      Reply

  3. As a Canadian fan of yours, I was so excited that you were featured on S & C! You know you’ve made when….!
    Thank you for posting the bookshelf tips…it is so intimidating to me!

    Reply

    1. Hi Erin,

      It aired sometime in Novemeber. It’s episode 32 about 13 or 14 minutes in. Hope it helps!

      Amanda

      Reply

  10. Thanks for your excitedment, everyone! I still can’t believe that we were featured on a national television show. I’d love to see bookshelf before and afters, too!

    Amanda

    Reply

  14. It’s so hard to organize bookshelves! One wall of our dining room is a built-in bookcase and we never know what to do with it. Mostly, it holds clutter! Thank you for the tips 🙂

    If you get a chance tomorrow, I’d love for you to link up to my Not “Baaad” blog hop!

    Reply

  15. Looks great! And thanks for sharing the design tips. We have 2 bookshelves in our library that are pretty much full of books but I love this idea for a more sparse, “decorated” look.

    Reply

  17. I love the little end table you have in the photo! Where did you find it? I have been looking for something just like it for a while now. The bookshelves look awesome. Can’t wait to take everything off mine and try again!

    Reply

    1. Hi Jennifer!

      Aww, thanks so much! The little table was a Target find a few years ago. I haven’t seen anything exactly the same, but here’s a similar design (for $45) that you could spray paint for a little face lift. Or try searching ‘Campaign Table’ to see what you can find.

      If you want to send before and after pictures of your bookshelves, I’d love to see! 🙂

      Thanks!
      Amanda

      Reply

  19. Hi Amanda-

    I just wanted to say thank you for posting this! We recently completed our own built in and I was at a loss for how to fill those shelves without it looking too cramped. I saw lots of tips on how to do this, but I truly found yours to be the most helpful.

    Your site is fantastic-I appreciate how you keep it real! Home renovations are tough work, but as your blog shows, the results sure are sweet.

    My friends and I just started a blog (www.teachlovecraft.com), and I could only hope that it gets to be as awesome as yours one day.

    Thanks again, and I look forward to reading more of your posts.

    Reply

    1. Hi Lisa!

      Decorating a bookshelf can be so tricky, balancing books and decorative items; I’m so glad my tips were helpful to you!!

      Renovations are rough, but so worth it once it’s complete. Best wishes to you and your friends on your new blog adventure!!

      Thanks!
      Amanda

      Reply

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