Yesterday, we shared Cobi’s five tips to create a beautifully balanced book shelf.  We didn’t share many photos of our bookshelf, with those rules in mind.  Until I saw our bookshelves featured on The Steven and Chris Show along with Cobi’s rules, I never thought about the reasons our bookshelves looked good.  I just knew I liked it.  We followed almost all Cobi’s rules.  The exception being adding height to the top, ours are built-ins.

So, here’s a pictorial example of each rule.

1.  Heavy items should go on the bottom.

Large storage boxes, magazine files,magazines, and encyclopedias fill the bottom two rows shelves.

2.  Add height to the top.  Again, we can’t do that.

3.  Use books to create pedestals.

This stack of books are topped by a silver cup (desperately needing a good polish) given to me as a baby.  I have another book pedestal with a simple IKEA vase.

4.  Stand back and look for balance.

Your bookshelf doesn’t have to be completely symmetrical to be balanced.  The easiest way to achieve balance is to create a zig zag pattern down your shelf of books.  Then, fill in what’s left with decorative items.

5.  Negative space.

This corresponds with rule number four.  Once you’ve placed all of your books, you can fill the remaining areas with decorative items.  In this example, I’ve placed two wire buildings and two candle holders in the open space.  Notice they are on opposite sides of the shelf to create balance.