How to Decorate Your Bookshelf With More Than Just Books
Bookshelves for books, of course. This cannot be denied. I prefer to use the bookshelf in the office with the simplest design: all books are left to right, top to bottom. But bookshelves in living spaces can serve as both a functional space and the centerpiece of your home design.
It’s not easy to get the look right. You need a balance between large items and small, bright items and dark items, especially if your bookshelf (or shelves) are large. So Sherri Petersick of Young House Love created styles for two large bookshelves to show us how it’s done (and get an idea of the process).
All this took her about 25-30 minutes, but for us she increased the time to just over 3 minutes (with a little explanation later):
Throughout the video, she gives some additional tips on how to make the design better:
- Start with large objects and groups to anchor each shelf.
- Mix both vertical and horizontal stacks of books.
- Give your books a dramatic effect and height by pairing them with decorative items.
- Add real or artificial greenery.
- For balance, try placing similar items in the same places on both sides.
- Use framed photographs or artwork.
- Balance dark and light objects to avoid “heavy” spots.
- Add some smaller objects to the existing groups to fill in the gaps.
- Move the repeating colors so they appear on both sides (same for metallic finishes and wood shades).
- Step back often to track your progress.
To make the shelving more functional, she also added decorative drawers and storage boxes. You’ll know you’ve reached that sweet, sweet balance where your gaze can easily run up and down the shelves instead of reaching too far one way or the other.