This question is a constant in a designer’s life: “What do I do with my bookshelves?”. It seems to come up on every project at some point, and I’ve even had people ask if they could hire me for the specific purpose of making their bookshelves look great. Surprisingly, this is a problem that afflicts many of us – too much shelf real estate. Here are a few simple ideas to consider when you are faced with this issue:
This may seem obvious, but books, books, books. Big, beautiful, coffee table type books.
Shelves seem to eat books for lunch. By that I mean that no matter how many books you own, it always seems like it isn’t nearly enough to fill in all the open space you have for them. So the first caveat is that you are going to need a lot of books. I’m a big fan of the Assouline books, and they have hundreds of titles I would love to own. Their travel series is especially gorgeous – and besides inspiring your own dream vacation, they make a great addition to anyone’s bookshelf.
Travel might not be your thing, and I’m not suggesting you go out and buy books that don’t interest you just for the sake of your decor. But if you browse your local bookseller, I’m sure you will find some gorgeous books that peak your interest. And since big books can mean big money, consider discount and second hand options like Half Price Books which always have a great selection.
If you love to read, let the books be the star.
I’ve never understood designers who cover books in white paper or who line them up by color. Worse is when they turn the books backwards. How are you supposed to find a book to actually read?! There is no better home library than that of a person who truly loves books. Why? Because they fill their shelves with personality, and what could be more interesting than that? It’s like having the answers to their rorschach test. It’s great to discover what other people are reading – and when their bookcases are crammed with well loved volumes of all different shapes and sizes, no more decoration is required. If this is your style, stand, stack, and layer your books. Somehow, those heavily laden shelves transform themselves into artwork.
Accessorize with style.
Chaotic stacks of books aren’t always right. In your living room, for example, that’s just going to look disorganized. This is when it is absolutely okay to treat books as decoration. A great collection of encyclopedias (let me hear from you if you remember those!) or leather bound family heirlooms make a beautiful addition to your shelves. Keep in mind that negative space is a plus here. It is okay to let a few books stand on their own or to leave a little empty space at the end of a stack.
It’s also a plus if you can create a hierarchy of size from big to small. It can direct the eye towards another feature in the space like the fireplace or a piece of art. This is an opportunity to color block if you happen to be lucky enough to have vintage leather or venetian paper bound books. Grouping them makes a strong visual statement. Punctuate great books with a few select objects or pieces of art.
No books, no problem.
If you aren’t an avid reader, all that shelf space is an even bigger headache – but stuffing bookcases full of random tchotchkes (or worse, fake house plants!) is not the solution. Instead, try adding some large baskets to your shelves. Measure carefully before you buy – you will want to make sure the baskets are big enough to be intentional. They need to be wide enough to fit one or two per shelf, and tall enough so that you can’t see the contents (or lack thereof).
Baskets tend to look best when they occupy the lowest or uppermost shelves. Another great filler is photographs. I love to see groupings of family pictures lining a few shelves, and they can be placed loosely or layered tightly. To keep it all from looking too busy, all of the frames should be consistent in color or material, or go for all black and white prints.
Collections
Highlighting a really great collection is the perfect way to show shelf personality. Just make sure you really go for it. If you love record albums, stack dozens and dozens of them together and then leave a few laying flat to invite people to see what you are listening to. If you collect blue and white china, Russian dolls, or vintage clocks, the key is to group them together for maximum impact. If you spread them out across a large bookshelf, the effect gets watered down.
Place the larger items at the back and add smaller pieces in front, layering them so that you create a vignette that keeps the eye moving from one item to another. This seems like a great opportunity to start a new collection, and I am eyeing these So Nouveau vases for the bookshelves in my new house!
