Creative Ways to Style Your Boring Bookshelves

Entry #2771, August 22, 2013

Bookshelves are a great way to fill up a vacant space, cover a blank wall, add layers to a room, give height to a place, and create an art piece with a combination of books and accessories. Well-styled bookshelves can create a nice statement and can be the focal point of a room. Now, check the ways to transform your boring bookcase into a fresh find perfect for any place of your home.

Styling bookshelves ideas

Image via: Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects

Display Multifarious Things

A collection of various things can give your bookshelf a visual interest. Keep in mind that bookcases are not just for displaying books. You can keep vases, pictures, keepsakes, accessories, plates, and other things too in your shelves. Such a creative composition of varied display looks best in a built-in bookcase.

Add Layers

Uplift the look of your bookcase by adding layers. Style the shelves by laying books horizontally and placing accessory pieces like statue, she-shells, Japanese dolls, or china clay bowls on top of them. The layered look can be given a certain depth by adding artworks and photos to the already kept books and accessories. Organize everything in a way that they should not look like a mishmash of visually displeasing things. It will also be a good way to highlight your passions. Apart from adding beauty, your hobbies will shine through the space.

Styling bookshelves idea

Image via: Jonathan Adler

Jazz up the Back Panel

A great opportunity to give a plain bookcase a touch of color, interest, and style is to add a back panel to it. You can use various things like burlap, fabric, or wallpaper as the back panel. Burlap will add warmth to a white, light, or neutral colored bookshelf. It will also highlight the things you keep on the shelf. Fabric will jazz up the look while wallpaper will make a statement and look fabulous behind all the books and accessories. You can add texture and interest to your bookcase by using grasscloth on the back panel. It will also give your place a rustic feel.

Make It Clutter-Free

The ultimate rule of styling any place or storage space is to keep it clutter free. Do not stuff your bookcase with too many books or accessories. Try to keep the displayed items between too-much and too-little. For keeping the extra items, you can use storage bins or boxes and keep them beside the shelf. Otherwise, you can hide the clutter behind a fabric panel. Use a curtain to hide the unpleasant essentials while leaving the rest of the organized part open.

Use a curtain to hide the clutter.

Image via: BHG

Any bookshelf can be transformed from boring to interesting just by adding flair of creativity and personal touches. These abovementioned ways of styling your bookcase will be fun and can be achieved on a budget.

For more home decorating ideas on Stagetecture, click here.