Five Ways to Style Bookcases

I am sharing five fun ways to make your bookcases shine today. Styling a bookcase or built in is often times very frustrating. Believe me, even the most seasoned designers style, rip apart, tweak, and restyle until it’s just right. No matter which of these fits your style, I suggest you completely empty your bookcases. You need to start with a blank canvas and edit that which you don’t really need to keep. If you are looking to restyle some of your bookcases, I hope these will help to inspire you.     BACK IT UP Emily A. Clark This is by far my number one favorite thing to do with a bookcase. You will be shocked at how it transforms your space if you have not already tried it. I love Emily’s deep navy in these. If you are afraid to permanently color your bookcases you can use fabric, wrapping paper, or painted cardboard. There are really so many options when it comes to adding color or pattern to the back of  your shelves.       UNIFY WITH COLOR   sweet something designs It’s often the accessorizing that really throws people off. I tell many of my online design clients to stick to one color with their accessories. I am always a huge fan of using white. Gold is also a nice added touch to warm things up. If you do not have a million accessories in one color. . . .spray paint is your new best friend. You can even search for random objects at Goodwill or The Dollar Tree. Imagine those little trinkets sprayed white or gold and suddenly you have very chic finds for very little.         STICK TO PHOTOGRAPHS     BHG A great option is to use your built ins to display photos. They are showcased and displayed in a way that will not look busy. Sticking to black and white prints or a framing them in all the same color will also streamline this look. The above photo does this flawlessly.         CONTAIN IT   Land of Nod Let’s be honest. Bookcase often need to serve a purpose. They need to hold stuff. At least they do around here. So contain it. Shelves just look junky of there is too much going on. Consider similar bins in different colors or even using the same bin to corral some of the items that don’t need to be on display. This isn’t just for playrooms or children’s spaces. You can do the same in a family room or living room if you have too many paperback novels, photo albums, or movies. Toss it all into a cute basket or bin and suddenly things look much more pulled together.         CREATE A LIBRARY David Netto Embrace the books!!! So many times people get caught up in the styling that they forget it’s okay to go big on the books. If you do,  I suggest you go all out and make it a library. It should have a warm cozy feel. Consider taking off the book jackets which immediately gives your books a better texture. Insert a frame or interesting object here or there but be intentional and deliberate with making it really and truly be a library. That is a beautiful thing. Those are all so well done. If you are looking for even more inspiration, you can take a look at my PInterest board Bookcase Styling