How to Style a Bookcase - Part 3

At this point in the styling process, there should be lots of books and a shelving unit that is ready to be filled. Obviously, if the shelf height is variable then start by placing tall books onto the taller shelves. Once all of the books are shelved, then make adjustments. Rearrange books by height and create some stacks. Make sure the color blocks work. In all likelihood, not every square inch of the bookcase is covered with books...which is a good thing because objets and accessories will fill in the gaps.

Before you start commingling the accessories with the books, gather the available items into a space right in front of the bookshelf. Analyze the set as a whole and weed out the things that you don't love. The items that you put on your shelves should reflect your life, style, taste, and personality.

Any number of things can be used...just be imaginative and thoughtful about what you want to see on a daily basis. If the item seems too insignificant to display (from a size standpoint), you might want to put it on a riser or stand (plates). Wisteria's risers are nice and heavy so they are perfect for creating bookends.

Without a doubt, the items that you use to style your bookcase will change and evolve over time. Mine is constantly in flux...frames and photos change and I'm constantly making room for random items picked up during shopping adventures. Right now this bookcase is filled with books, framed photos, and a couple of vases, one of which was purchased by my great aunt during a trip to Japan.

 I love the two photos in this area...one is of my dad's parents on their wedding day and the other is of my mom's parents.

On the other side I have a monogrammed silver dish that belonged to my great uncle along with a blue and white Chinoiserie vase that isn't quite as rich in history since it came from HomeGoods :)

The following are some examples of well-styled bookcases. Note the different arrangements of books and the unique assortment of accessories, I see fossils, vessels, pottery, paintings, figurines, clocks, lights,  boxes, and countless other curiosities that I'd love to hear more about!

Image via Apartment Therapy

The home shown here actually belongs to a couple that my parents are friends with...it's gorgeous and you can see more of it here. I love how Ollabelle used blue and white pottery throughout the whole display!

Image via Antique Shops & Designers, designed by Ollabelle Hall and Pam Pierce, photo by Jack Thompson

Designed by SPG Architects

Image via Architectural Digest

This person has quite a collection of Jonathan Adler pottery! 

Image via Traditional Home, photo by Sarah Dorio

I love this person's carved wood elephant figure and the tiny paintings...

Image via Flickr

This is a very minimal look but I think the stringent editing works perfectly with the style of the bookcase and the interior as a whole.

Image via Flamant

Now I want to hear about the objects and accessories that you have on your bookshelves. Any favorite things?

Have a great weekend!

How to Style a Bookcase - Part 2

Continuing on the topic from yesterday's post on bookcase styling, today I want to stress the importance of prepping the shelving unit before anything goes in it. There are a few stylistic and functional adjustments to consider:


1) Paint or wallpaper: will paint or wallpaper enhance the bookcase? If you have a built-in unit and want to keep it neutral, then add some flair by painting or papering the insides of the shelving compartments. It can add depth, contrast, and visual interest. Mirrors in the same area can create a cool effect too. Here are some examples from from Lonny:

Image via Lonny Magazine, design by Victoria Thompson

Image via Lonny Magazine, design by Lauren Gold

Image via Lonny Magazine, design by Ellie Somerville

Image via Lonny Magazine, design by Pereira Associates

2) Lighting: would the bookcase benefit from additional lighting? Picture lights along the top or sconces on the supports of the unit can highlight the shelves and provide ambient light to the room. Mini lamps are another option if you have electrical outlets in the unit...Jonathan Adler's Tiny Teardrop Lamp is perfectly sized for this.

Here is the bookcase from yesterday with Urban Electric's Melissa sconces...

This Balmore library unit made by Flamant has built-in swing arm sconces...

And a few more examples from Lonny...

Image via Lonny Magazine, design by Blair Clark

Image via Lonny Magazine, design by Lulu Powers

3) "Architectural" details: does the bookcase have interesting millwork or any special details? Some bookcases are stunning and require absolutely no modification (like the one above designed by Blair Clark) while others can benefit from a little nip-tuck. To amp up a boring unit, consider adding some trim molding, beadboard (to the back), or O'verlays.

O'verlays are fretwork panels designed to amp up case goods. They are great for cabinet doors...

Or you could use them on the supports of the unit. Here is what Ikea's Expedit bookcase could look like with O'verlays Greek Key by the foot around the perimeter...

So before you fill it with books and accessories, think about making minor adjustments to the bookcase. The overall look of the bookcase can be majorly improved with paint/wallpaper, lighting, and trimwork and any changes definitely need to made before starting the shelf styling process!


Have you altered a bookcase or TV unit with any of the elements above? Between client projects and my own house, I've done them all except the O'verlays. But I'm looking forward to trying those out soon!

How to Style a Bookcase - Part 1

Most homes have at least one bookcase or TV unit that needs to be strategically styled and accessorized so I thought it would be helpful to provide some tips on the matter. There are a few steps in the process and I have lots to say about each one, so it'll take more than one post. I'll use this example that I digitally styled to walk through the process...

*I don't typically post about client projects since they pay for my services and it seems wrong to share that work with everyone, but I can talk about this example because I did this for my cousin...and she's not an official client :)

To give you an idea of the starting point, here is the before shot:

To begin, let's talk about an important step: accumulating and organizing the books. You'll notice that there are well over a hundred books in the image at the top. The biggest challenge for most of my clients is that they don't have enough books...or they have a high percentage of tattered paperbacks.

Hardcover books are key to achieving a sharp looking display. If your stock is low, I'm a HUGE fan of Coralie Bickford-Smith's hardback classics sets. They are a terrific investment...not only for their beauty but also for their content. The clothbound ones sell for about $12 per book on Amazon and the F. Scott Fitzgerald ones are just a bit more.

If going on a book-buying spree isn't in the budget, hardcover books can be bought in lots on Ebay, at estate sales, or from book resellers like Half-Price Books. As a book-lover, I hate that it's a shallow, quick-n-dirty way of "collecting" books, but hey, it takes years (and money) to build up a solid library and an empty bookcase looks pretty sad!

Once you have a whole lotta books, sort them. Aside from the sets (like above), I usually sort by color because it's visually pleasing. A bookcase is a great place for color, however, you might not want every color of the rainbow represented in your shelves.

Say you have a whole bunch of burgundy books (which is pretty common) and you would rather not have blocks of burgundy in the case. My advice is to cover those ugly books with some fabulous paper that coordinates with your desired color scheme. Wallpaper remnants are great to use or you can shop the fine paper section at Paper Source. Here are some of the ones I like, including the neutral cherry blossom one that I put in the design above to tie in with their grey walls...

Covered books can be labeled on the spines with pretty handwriting or if your penmanship isn't display-worthy, print out book titles on labels like these ones with notched corners. Etsy seller Neapolitan created these gorgeous covers with marbleized paper and stunning calligraphy...

This part of the process can definitely take time, so start tackling it immediately if you want your bookcase to look pretty sooner rather than later!

So, what is your book collection like? Do you own lots of hardback books? I only buy hardcovers now because I had the too-many-paperbacks dilemma. Luckily my parents read constantly and have way more books than they could ever display so I get their hand-me-downs too. 

If you don't have enough hardbacks, would you ever buy a big lot of them? And would you try to recover books to make them more suitable for display?

Bookworms

One of our peacock blue-painted bookcases is featured over at Emily A. Clark's blog...she's the lovely blogger who featured my bedroom on Monday so I've gotten lots of love from her this week! Today she's doing a feature on bookcases, so be sure to check it out.