How to Style a Bookshelf: 7 Ways to Style a Bookshelf

There are a few different kinds of bookcases, which you can use in the home office, living room, bedroom, or elsewhere in the house:

1. 1. Built-in bookcases: Built-in bookcases are a pre-existing part of your home’s architecture. Shelves are constructed as part of the walling and offer a defined place to display books. Built-ins help dictate the space arrangement by automatically stating where you should place books and other decorative objects.
2. 2. Wall-mounted bookcases: Mounted bookcases are ones that you construct at home and drill into your wall. Wall-mounted bookcases make for a simple DIY project and allow you to cement where your bookshelf lives in the home.
3. 3. Freestanding bookcases: Freestanding bookcases are not fixed to a specific part of the room. Freestanding bookcases may feature cube storage, long shelves in horizontal stacks, or pockets and shelves of different sizes for bookshelf styling. Some even resemble a single vertical spine, with horizontal shelves in the front to allow easy stacking.
4. 4. Ladder bookcases: Ladder, or leaning, bookcases are a common type of freestanding bookcases that resemble a wide ladder. They have the longer shelves at the bottom and narrower shelves at the top.

Whether you’re looking to give your bookcase a makeover or add new shelves to a room, follow these styling tips to personalize your books’ home:

1. 1. Choose an arrangement theme. There are endless possibilities for shelf styling: You can arrange books by color palette, stack books horizontally, sort by hardbacks and paperbacks, categorize by genre, and so on. There is no wrong way to arrange your books—simply do it in a way that feels right to your style.
2. 2. Match your home’s aesthetic. If your design preference is minimalist, you might have a bookcase with fairly open shelves. If you are more of a maximalist, your shelves may be bustling with stacks of books of different shapes and sizes packed into each available space. Decide how your bookcase is in conversation with the rest of your home and decorate accordingly.
3. 3. Fix focal points. Bookcases have multiple focal points, and each shelf may have its star book or item. These may be larger coffee table books or pieces of art. Consider a bookstore: you may see rows of the spines of books, but every so often, a favorite book cover faces outward. Similarly, you can add focal points by placing key items to stand out amongst the chorus of books.
4. 4. Personalize the bookshelf with items. Picture frames, customized bookends, and other personal, decorative items are all things you can use to individualize your bookshelf and make it true to you. Little knick-knacks, trip souvenirs, or fun garage sale finds can all be the personal touches that make your bookshelf unique.
5. 5. Vary up your shelving layout. Not every shelf has to be symmetrical or have books arranged in the same way. Some areas may have vertically stacked books; others may have horizontal ones. Picture frames or personal items may separate books at distinct areas on the shelf to provide visual variety. Have some tall books beside shorter ones, which may also lean on the bigger ones to break up the space.
6. 6. Space books out. Your bookshelf will look nice and full if each shelf has something to hold, so don’t forget about the top and bottom shelves. Not every shelf has to have an equal number of books, but spreading them out will make for a more lively bookcase.
7. 7. Add greenery. If your bookshelf is near a window or source of sunlight, you may be able to add some succulents or potted plants to your bookshelf to invigorate it with verdant life. Ensure the plants have enough space, water them regularly, and use a cachepot to catch excess water to prevent water damage.

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