How To Decorate Shelves & Bookcases in 6 Easy Steps

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I know of a lot people who have a hard time decorating their shelves and bookcases, and because they don’t know where to begin, they decide to do nothing, and end up with a cluttered look. Recently, I’ve been requested to write a post on accessorizing. So, I decided to start with the basics. Shelves & bookcases are often overlooked during the decorating process, and become a place to collect all books, papers and other items, which creates a very cluttered look. I agree, it can be a challenge to decorate your shelves & bookcases, but it doesn’t have to be! And hopefully by the time you finish reading this post, you will feel a lot more confident to go ahead and start decorating, armed with these easy & useful tips.

As with any decorating and design project, it’s important to keep the design principles in mind in order to create visual balance, harmony, unity, scale, symmetry/asymmetry & contrast.

Step 1. To start off, clear out everything from the shelves and / or bookcases that you are attempting to decorate. I know it can be a hassle, but you need to begin with a clean slate. Now, do some serious de-cluttering. Go through all the books, accessories and whatever else you had on the shelves and get rid of everything that you do not need, or that is outdated.

Step 2. Next, group similar items together. For example, all the books in one pile, all the candles in another etc. Group books and other items by color, size or concept, which will instantly create a sense of visual order.

Step 3. It’s always best to accent your books with decorative and art pieces, so go hunting to your favorite stores to find some new treasures, and don’t discount Flea Markets, you can find some amazing vintage pieces there for a steal! When gathering pieces for a shelf display, make sure you have a combination of short, medium and tall objects. Depending on the scale of your shelves / bookcases, keep an eye for bigger, bolder accessories that will stand out on your shelves. Also, when it comes to decorating, I say, less is more. So fewer, well thought out pieces will create more of a visual impact, than trying to cram the shelf with everything you have.

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Step 4. Now that you’ve gathered everything you want to display on your shelves, you are ready to start decorating, which of course, is the most exciting part! (Well, for the design-nerd in me it is! =) )

Always start with placing the heaviest books and objects on the bottom shelves, and work your way up from there. This helps to create both a visual and actual weight. As a general rule, try and place large, tall items at the back of the shelf and work your way to the front, creating layers and depth. Always arrange your items in varying heights and always in groupings, as opposed to lining the shelf with all the same height objects one by one. Remember to group items in odd numbers, so groupings of 1s, 3s, 5s and 7s will always look more appealing.

Step 5. Use decorative lighting such as track lighting, or spot lighting to illuminate the shelves in order to highlight your arrangements and give them the added importance.

Step 6. At last, step back, squint your eyes and make sure all the arrangements flow nicely and that you are happy with the final result. The best part about decorating shelves is that it is super easy to make changes and doesn’t require to break the budget to make changes on a whim!

I hope you found these tips & advice helpful. Most importantly, when it comes to decorating, don’t be afraid! Have some confidence in your decorating abilities. And if all else fails, you can always Contact Me for help! =)