Add Serious Style to Your Home’s Bookshelves With These Three Steps

Although shelves are rarely the focal point in a room, cluttered shelves can distract from an otherwise immaculate space. To update your shelves with a look that is both clean and stylish, try following these three steps.

1: Edit your collections

To start with, remove all the items on your shelves and look them over. Get rid of anything that you don’t love anymore or that clashes with the rest of your decorating scheme. Cutting down on clutter gives each object more impact.

This is also a great time to look at your bare shelves and decide if those could use an update, too. I like to add wallpaper or a contrasting paint color to the backs of bookshelves to give them more depth and flair.

If you need to shop for more items, look for small bronzes, boxes, vases, picture frames, or small art prints to complement your books. Shelves are also the perfect place for travel mementos, family photos, and collectibles. Leaning a framed art print or family photo against the back draws the viewer’s eye deeper into the shelf.

2: Pick your main colors

Bookshelves should have a unified color scheme whenever possible. I recommend picking two complementary colors, adding in one type of metal, and using any number of neutral colors in-between. 

It’s important to have some repeating colors or objects evenly distributed throughout the shelves. For example, if you have two gold objects on two adjoining shelves, move one of them to a further away shelf to balance things out. 

3: Organize your books

Next, gather all the books you’re using and group them by color. Experiment with arranging books vertically, leaning them, or stacking them horizontally. A horizontal stack should have at least three books. If any of your books have unattractive dust covers, try displaying them without the covers.

Before you finish decorating, take a step back to see how all the shelves in a room work together. Don’t be afraid to experiment until your shelves feel right to you. If you’re having trouble editing down your collections, getting a second opinion from an interior designer can be invaluable. 

Most of all, don’t forget to have some fun too. Shelves are a great opportunity to express a story about yourself. The end result shouldn’t look too staged, but rather, tell the world about who you are.

Margaret Chambers, a registered interior designer (RID) and American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) member, leads Chambers Interiors and Associates. Her colleague Caitlin Crowley helped edit this column. Visit chambersinteriors.com/blog for more design advice.