Bookcase Styling: 10 Ways To Style Your Shelves

Books aren’t just there to be read; a bibliophile's collection can be beautiful to behold. However, the key to displaying your books, framed photos and other decor is all in the bookcase styling. From picking the perfect shelves to getting the arrangement spot on, shelf styling is a fine art that, when done right, brings out the character in your space. Read our top 10 styling tips to get your bookcases looking beautiful.

 

Get The Right Bookcase

Bookcase styling all starts with the shelving itself. Getting this right, and right for your space, creates the canvas you need for a final masterpiece. Our first four tips will ensure that you start right so you can get the interior design scheme that brings your room, and book collection, to life.

 

1. Choose Your Style

The place to start is with the shelf style. There are loads to choose from that will create different effects in your office, living room or bedroom. Consider the size of the shelving, whether it’s tall and narrow or wide and short, and the design shape.

 

Traditional

A traditional bookshelf is the easiest to get right. They look great in most settings and create a classic aesthetic that’s easy to build up with your own style. They are usually complete on three sides with an open front.

 

There are lots of ways to mix up and personalise traditional bookshelves such as using additional drawers or shelves of different heights.

Image: https://www.houseofoak.co.uk/bordeaux-oak-large-bookcase-with-drawers.html

 

Modern

A more modern design is ideal for minimalistic or contemporary styles of room. It can make the room feel more spacious as these shelves often have open sides or feature thinner material so the shelf itself takes up less room.

 

Scandic styles often fall under the umbrella of ‘modern’ as they are more simple than traditional aesthetics. 

Image: https://www.houseofoak.co.uk/scandic-oak-large-bookcase.html

 

Industrial

Industrial chic is in and your bookcase can be a fantastic place to express this fusion of tradition and contemporary. Bookshelves that combine beautiful wood textures with metal can look brilliant in a wide range of different spaces. They look particularly good when the metal creates a feature in the room, standing out from other wooden furnishings, catching the light and accenting different textures.

https://www.houseofoak.co.uk/harmony-oak-shelf-unit.html

 

Geometric

Geometric bookcases showcase different shapes within them, creating an interesting feature that draws the eyes across the space in a new way. They add more interest to a room or interior design scheme so can be a great choice of style.

They combine well with modern aesthetics but can add a light touch of the contemporary into more rustic designs.

Image: https://www.houseofoak.co.uk/scandic-oak-narrow-cabinet.html

 

2. Complement the Room

A styled bookshelf should bring out the character of the room so it’s important to think about where your bookshelf is going when you’re choosing the style and shape. There are loads of ways you can complement your room with your shelving, but here are a few ideas to get you going.

 

Fill in spaces

If there are empty areas in the room that make it feel sparse, these could be the perfect places to have bookshelves. Think about what space you have before choosing which shelves you want to make sure they’ll fit into your room without making it feel crowded.

 

An interest point

Use what’s already in the room to inform your bookcase choice. If the room is already simple, then you could choose to make the bookshelf a feature of the space to give the room character, or highlight a collection of which you’re particularly proud! In this case, you’ll want to make the bookshelf bigger or more central. You could choose to use a contrasting colour like dark oak in a lighter space, to draw the eye.

 

Small and subtle

Rather than making it into an interest point, you could style your shelving more subtly to fit into a room that already has a main focus. Choose a smaller bookcase, or a more minimalistic design, that matches the colouring of your room.

Image: https://www.houseofoak.co.uk/oslo-oak-small-narrow-bookcase.html

 

3. The Right Material

If style and size are important, then the right material is essential. Bookcases are available in a range of different materials to match the aesthetic of your room and create the look you want.

 

Oak

Oak is the most popular choice of material for shelving as it’s versatile, long-lasting and looks brilliant in almost any space. Oak is also available in a range of different colours, including painted oak, so there’s always an oak bookcase that will work no matter your style.

 

Quality oak is one of the most reliable materials to use for a bookcase. It can take the weight of books or other collections without damage and will last a very long time.

 

Pine

Pine bookcases are a great alternative to oak if you like the wooden look, but want something a little more affordable. Pine is usually cheaper than oak because it’s a softer wood. It’s less durable and hard-wearing than oak (although will still last a long time!) but is easier on the wallet.

 

Mirror

Mirror bookcases are a more unusual choice but, in the right setting, they can look brilliant. They have mirror glass panels that reflect the light in the room, often combined with other features such as silver detailing. If you have a dark room, they’re a great way to increase natural light and make it feel more spacious. Depending on the rest of your interior design scheme, they can add a touch of glam or modernity into your space.

Image: https://www.houseofoak.co.uk/mayfair-mirrored-bookcase.html

 

Glass displays

If a mirrored bookcase is a bit too much for your room, then one that includes glass can be a good middle ground between traditional and contemporary. Bookcases are available with an oak frame and glass shelves, or with glass doors that allow your collections to be seen while also being protected.

 

4. The Right Colour

If you’ve chosen a wooden bookcase, then you need to select the colour that works well in your space. Oak, for example, is often chosen as a base material due to its versatility; it’s available in a huge range of colours and tones from light oak to darker, rustic finishes. Oak can also be painted and therefore is available in more colours such as white or grey.

 

When you’re choosing the colour of your bookshelf, use the colouring that already exists in  your room to inform your decision. You might want to choose a darker colour to create contrast in your space. Lighter colours though can make the space feel bigger and more open.

 

Books and Decor

Once you have the bookshelf ready, you can think about styling it. Consider what you’re putting on the shelves to make sure that they look great while still being functional.

 

5. Start Big For Balance

It’s a good idea to mix up the kinds of items your shelves hold. If you’ve got a lot of space, mix up your books with some bigger interest items such as baskets or plants. The larger your shelves, the more space you have to play around with.

 

Mix up big and small items, but place the bigger items first so you can balance the look of the shelves as a whole. Think about the way symmetry and asymmetry can work together. Perhaps have a large item on both the left and right sides of your shelves, but place one on a higher level to another.

 

6. Order Your Books

Consider in what order you want your books to be displayed. There are a lot of different options. Alphabetical by author is, of course, the most traditional and makes it easy to find books if you have a big collection. However, there are lots of other choices that could look more stylish, including ordering your books by colour for a beautiful rainbow effect! 

 

You could use the order of your books to decide what you’re displaying on your shelf and what should be displayed somewhere else. It’s a good idea not to overcrowd a bookcase if you also want to add other decorations and items. You could decide to have a set of shelves for a big volume of books, or for one genre, and another bookcase for another genre.

7. Consider Greenery

A bookcase can look beautiful without greenery, but adding some plants can develop the style of the room. Draping plants, like spider plants or forms of indoor ivy, can be a great choice to add onto the top layers of your shelf.

 

If you don’t have much of a green thumb, low maintenance plants like succulents mean that you can forget to water them for a while without any adverse effects. For the easiest way to add greenery, you could buy some plastic plants that don’t need any maintenance — aside from a bit of dusting now and again).

 

Arranging the Bookcase

When you know what’s going onto your shelves, you have to decide how to arrange it for the best style and effect.

 

8. Horizontal and Vertical

Mixing up horizontal and vertical arrangements can look great as the different shapes add interest to your display. This isn’t necessarily the most space efficient way to arrange your shelves, but it does help with styling. It’s therefore important not to try to fit too much on each bookcase, but to split out your books or collections where necessary.

 

Line some books up vertically with a stack of horizontal books next to them. Think about the size of the books that you’re stacking. It can be a good idea to stack books horizontally from biggest to smallest.

9. Layer books and interest items

If you think about the size of the books that you’re stacking, then you can create layered arrangements that are pleasing to the eye. As mentioned, starting big and getting smaller can be a great idea. Also try topping off a stack with an interest item such as a small succulent, Rubix cube or other kind of decoration.

 

10. Stand Back

This final styling tip is very important. Once you’ve done some arranging, be sure to stand back and see what it looks like from other points in the room. When you move away, it’s easier to see where the shelves look more unbalanced, overcrowded or empty. You should do this several times while styling to make sure you stay on track and produce the final look you want.

 

Bookcase Styling

Bookcase styling can be a lot of fun. The most important thing is to ensure the bookshelf’s colouring and design fits into the scheme of your room as a whole. This will ensure that your books or other items look fantastic in your space and allows you to control how much of a focal point the bookcase is in the room.

 

House of Oak have a huge range of oak, pine and other bookshelves available. Check out our oak bookcase range now.