9 Easy Ways To Style With Books
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Any interior designer will tell you that no interior is finished without books. They add warmth to the space and make a home feel like it's set roots. Books give the home personality: the genres chosen will give great insight into what the owners like and what kinds of people they are.
You don't need to have a large library in order to style with books. You can make a room look amazing just with a handful of covers. If you're looking to show off your literary side, or want to give your home some life, consider styling your home using books with one of these 9 easy techniques.
1 | STACKED
This method is quite simple. The idea is to stack several books flat on top of each other. On a shelf, keep the stacks short; 5 books at most. On the floor, you can go higher. You can go as high as you can reach! Just be mindful of them all toppling over.
2 | PAIRED WITH ACCESSORIES
To effectively style books on shelves, pair them with other accessories. Use books to create a foundation for these accessories. The most important tip to this approach is to avoid crowding the shelves with books. Books can be laid flat or stood upright when styled this way.
3 | CREATE A LIBRARY
Have a lot of books? There's nothing wrong with going the traditional route and just throwing them all up in the bookcase! This look can really give off that "lived in" look and homey vibe. You can organize your books by genre or alphabetically by title/author. Or go the modern route and style your library by color according to the book cover. Wouldn't having a rainbow-colored library be fun?
4 | OPENED
Have a book with pretty pictures? Why not open them up and display them as art? You'll often see this done in kitchens with a cookbook displayed on the kitchen counter, but you can take this idea into other rooms in the home too! You'll need a book easel for this and a small table or counter. Change the pages periodically for a fresh rotation.
5 | MAKE YOUR OWN WALLPAPER
Here's an easy way to add some literary personality to a styled room: get a few old books, tear out the worn pages and cover an accent wall with them. I like laying them out straight like tiles. If the pages are really old, then they'll have darkened edges which make a really nice subtle grid effect! How fun is this idea, huh?
6 | WRAPPED
Looking for a way to unify the room? Try wrapping your books! This is a simple DIY project that is easily customizable and provides the thread you need to pull the room together. This is a great trick for those books that don't have the prettiest covers, but are wonderfully big to fill up shelves. Old textbooks, anyone?
7 | EXPOSED PAGES
If wrapping is too time consuming and too styled, why not just turn your books around? Exposing the pages instead of the spine will be more unifying than covers in various colors and images. This styling technique delegates books more as accessories and less like functional items. I recommend using this trick only with books you don't intend to read.
8 | COVER ART
Another way to display books is to prop them with their covers out on art rails. This a great way to show off some of your prized coffee table books that have gorgeous covers. Do a whole wall of books like this for maximum impact.
9 | FRAME A QUOTE
In need of wall art? Choose one of your favorite literary quotes, type it into a computer or graphic design program, blow it up and have it printed and framed in a large format. Super easy (and affordable) art!
