Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Top 7 Bookshelf Styling Tricks and what not to do!

1. FRAME on Top :  Throw a frame on top, a couple busts and go horizontal and lateral with the books - the neutral black white and brown makes it  simple and chic Via HGTV



2. BREAK IT UP:  Whatever you do - don't JUST put books on the bookcase - love the toys, boxes and a ladder for no reason ! 
HGTV


3.  PLACE AN OBJECT ON TOP:   Whenever possible put a huge piece of coral on top of a horizontal books or some random oriental object - a Buddha, foo dogs always add drama. 
HGTV


4.  EVEN  ON HEIGHT: Keep the height of the books relatively even Via M Design





5. COLOR COORDINATE:  whenever possible - It looks organized and neat. Via Poorboys and Pilgrims 



6. CONTRAST PAINTING:
Paint the inside black - I more than LOVE this !!!!!   Via Dovetail


7.  ADD STORAGE BOXES - and not just for storage! Via Our Humble Abowed


DO NOT:

1. Let books takeover your home - Donate to your local library and if you miss it go back and borrow it :)


2. Forget to Edit and organize - frankly I think all paperbacks don't need to be put on display and is this a kitchen/medicine cabinet crafting station or bookcase- OY!

3.  Never put the paper side out - Binders should always face out! 

10 comments:

  1. Great tips, Suze! Thanks for sharing with us!

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  2. I agree with you on all counts except your slam on paperbacks. However, I would relegate all diet books to a bin in the back of my closet, if not for aesthetics but also for the sheer embarrassment of the quantity.

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  3. Love these - the examples are gorgeous! I love the colour-coordinating idea and think the most lovely is when there is empty space on the shelves and they're not overloaded. :)

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  4. I love your blog Suze! great ideas and inspiration.

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  5. wow - Thank you so much for the compliments! Love them!

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  6. I will certainly take bookshelf #6.

    Mr. Goodwill Hunting

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  7. I am totally with you on donating books. If you move like we do...only take your favorites. The last move across the country was so expensive due to all the books. Painting the back of the shelves is a cool idea.
    Mary Ann

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  8. I am so painting the back of my shelves black after seeing that, love it! I did once see someone place a grouping of old books with gold pages showings and it looked pretty amazing. I wouldn't place plain old white ones facing out, but I did like that.

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  9. I love a house with plentiful bookshelves. Great tips!

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