Buying and collecting books is the easy part. Making them look stylish — and elevating your space in the process — takes a little more thought. From deciding where to display your favourite romance novels and hefty design books to arranging them in a way that feels curated rather than cluttered, there’s a real art to styling shelves so they look considered, not chaotic.
We asked interior designers to share their best book-styling tricks for creating a home that feels more polished and expensive, whether you’re working with built-in shelving, a generous coffee table or a simple modular unit. After all, they’ve transformed hundreds of homes, many with beautifully arranged shelves that still feel personal to the people who live there.
While you can call on a designer to style your space, most people only need a little guidance and the right visual inspiration to get started. Follow these expert tips, and you’ll soon have a smarter, more refined way to display your collection — and a home that looks far more considered as a result.
Style books with objects to create a more expensive-looking display
When you want to break up all your framed pictures in a gallery wall, you add in objects and other sentimental items. Take the same approach when styling your books if you feel you need to break up the monotony of spines.
'Mix in objects such as sculptural pieces, personal items, or collected objects. It creates rhythm and gives the shelf a more layered, dimensional feel,' says designer Heather Hilliard.
'I always want styling to look as natural as possible; it shouldn't look forced or overthought. I like it when it looks like things have been added over time,' adds designer Meg McSherry. Take a page out of the slow decorating playbook and don’t rush to fill your shelves with items that have no meaning to you; instead, build out your trinket collection with each trip to the charity shop or while traveling abroad.
'I have an Hermès Baby typewriter in the middle of one row of built-ins [with books] in my Paris apartment, and a huge ceramic jar from a summer I spent in San Miguel Allende in the middle of another [row]. These objects are primarily orange, yellow, and red, and pull these colours beautifully from the spines of nearby books,' says Elizabeth Nicholas, writer and founder of library advisory service Forma Libris.
Use books beyond bookshelves to make your home feel more considered
All the designers we spoke with agree that there isn’t a specific 'right' place to display your books. You can style them anywhere you want, provided it’s not in a high-traffic area that could limit your day-to-day tasks.
'Books should live where your life happens, not just where they look good,' says Samantha Feuer, founder of design firm Norris Studio.
While the coffee table, built-ins, and bedside tables are all the usual spots for displaying your favorite reads, other unexpected places can include stacks on the floor next to a reading chair or layered on a console.
'I love books most when they are woven throughout a house. That is when they begin to give a home real character. A coffee table can hold a few special books, but shelves and quieter corners often allow for a more personal, relaxed kind of storytelling,' says designer Lilse McKenna.
Avoid over-styling — let book spines add natural colour and texture
We’ve all seen these two book-styling Pinterest trends: turning the spines of your novels inward so the outlines of the pages face out, and organising your books into a rainbow, circa 2014. If your books are styled like this, rearrange them immediately.
'Never turn a book around! A book is a book, and you should be able to admire it for what it is,' says Texas-based designer Bambi A’Lynn Bratton. 'While colour coordination is nice, I never style books in a forced colour order or pattern, because this look can make a space feel clinical and pristine instead of lived-in.'
Following a book-styling trend will not only make your space feel like everyone else’s, but once that method becomes a faux pas, your home will feel dated. 'A bit of looseness is what makes them charming. The best book styling has a sense of ease to it, as though it evolved over time rather than being arranged all at once,' adds McKenna.
Organise books by category for a more curated look
Consider this next tip from Nicholas if you want to organise your books in a way that makes them easy to identify and recommend to visiting friends and family. He has curated collections for every kind of space, from hotel libraries to private collections and corporate libraries.
'I would encourage people to create categories that mean something to them,' she says. 'For example, Daunt Books in London organises books by country rather than genre, so you'll have a Greek cookbook next to The Odyssey next to Zorba the Greek. It makes walking through the bookstore feel like travelling the world, and it makes you dream.' Have a bunch of interior books? Group them together to show off your design acumen.
Prioritise personal touches and authenticity
No matter how you choose to style your books, the key to making the display feel authentic is to be, well, authentic. According to Hilliard, there’s a shift towards interiors that feel personal and lived in, so this applies to bookshelves as well. The focus is on authenticity: books you actually own and use, arranged in a way that feels natural, even slightly imperfect, says Hilliard.
If you like gardening, fill your space with books that reflect that hobby. If you appreciate black-and-white photography, load up on photo books by your favourite artists. Whatever niche category you’re into, don’t be afraid to showcase it.
'I think when the books feel authentically linked to your interests — and not like props purchased for a set, the bookshelf will inherently feel real and dynamic,' says Ariel Okin. 'Books should feel true to the people who live in a space and to the room itself. The most beautiful shelves are the ones that feel personal, collected, and genuinely lived with. If a book arrangement feels too contrived or overly styled, you can usually sense it immediately,' McKenna stresses.
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