4 Tips for Styling Bookshelves

My client recently asked me to "fluff up her office". This included reorganizing and styling the bookshelves. Luckily she also wanted new accessories. Because, let's face it, I love to shop! {I found most of them at Home Goods & some of them at Pottery Barn & Z Gallerie.} Here are some tips on how to style shelves. {Click on the blue bar below to read more.}

First I'll show you what the shelves looked like before . . .

Tip 1- Put "like" books with "like" books. 

Esthetically this just looks the best. I usually like to group books according to size & style wherever possible. For instance, old books look nice together . . . small books are great grouped along similar-sized books. I like to start at one side of the shelf & place the books in descending order according to size. It also works to lay some large books horizontally on the shelf - especially if the spines are pretty like the ones in the photo below.

Tip 2 - Use attractive accessories to add interest.
Ironically, I think it showcases the books more to have carefully placed non-book objects on your shelves as well. It seems so much more pleasing to the eye than just rows and rows of books. So try adding pizazz with pretty boxes {a great place to hide manuals, unattractive books & clutter}, bookends, plants, globes, photos & vases. And don't be afraid to include a few large accessories - rather than just a bunch of tiny ones. I love the huge plant that my client already had & the new large print & vase that we added.

Tip 3 - Remember to allow for negative space.
I am a huge believer in this in almost all design scenarios - even walls! The eye needs a break. You can probably see the difference in the before & after pictures. I always leave some empty spaces and it helps prevent a cluttered look. 

Tip 4 - Edit when possible.
Most of us have a tendency to hoard. Often when I'm working on bookcases {my own included}, I find more than one copy of the same book. It's a good idea to go through your books once in a while & donate the ones you really don't need or want. In this client's case, I didn't get rid of any books at all. But I did hide some that weren't attractive. I do think it looks like we do have less books though & that's because they are just arranged in a better way.

Hope this helps! Let me know if I left out any of your favorite tips.