One of my absolute favorite design elements are books, and I incorporate dozens of them whenever I am styling a house. The styling possibilities are endless. Perhaps you are one of the many who contributed to the book boom in the early days of the pandemic. Or maybe your collection lives in a few boxes in the basement. Pull them all out. (Actually only pull out the hardbacks!!)

Here, I am offering “6 Styling Tips” on how to use the books in your life to make a big decorative impact.

Some of my Best Styled Bookshelves:

Honestly, I’m a little bit of a nerd and an artist when it comes to book styling. I spend time sitting in front, just staring at a bookshelf, considering everything I know and have learned about my clients, I decide what story I want these shelves to tell. I love the artistry and the science of designing an inspiring book shelf. 

But you don’t have to be “Dana Geeky” to make a great pop of fabulousness in your home. Today, I just want you to find one lowly built-in, bookcase, or a couple of floating shelves waiting for some love & let’s do this…

STEP ONE: EMPTY IT OUT!

It’s impossible to see a vision with all that stuff cluttering your vision. Take it all away! Better to start with a blank canvas.

Step Two-Remove the dust jackets

To achieve that classic English library feel, we must take off those glossy, image-laden covers. I’m always awed by what is revealed with each removal. Hidden beneath, you will find lovely letter-press bindings in beautiful fonts with fancy metallic coloring. Your simple books and basic bookshelves were just elevated!

Step three: Organize by Color

There are many ways to organize your books. I find the best method to make the most impact, is to display by COLOR. It is a really simple way to make a big splash. If you have a lot of books you can easily enlist your children to help get it done. Call it a STEAM activity.

STEP four: Create layouts

Think of your shelf like a grid. You don’t want every square to be the same or have rows of similar lines. To create interest, you’ll want to stagger your books, angle them to left on this side, then to the right on that side.  Think about creating symmetry between the shelves.  

There are 3 layouts that are my go to:

• Height order- Largest to smallest, or smallest to largest

• Horizontally- Stacking them on their sides

• Centered- Right smack in the middle

Step Five : Add Objects

As much as I love books, if that is all we had,  the shelf would be a little boring. This is the time to add those decorative elements. Shop all the rooms in your house. I bet you can find a few of my favorite objects that will uplift the shelf, and emphasize the books themselves:

• Faux flowers and potted plants

• Framed photos

• Vases and other ceramics

• Candles

• Memorabilia

Step Six: Represent you

Creating customized  book stacks is my signature statement. This is where I tell the story of you, so I examine the shelves to make sure that your loves and passions are represented. If you’re an art lover, are there art books? A traveler, books on your favorite cities? The foundation of your faith? Or pillars of your cultural heritage? Are those elements prominently displayed? Show them off. Imagine a visitor taking in your bookshelf, and understanding a little more about who you are.  (This is a great place to use those expensive table books you purchased at that museum exhibit.) 

Now that you have “6 Styling Tips” let’s see what you can do. Please share your before & afters with me!! I can’t wait to see what you’ve done.

These are 6 of the endless tricks I use when styling in your home. If you want me to work my magic EMAIL ME and leave your best number. I’ll give you a ring back in the next 24 to 48 hours to discuss spicing up a few bookshelves in your life.