Read below to learn EXACTLY how to style books on bookshelves TODAY!
Since we’re staying put – and this quarantine may be waaaay longer than expected – let’s make our home beautiful right? When our house is in order, we work better, feel better and just want to be better.
So I’m bringing in the expert! Meet Melissa Mahoney, interior designer and founder of design firm, Melissa Mahoney Design House. She’s simplifying decorating and telling us how to avoid common interior design mistakes. Isn’t her and her family a doll?!
Melissa styled our bookshelves (virtually!) and the transformation is so delightful. I stare at them all day. She’s also designing our entryway and living room. I’m telling you… her aesthetic is remarkable. She has this colorful, traditional, yet modern mix that’s just SO good. Check out her website and Instagram to see exactly what I’m talking about!
So What This Means For You
To achieve that designer look we all want, Melissa is giving us tricks of the trade you’d normally have to pay for…FOR FREE. Bless your heart Melissa!
The goal is to give you paint by number instructions that result in a curated and styled space. No high overview philosophies. You get specifics and real takeaways that make a difference.
How To Style Books On Bookshelves
We’re kicking things off with “how to style books on bookshelves”. And it’s CHOCK-FULL of advice you’ve probably NEVER heard. At least I haven’t!
We initially had this grand plan to tackle bookshelf styling as a whole. But despite this topic seeming simple, it’s actually not. Did you know most designers estimate an average of $2K+ in accessories for bookshelves alone?!
So to empower us to make changes TODAY, mostly using what we already have, we’re starting off with something easy…20 Book Rules That Will Elevate Your Bookshelves Today.
After you read the below, head over to Melissa’s Instagram stories for even more of bookshelf SECRETS. And when you’re ready to tackle objects on shelves, check out PART 2 here!
How To Use This Guide
If there is ONE thing to keep in mind, it’s THIS:
There is no exact set order to these rules. Each tip benefits the OVERALL vibe of your bookshelves as they are collectively put together. So read this post in it’s entirety and follow through with every step.
Since everyone falls on different ends of the spectrum, we covered all bases. If something doesn’t apply, skip ahead.
To make it easy, we broke it down into three sections:
- The Basics: Melissa’s overall philosophy, how to save money on books and where to start if you have little to none.
- Choosing Books: This section is great for everyone. Whether you’re starting from scratch or own an entire library, here’s how to add books to your collection and ensure they work with your space
- How To Style Books On Bookshelves: AKA where the magic happens! You’ll learn where to start, get specific measurements, her #1 rule of thumb, color schemes, how to stack books vertically and horizontally and what to do if your books have ugly spines or jackets.
So let’s hop to it, shall we?!
20 Book Rules That Will Elevate Your Bookshelves Today
THE BASICS
1. Should All Bookshelves Have Books? Great question! Short answer, no. My styling typically ends up with books on all shelves, because I personally like to ground accessories with books. Also, if you look closely at magazines, interior design books, and even clothing catalogs, you almost always find books. They’re a timeless and easy accessory to fill and style your shelves.
2. How Many Books Do I Need? You can never have too many books with styling. If you had enough books to completely outfit shelves with them, they can look great. For proof, check out Makerista’s library!
3. Books Are EXPENSIVE. How Can I Save? The BEST place to get books on a budget are estate sales, antique markets, Half Priced Books {they’re online too!}, Goodwill and garage sales. Amazon USED books, Second Sale, Ebay and Everything But The House are fabulous online resources too.
4. Start With What You Have: A great exercise is to gather every book you own (even the ugly ones). Then put them in one place, so you can evaluate what you’re working with. Look alllll around the house. Check your nightstand, the basement, under the bed…everywhere. Magazines, nice photo albums and cookbooks count too! You might be surprised with what you come up with.
5. What If I Don’t Have A Lot Of Books? A lot people underestimate how many books it takes to fill up one shelf! Don’t let this deter you. Just use what you have and if you desire more, make it a point to start collecting. Here are four ways you can start collecting books today:
- I typically write down or take photos of books I see when I’m out or at pricey home stores. Keep your eyes peeled on Instagram and in magazines too! You can almost always find them for less, even lightly used at the resources mentioned above {#3}.
- Make it a habit to regularly pop in bookstores, Goodwill, etc. (once we’re allowed!) and check the online resources mentioned above to see what treasures you find.
- When you travel. They make fabulous souvenirs.
- Add them to your Christmas and Birthday wish list.
- Buy books that interest you and you actually want to read and invest in the hardback. Once you’re done, it doubles as decor!
CHOOSING BOOKS
6. So Should I Just Go Out And Buy A Ton Of Books? Or Do I Need To Be Mindful? A mix is great. It is best to start with all sizes of everything, so you have more flexibility as you work through them.
Something to keep in mind though…take a measurement of your tallest shelf and subtract 2”. Don’t buy anything taller than that. Same goes for the width of your bookshelves and stacking horizontally.
If you already have a nice collection and try all the tips below, it should be apparent where you’re lacking and what you need. For example, after my styling session with Nicole, we noticed she needed a few larger books to fill up her trays and runs.
7. What Should I Look For When Buying Books? A certain size? Certain color scheme? Width? Titles? Subjects? Loaded question! Square books are tough to style, so I avoid them. The exception is if I have a specific place or stack for them to go with. Super thick books are not as ideal for shelves… 1”-1-1/2” thick is perfect! Color is great to consider but it’s not the end all be all. PRO TIP: If you need every book you’ve got but don’t like the title or spine, just flip it around to see the pages. I go into greater depth about this below too.
8. You Need Big Books: Large books make great bases for stacking and carry a nice weight to them. As far as the exact size goes, 9”W x 11”H is about as large as you want to go for your standard bookshelves {about 10”-12” deep}. Deeper shelves can accommodate larger books.
We used approximately 6”W x 9”H books for Nicole’s top shelves, which is about the size of a typical hard cover novel. It’s also an easy size to find for antique books. Anything in between these sizes is great for flexible stacking. You need them in a 1/2” to 1” thick range. They can’t get too deep or high, as they will overhang the front of the shelves, so that 2” short rule is still a good one to stick with, so the books don’t get overbearing.
9. Do cookbooks count? YES. Although I love keeping these in the kitchen or dining areas where possible. If you need everything you’ve got and want to use what you have, they’re a great resource to tap into.
11. What About Paperback? Paper books are not ideal. They’re typically smaller and look worn. They also tend to go overkill with text on the spines. You however can use them as fillers flipped backwards, or like magazines, stacked with something on top of them to fill a void.
HOW TO STYLE BOOKS ON BOOKSHELVES
REMEMBER: Each rule collectively works together and benefits the OVERALL vibe of your bookshelves. So don’t stop half way through even if you don’t feel it’s working. Make sure to complete EVERY step {as they apply} to maximize your results. We also put these in an order that seemed to make the most sense, but feel free to adjust as everyone’s starting point is different.
START HERE
To Take Off The Jackets? Or Not? For an established feel, I am big on all jackets off. The matte finish on most hardcover books is subtle and feels better than high gloss jackets with heavily printed text.
There are definitely exceptions to the rule though. If you LOVE the jacket of a book, keep it on! You can even display it on top of a stack or with a visible spine, so you see it daily.
PRO TIP: Never judge a book by it’s cover…or jacket in this instance. Before you buy, take a peak underneath to see the hardcover! You may be pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful linen cover or a fun pop of color.
ACTION ITEM: After you gather all your books, assess each one and remove jackets as needed.
STEP TWO
An Easy Trick That Looks Good EVERY TIME: There are many ways to style shelves, but here’s an easy, fail proof technique. Top shelves are great for a full slab of wall-to-wall books. For the best look, make them TIGHT. Face them out or face them in, vary the heights or keep them all the same. This is the perfect place to use standard height, thick books.
PRO TIP: Adjusting the height of your top shelf to make it smaller makes a WORLD of difference. This balances the overall look of your shelves versus leaving a large space between the top of the books and shelf top.
ACTION ITEM: Clear off your bookshelves, adjust the height of the top shelf and fill.
STEP THREE
A Common Mistake: To achieve that designer look, do NOT push your books all they way to the back of the shelves. Instead, pull them forward so the fronts line up evenly.
PRO TIP: I suggest about 2” of space from the front of the shelves to your books.
ACTION ITEM: Pull all your books forward so they line up evenly.
STEP FOUR
Rule Of Thumb: Always end small groupings of books {AKA a small run} with a shorter book. But keep in mind, you don’t want them to look like a perfectly angled slide. So slightly vary the heights as shown above (the first book on the right is slightly shorter).
ACTION ITEM: Go through each book run and make sure they end with a small book. You can move around the order, replace or add.
STEP FIVE
How To Stack Books Horizontally: Vary thicknesses, while keeping the general shape of the book the same. Similar to a small run, keep the smallest book on the top. Make the stacks high enough to feel purposeful and stand alone… less than a 3” or 4” stack feels like it needs a significant accessory grounded on it to complete it.
PRO TIP: Odd numbers typically look best.
ACTION ITEM: Look at each book stack and ensure the smallest book is on top. This doesn’t mean it needs to be small, just the smallest.
STEP SIX
How Do You Know When To Face The Spine Out Or In? If you have too much of one color, if you prefer a light neutral aesthetic, if you have vintage books without real sentimental value, or if you don’t like the look of the spine. One or a combo of these reasons.
PRO TIP: Don’t be afraid to mix some spines showing and some not in the same grouping.
STEP SEVEN
How To Select Books Under An Object: Ideally you want a contrasting color. The goal is for each piece to stand out, but also compliment.
ACTION ITEM: Take a step back. Do the objects on top of books stand out? Or do they get lost? If the latter, swap the book directly underneath for a different color. Or turn the book around so the pages show versus the spine.
LAST STEP
Perfecting The Overall Look: Taking a step back is clutch for ALL accessorizing and styling. You’re able to see the overall flow and style when you see your bookshelves from afar. Sometimes shifting an inch makes a world of difference. So at the end of the day, don’t over think it. If something doesn’t feel right, revisit it with fresh eyes a day or two later and adjust.
ACTION ITEM: Make a to do list of any specific book sizes needed. Or maybe you just need more. Put any unused books away. Light a candle and enjoy your new view!
Melissa’s Six Favorite Books to Decorate With:
- Humans of New York – great top of stack color and size.
- Kate Spade In Good Taste – great pop of pink for any colorful or more neutral space. It’s also a smaller scale for the top of a coffee table stack or anywhere on a bookshelf (love all Kate Spade hard covers). P.S. If you buy this book now you get a FREE jade face roller and sleep mask from Kate Spade!
- Assouline Travel Series – this colorful, oversized series is a fabulous base for deep shelves and coffee tables. These double as conversations starters too. Get the version of a place you love to travel or on your list of places to visit as soon as quarantine is over!
- Elements of Style – great interior tips and the black and white striped binding looks GREAT in any vertical run of books or stack on your shelves.
- The Anatomy of Color – low-key color pop for colorful or neutral homes. Perfect medium scale for surfaces or bookshelves.
- Surf Tribe – any chunky book’s title that speaks for you! Get personal with your books…if the title does not speak to you, don’t be afraid to turn it around. I love the color and bold title on the binding of this stackable beauty.
Thank you a MILLION Melissa!
NEXT STEPS AND NEXT WEEK’S TOPIC
Wasn’t this SO GOOOOOD? Now RUN to her Instagram Stories to get even more FREE bookshelf styling tips! You can also ask her specific questions that pertain to your own bookshelves any time.
Now head over to Part II – “How to style OBJECTS on your bookshelves”!
Need more design tips or help?
