Built-in bookshelves are a great way to save space and complement your décor. They add a designer touch to your home. Unfortunately, they can become a storage place for every décor accent in your home. By paying attention to a few simple design practices though, you can de-clutter and organize your bookshelves, and with a little effort, have them looking fit for any high-style showroom.
Many of us enjoy collecting, whether we are “gifted” with those items by our friends and relatives, or we purchase them ourselves. For some of us, the thrill of hunting down the perfect piece to complete our collection is almost a sacred quest. However the collectibles arrive in our homes, they all seem to find a final resting place in our bookshelves.
So, what can we do about this?
Here are some tips to help you keep the clutter at bay.
Less is more… Choose a few of your favorite items, and put the rest in a box. Display the selected items in your bookshelves. Remember that the books themselves are design elements, so arrange them carefully, too. Group books of similar heights together in a row that fills up about 2/3 of a shelf. Then use a stack of the oddly sized books for a bookend at one end of the row. Place a vase or grouping of small objects in the empty space. Vary the size of your pieces – placing a tall vase with a shorter, rounder sculpture can add visual interest. Groups of three smaller objects can be used as well as single, larger pieces to add interest and variety to your display.
Color scheme… Nothing conveys a high-end designer look like having all your accent pieces in a single color. Just as nothing says “antique store” or “Grandma’s parlor” like a colorful display of floral china plates and figurines, choosing one color for your accent pieces can make a strong design statement. One designer trick to make a room look fresh and modern is to use mainly white décor pieces, with a splash of contrasting color here and there in the soft furnishings – pillows, furniture cushions, and bolsters.
Think of this principle when assembling the decor pieces for your bookshelves, with the books adding the color in place of the soft furnishings. The same holds true there, regardless of the color of your shelves, light or dark, wood or painted finish.
Your built-in bookshelves can be given a facelift, too, by painting them all the same color. Using the color of the room’s trim, such as painting the shelves white to match the white baseboards and window trim, will also contribute to a unified presentation.
Texture… Rather than using differently colored design pieces – vases, knick-knacks, candle sticks and the like – use size and texture to add variety to your décor. Wooden or metal candle sticks and picture frames can be spray painted a single color, white, black, or metallic, whichever best complements your overall décor.
Gold or silver can be used to add the glow of precious metals, for a rich and sophisticated look. Table lamps and chandeliers can be given the same treatment, with the bodies painted to match the rest of the décor pieces, and the shades covered in one of the complementary, soft-furnishing fabrics.
Just keep these principles in mind, whatever pieces you do add to your bookshelves, whether it is your collection of African masks (which, of course, you would never paint another color) or your great-grandmother’s china (which really should be displayed in an antique dresser).
Be selective – you don’t need the all 184 pieces of the collection on display at the same time.
Use groupings for visual interest – group varying sizes together rather than scattering the pieces willy-nilly through the shelves.
Rely on texture rather than color for variety.


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