From the Shakespeare books your teacher made you read, to the ones you were gifted (and most likely didn’t read…), it’s very easy to accumulate books without even noticing it. It’s only when you move that you realise you can easily fill up boxes of just books. Here are 10 tips to make your personal library a warm and relaxing corner in your living room. And maybe, just maybe, you might surprise yourself and read something that’s not on a screen.
Can you decorate with books?
It’s undeniable that libraries and nicely organised bookshelves and bookcases add a je ne sais quoi to every home. Making libraries look beautiful is even a job in America. Thatcher Wine is the most famous book decorator as he organised libraries for Gwyneth Paltrow and some high-end hotels. In his mind, books are design objects, which is why for certain clients he doesn’t pick books based on the topic or quality of the writing but based on the colour of the cover and especially of the spine of the books. Superficial? Maybe. But breathtaking? Yes. As Thatcher explained in an interview for Town and Country Magazine “Think about what you are trying to accomplish. Is there a story you are trying to tell? A colour palette you want to achieve? Then think about how that might work within the context of your home and available space.” Gone are the days when you thought that accumulating books was just hoarding.
What is the difference between a bookcase and a bookshelf?
First, let’s get this one out of the way. A bookcase refers to the rectangle or square free-standing furniture with integrated shelves, like these ones from IKEA. A bookshelf is simply a shelf screwed to the wall where you pile up books. It can be a single floating shelf or many, and you can also find a large range of them on IKEA as well. Good news is, if you buy a substantial bookshelf, you can ask a Tasker to build it for you while you sort out your books. And if you need some help to mount your shelves to your wall, a Tasker can also do that for you. Especially if you plan on having books on your bookshelf, you are better off with the expertise of a professional to make sure your shelf won’t fall under the weight of your box set of Games of Thrones.
How to get a nice-looking library?
It’s time to judge books only by their covers (and spines). Here are our top 10 tips to style your bookshelf or bookcase and to dress it like an element of design in your home:
1. Don’t fill your bookcase with books only
Candles, flowers – especially succulents or cacti that don’t need much water, lamps, small decorative objects brought back from trips abroad or artwork, all of these will make your bookcase stand out.
2. Remove the dust jackets
Only keep them if they are still in good condition and you plan on reading the book soon and carry it in your bag.
3. Organised chaos over repetitiveness
Alternate between horizontal and vertical stacking when you put away your books. You can even have some standout books with the cover facing you to break the rhythm of simple stacks of books.
4. Use storage boxes for your magazines
Magazines or newspapers won’t look as neat as books piled up on a bookcase, so put them in a wicker basket or vintage storage trunk so that they’re easy to access whenever you’re ready to do some crossword puzzles.
5. Organise books by theme or based on the colour of their spine
Or do a bit of both. Putting different shades of black, red, green or yellow next to each other, even with books that are of very different sizes, will create a nice effect, especially on a bare wall. But you can also arrange your books by themes and keep one book facing you so the theme is evident to you.
6. Display framed photos
A couple of framed family or vacation photos in-between books or on top of books stacked horizontally will bring some life and energy to your bookcase or bookshelf.
7. Reserve a space for the books you haven’t read yet
Just like you have a Netflix list of TV shows and movies you plan on watching, put together a corner with all the books you haven’t read yet. This might actually remind you – before you turn on the TV – that there are other forms of entertainment available to you!
8. Get a separate space for kids’ books
Even more than adults, kids see their library grow exponentially by the year. To get your little one to take an interest in reading, the best way is to make it appealing. That means, first, not stacking up horizontally their books, which would make most of them inaccessible to your kids. The best layout is to actually have the covers facing you, meaning you need to organise the books by putting the largest in the back and the smaller in the front. This works better with shelves with an edge or book display unit like this one from IKEA.
9. Bookends are your friends
You can thank the American William Stebbins Barnard for this one. A biologist and an inventor, he patented bookends as we know them in 1877. On the hunt for pretty book-ends? Take a look at this classy golden one, or this B-shaped one.
10. Get an organising virtuoso to do it for you
If the words colour-coding, organising and design give you more stress than satisfaction, or if you’d just like to spend your time doing something other than studying the spines of books, let a professional organiser do it for you. Book one today to help you create the cosiest corner in your home.
Now you know how to dress your bookcase and bookshelves. And the best way to brag about it once it’s done is to install your computer in front of it so that your beautiful library becomes your new zoom background.
Don’t forget to share your styled up library with us on instagram by tagging @TaskRabbituk
