Thursday, August 5, 2010

Tips for Styling Your Bookshelves!

We at Bryant Park Designs/Living Livelier have been working on a couple of fun bookcase projects in two client living rooms.  Check out a great list of tips from our intern Becky for styling your bookshelves!

1. Experiment with lighting above your shelves, or in between, to illuminate your books, pictures and everything else you're showcasing:

via habituallychic
via habituallychic
via housebeautiful

2. Hang a mirror or picture frame from your shelf's front edge to create change in depth and dimension:

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via habituallychic
via housebeautiful
3. Lots of Books! Standing some upright and stacking others horizonally creates visual interest:

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via habituallychic
4. Incoporate wicker or rattan baskets to integrate texture, create storage, or to just take up space:

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5. Jars, ceramics (foo dogs in particular!), bottles and vases make for nice shelf accessories:

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via absolutelybeautifulthings
6. Glass canisters and vases also make for great shelf toppers when filled with flowers or vegetation (real or fake), polished stones, sea glass, or shells:
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via betterhomesandgardens
via potterybarn

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7. Shells, corals and starfish can also shine as stand-alone objects:

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8. A contrasting background will add depth and make the featured objects pop:

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9. Hanging objects like plates or pictures against the backdrop will create depth and dimension:

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10. Overlapping pictures and stacking objects on top of  books creates a casual, whimsical feel:

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How do your bookshelves stack up?

3 comments:

  1. SO funny....I was looking over your blog and saw a picture [the second picture in #7] of a bookshelf that I designed in Rosemary Beach, Florida! It made me smile :) But the funny part is that I just did a small post on decorating with shell and I did not even include my own picture! If I had a brain, I would be dangerous!
    Sherry

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  2. Hi Sherry!
    Isn't that funny?! Wow - you do great work!
    Thanks for reading... Deb

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  3. Where would I find the bird apothecary jars from?

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