The best bookshelf styling ideas start with the books and work outward. Sort them, stand most upright and lay a few flat, then add objects at a steady rhythm and leave part of each shelf bare. Hold to two or three colors, and give the shelf at eye level one object worth looking at.
A shelf that doesn't look staged looks used: books you read, objects you chose and gaps you left on purpose. These bookshelf styling tips run in that order: the books, the objects and spaces between them, color, and the small pieces that earn a place. Lit candles are not among them.
Start with the books
Before you load a tall shelf, anchor it to the wall. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's Anchor It! campaign says that anchoring all furniture with shelves prevents tip-over injuries and deaths.
Then sort. The Library of Congress, writing about preserving books, offers three rules that happen to make shelves look better:
- Group by size. The Library advises shelving books of similar size together, so the covers are supported by their neighbors. In styling terms, that gives you blocks of even height instead of a ragged skyline.
- Keep them upright. Books shouldn't lean, and the Library suggests bookends where needed. Use a bookend at the end of any short run.
- Lay big ones flat. Books too large to stand can lie horizontal, fully supported by the shelf beneath. Stacks of two or three become risers for a bowl or a cloche, and they break up the run of spines.
For a shelf with lots of books, don't style every shelf. Let the lower ones stay plain and work shelves, and style the two or three at eye level. For a shelf without books, lean on repetition: baskets, boxes and ceramics in a narrow palette, with a print leaning at the back.
Keep books out of the sun. The Library says books should have minimal exposure to light, ideally none that is direct or intense, and it notes that light damage is cumulative. It also advises dusting with a duster that has no fragrance or other chemicals.
Objects and spacing
Think of a shelf as a beat. A workable formula is a block of upright books, a stack laid flat, one object and one gap, then the same ingredients in a different order on the next shelf. The pattern repeats without being identical.
- Rhythm. Vary where the objects fall. Put one at the left of the top shelf, one at the right of the next, one in the middle of the third, so the eye zigzags instead of climbing a column.
- Negative space. Leave about a third of each styled shelf bare, as a starting point. The gap is what makes the objects read as chosen.
- Threes. On a styled shelf, two or three objects at different heights are plenty. Coffee Table Styling: The Rule of Three explains why heights matter more than the count.
| Level | What goes there | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Eye level | One object worth looking at, or a small cluster | It's where the eye lands first |
| Lower shelves | Heavy books, baskets, boxes | Weight stays low, and plain shelves rest the eye |
| Top shelf | Light pieces: a print, dried stems, a trailing plant | They add height without weight |
Boxes. Bookshelf styling with boxes works because the boxes do two jobs: they hide chargers, papers and remotes, and they add a solid block between rows of spines. Keep to one material or color.
Plants. A trailing plant on the top shelf softens the lines. Give a live plant a waterproof saucer and keep it away from the books: the Library says a cool, relatively dry environment, at 30 to 55 percent humidity, is safe for most books. A cut branch in a vase or a few dried stems need no watering.
Color
Books bring plenty of color on their own, so keep the objects in a narrower palette.
| Approach | The look | Works when |
|---|---|---|
| By color | Graphic, with each color a stripe | You want a statement. It can look staged |
| Tonal | Calm, with spines in two or three related colors | The loudest spines can live on another shelf |
| By size or subject | Lived in, with colors falling where they fall | You use the shelves daily |
Whichever you pick, choose two or three accent colors and repeat each at least three times, at different heights and on different shelves, so the eye links them. A shelf looks staged when it has perfect symmetry, every shelf styled the same, or objects at identical intervals. Leave one shelf of plain working books, and the rest will look intentional.
Small objects that earn their place
An object earns its shelf by doing a job, such as holding, lighting, scenting or reminding. It should also differ from the books in shape and material: round against rectangular, ceramic, wood, glass or brass against paper. Vary the heights.
- Bookends, which do a job and set a rhythm.
- A bowl or dish, for a round shape and a place to put keys.
- A small print or photograph, leaned at the back of a shelf.
- A cloche with one thing under it. A small dome between rows of books gives the eye a place to rest. Cloche Decor Ideas has more.
- A candle you never light.
On candles, the rule is simple. The National Candle Association says candles need at least 12 inches of clearance from books and other things that can burn, and the National Fire Protection Association's messages for fire educators say to keep burning candles away from books and paper. On a shelf of books, a flame rarely gets that room. A candle you never light belongs on a shelf, and one you light does not. Decorative Candle Ideas: Styling Candles You Don't Burn explains more, and Sculptural Candles: When a Candle Becomes an Object covers the category.
Our Le Bonne Pomme is one. It is an apple of hand-poured soy and beeswax, hand-painted one by one and presented under a handblown glass cloche. Displayed under its cloche, it scents a room without being lit. Set it at eye level, perhaps on a stack of books laid flat, out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources. The NCA notes that candles may fade in bright light. The same restraint works on the mantel; see Mantel Decor Ideas for Every Season.
FAQ
How do you style a bookshelf? Start with the books, sorted by size, standing upright with a few stacked flat. Then add two or three objects per styled shelf, leave about a third of it bare, and repeat two or three colors.
How do you style a bookshelf with lots of books? Style only the shelves at eye level and leave the rest plain. Lay the largest books flat in stacks, and use the stacks as risers for objects.
How do you style a bookshelf without books? Use repetition: baskets, boxes and ceramics in a narrow palette, a leaning print and a plant, with plenty of gaps.
Should you arrange books by color? You can, but it can look staged. A tonal arrangement or sorting by size reads as more lived in.
Can you put candles on a bookshelf? Only unlit ones. A lit candle needs 12 inches of clearance from books, and a shelf rarely offers it.
