30 Mantel and Bookshelf Decorating Tips

Does your living room boast a fireplace — or a bank of bookshelves? Lucky you! Turn those architectural accents into a true focal point by filling the shelves and mantel with items you love looking at — for a room you'll love living in. Get more tips for styling your built-ins like a pro, below.

Is thrifting your hobby? Whether you do your antique hunting online or in person at estate sales, thrift stores or antique auctions, your mantel is the perfect place to put those carefully collected pretties on display. For a designer look, group similar collectibles together, as we have here with this charming collection of chinoiserie. Get more tips for styling out your mantel any time of the year, below.

A-hem, it is a bookcase, after all. If reading real-deal books is your jam — show it off and put your bookcase to its intended use: housing your well-loved library. Says designer Hannah Crowell of this bookcase in her own home, "Our family is huge on reading, and we don’t use e-readers," so her husband converted a niche next to the living room fireplace into a mini library. The shelves, crafted from simple clear pine, hold the family of book lovers’ ever-expanding collection. Take a tour of their Nashville home, below.

Wanna dress up your mantel in a hurry? Just head outdoors with some clippers to give your backyard bushes or trees a quick trim, then place the cuttings in heavy, water-filled vases. Some greenery, like magnolia, seen here, looks almost as good dried as it does fresh from the garden.