45 Must-Know Tips for Styling Your Built-In Bookshelves

Brush up on our shelf-styling tips to master the #shelfie and ban boring built-ins with these creative bookshelf decorating ideas.

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By: H. Camille Smith and Allie Holcomb King

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Style Your #Shelfie

ICYMI: #shelfies are a thing. Whether you want to perfectly style your built-ins to wow social media or are just wondering what — besides books — belongs there, our designer-tested tips will help you create a pretty vignette featuring a few of your favorite collectibles, secondhand finds and, of course, books for a #shelfie that makes storage stylish.

From: H. Camille Smith

Don't Forget Bookends

Antique bookends, like these gilt corbel-style finds are a handy way to keep your books organized while adding a vintage vibe. To score 'em on the cheap, hit estate sales, flea markets and secondhand shops. And, to protect their timeworn patina, be careful not to over-clean or over-polish antique finds. Get our tips for properly cleaning these oldies but goodies, below.

See More Photos: Tips for Cleaning and Restoring Antique and Vintage Finds

From: H. Camille Smith

Max Out the Space You Have

This clever space saver proves that you can work a built-in into even the oddest shaped spaces. Designer Bria Hammel custom-constructed this curvy cutie to perfectly follow the curving wall and work in ample storage for both books and favorite finds.

From: Bria Hammel Interiors

Pick a Color ... Any Color

Your built-in bookcase is the perfect spot for incorporating your go-to hue. Stack books in your favorite shade, then top with a collectible in the same color.

From: H. Camille Smith

And, Add Some Pretty Paper

Ah ... wallpaper, what can't it pretty up? Long a favorite designer trick, papering just the bookshelf's back is a high-impact option for dressing up a blah bookshelf. Here, handmade marbleized blue and gold wallpaper adds a big dose of style for minimal footage (and cost!) making this trick especially clever when you're working with pricey paper.

get the how-to: Add Graphic Pop to a Bookcase With Wallpaper

From: Jenn Feldman Designs

Make Built-Ins Purely Functional

Practical and pretty collide in this living room where fireside built-ins display an impressive collection of neatly stacked firewood. The wood adds warmth to the cozy design — both literally and figuratively.

From: Ashley Gilbreath

Or, Make Built-Ins Purely Decorative

With a delicately arched design surrounded by textural grass cloth, this built-in makes the case for putting your prettiest pieces on permanent display. Here, designer James Farmer relies on symmetry — notice how many items are pairs — and repeated shades of bisque, rust and blue. Take a tour of this classic coastal getaway, below.

See More Photos: Coastal + Classic Style at This Stunning Sea Island Home

From: James Farmer

Place Fragile Items Up High

If you have rambunctious kids or pets in the house, you understand the importance of placing family heirlooms high out of reach of grasping hands or paws. Your built-in's top shelf is the ideal place to store these treasured items while still being able to enjoy having them on display.

See More Photos: Antiques 101: Guide to Collecting Ironstone

From: H. Camille Smith

And, Work In Functional Storage Down Low

Put your built-in to work to store purposeful (but still pretty) necessities, like throws. Shop estate sales, flea markets and thrift stores to score a beautiful basket on the cheap, then use it to stash stylishly.

From: H. Camille Smith

Add Life With Plants

Looking to fill some gaps on your bookshelves? Try placing a trailing potted plant like ivy, pothos or wandering Jew on the top shelf. Arrange the sprawling vines to fill in gaps as needed. You’ll love how much life and energy — not to mention fresh oxygen — a little bit of greenery brings to your bookcase. Learn more of the many reasons to add plants to your home, below.

See More Photos: Health Benefits of Houseplants

From: Kerra Michele Huerta

And, Bring On the Blooms

Backyard beauties as pretty as these macrophylla hydrangeas deserve to be displayed indoors. For most blooms, cut them early in the day when stems are full of moisture and the plant is least stressed, then bring indoors and display in a leakproof pot, vase or pitcher.

From: H. Camille Smith

Go to the Dark Side

Inky midnight blue gives these built-ins a moody makeover. The dark shade is certainly eye-catching, drawing attention to the bookshelf's lighter accessories, like the pair of white vases.

From: Duet Design Group

Or, Keep It Light + Bright

Painting bookcases bright white helps to fill your room with light and really makes the objects you use to fill the shelves shine.

From: Bria Hammel Interiors

Group Collections Together

Maximize the visual power of your favorite collectibles by grouping like pieces together. Not only does the grouping showcase that you're a collector (go you!) but it also prevents small items, like this petite porcelain bird box, from getting lost among bigger items or just reading as clutter.

From: H. Camille Smith

Create Mini Collections of Books

Take our cue and group like books together, especially if you only have a few of that type or you need to access them regularly, like cookbooks. A pair of heavy bookends, like these sculptural brass stallions, allows you to float the grouping in the center of a shelf for a striking display.

Or, Alternate Books' Directions

To really kick up books' visual interest on a bookshelf, vary their placement: stack some books on their sides while lining others up vertically. Or, follow our cue and mix it up: some vertical, some horizontal and held in place with a pretty vintage bookend.

From: H. Camille Smith

Built-Ins: Not Just for the Living Room

This dining room proves that built-ins can work in a variety of spaces. Here, the bookshelf provides a spot to stylishly store a tea set, along with a variety of vintage jars, plants and a whitewashed winnowing basket. Storing serving items right next to the dining table not only adds a beautiful bit of architecture, it also makes entertaining easy.

See More Photos: 10 Interiors That Make the Case for Built-In Shelving

From: Bria Hammel Interiors

Bedroom Built-Ins? You Bet!

This clever kids' room proves that built-ins may just be the ultimate storage solution for kids' rooms that are short on space. Here the custom bed slides neatly between a pair of built-in bookcases which, in addition to housing dinosaurs, robots and books, also double as nightstands and even offer hidden storage for clothes — or more toys— in the wide drawers. See more of this colorful and cleverly designed home, below.

See More Photos: Tour a Colorful Texas Home With Tons of Brilliant Touches

From: HGTV Magazine

Rock the Rainbow

An instant mood lifter, these ROYGBIV shelves feature a colorful collection of both books and quirky accessories sourced from a variety of thrift stores and online sites. The rainbow color-coding system may not make it easy to find a specific title, but at least the hunt will be fun. Get more shelf-styling tips from our friends at HGTV Magazine, below.

See More Photos: How to Style Shelves: 9 Need-to-Know Pro Tips and Tricks

From: HGTV Magazine

Or, Stick to a Single Shade

Cheery pops of cherry red give this small hallway major style points. An assortment of both kids' books and adult titles pair perfectly with stacks of vintage boxes and tins. Take a tour of this colorful, family-friendly home, below.

See More Photos: A Texas Home With a Touch of Fun in Every Room

From: HGTV Magazine

Style Shelves Minimally

In a sleek, modern space, just a few accessories on the bookshelf are a natural fit. Even the items displayed here — from hand-thrown ceramics to a spherical brass sculpture — are themselves minimal in design. Check out more living rooms, below, where less is more.

See More Photos: Minimalist Living Room Designs We Love

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Or, Style Shelves Maximally

Maximalist designer James Farmer is well-known for his ability to mix old with new and style spaces with layer upon layer of look-at-me patterns. Here, his more is more approach maxes out the storage space on shelves while still creating a balanced and beautiful whole. Take a tour of this stunning mountain home, below.

See More Photos: Tour a Classic Vacation Home in the North Carolina Mountains

From: James Farmer

Work In Form + Function With a Ladder

If you’re working with a sky-high book collection, a sliding library ladder will solve access issues while adding a bit of panache. Visually, a ladder provides a break in the uniformity of a book-clad bookshelf, and practically, a ladder provides easy access to even the top shelf of tomes. Choose a ladder in a different finish than your bookshelves to really help it stand out.

Use Built-Ins to Maximize a Mini Spot

Originally a tiny home office that saw infrequent use, this cozy niche is now the family's favorite snuggle spot. Outfitted with inset shelves, the nook provides a sunny spot for lounging surrounded by your favorite reads. Take a tour of this modernized Victorian-era home, below.

See More Photos: Tour a Cheeky and Colorful Victorian Home

From: HGTV Magazine

Lighting: Add Sconce-Style Fixtures

For a high-end lighting fix that channels a traditional study feel and shines a light on your shelf-styling artistry, work with an electrician to have the soffit area above your built-ins wired and fitted with library sconce-style fixtures. Get more magazine-worthy bookcase styling ideas, below.

See More Photos: 20 Magazine-Worthy Bookcase Designs

From: J&J Design Group

Lighting: Or, Work In a Lamp

For an easy lighting option that can be swapped out or even removed at any time, just plug in a petite tabletop lamp. Most built-ins include outlets for electronics, like stereos, but if yours is woefully electricity-free, you can tackle the DIY upgrade yourself or hire a pro.

From: H. Camille Smith

Work In Quirky Finds

Okay, a stuffed pheasant may not be everyone's ideal accessory but it certainly feels right at home on this super saturated emerald green built-in. A mini enameled brass owl keeps with the quirky bird motif by helping out as a bookstop on the bottom shelf.

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Or, Showcase Your Prize Possession

Custom-constructed built-ins create the perfect spot to showcase and safeguard this music lover's beautiful stringed instrument. Nearby shelves house an extensive collection of books and albums. Take a tour of this serene spot that even includes a dining nook, below.

See More Photos: Disused Corner Becomes a Beautiful Blue Home Library

From: Harmony Weihs

Hang Art Inside

Designer Sabrina Soto is certainly a pro at creating a collected aesthetic and mixing high with low. In her own living room, the built-ins display family photos alongside framed art and color-coded stacks of books. Take a tour of her LA-area home, below.

See More Photos: Sabrina Soto's Star-Powered Los Angeles Home

From: HGTV Magazine

Or, Hang Art Outside

When styling a bookshelf, don't limit your collection to the shelves, also consider how you'll treat the shelf's face. Designers love to use this space as another area to display art. Consider hanging a favorite print or painting on the front of a bookshelf to break up the boxy grid behind. Just be sure to choose noteworthy art that’s earned its esteemed position — as this colorful parrot print surely has.

Or, Even Add Some Mirrors

Another designer-approved bookcase outer addition? Large mirrors. Here, the lozenge shapes take advantage of this historic home's high ceilings while providing a bit of hidden storage (tuck items you don't want displayed behind) and bouncing around additional light from the adjacent bank of windows. Take a tour of this old-meets-new home, below.

See More Photos: Tour a Bright San Francisco Condo Filled With Sunny Accessories

From: HGTV Magazine

Stash Stuff in Plain Sight

When arranging your shelves, work in a variety of boxes, bins and baskets to not only add height to smaller collectibles but to provide handy hidden storage for items, like holiday decorations, that you only need to access once a year.

From: H. Camille Smith

Style Around Your TV

While a built-in bookcase is a handy addition to most any room, they're most popular in living rooms. Another frequent sight in living rooms? A widescreen TV. By building in a central space that's large enough for the massive screen, flanked on both sides by narrow shelves, this open and airy space proves that you can have stylish storage ... and binge your favorite shows, too. Take a tour of this California home, below.

See More Photos: A Los Angeles Home That Epitomizes California Cool

From: HGTV Magazine

Bring In Some Bling

While mixing metallic finishes is a trend that likely will never go out of style, you can also achieve a glamorous look by sticking to a single color metal (brass, nickel, bronze, etc.) and using it throughout — from the drawer pulls to the overhead lighting. If you're looking for more bookshelf-styling tips for your home office, check out our best ideas, below.

See More Photos: 65+ Small Home Office Ideas

From: Jenn Feldman Designs

Keep It Classic

Soft and sophisticated, this built-in proves that traditional is tried-and-true for good reason. Designer Bria Hammel fills the crisp white shelves with vintage ginger jars and accessories in soft hues that pull their palette from the adjacent pastel shades in the window seat and Roman shade.

From: Bria Hammel Interiors

Or, Make It Fun + Funky

A coat of matte black paint, applied just to the bookcase's back, creates high contrast against this stylish shelf's groupings of Jonathan Adler glass menagerie sculptures, colorful paper fans and even a set of brass slippers. Books grouped together by color help your eyes focus on the convo-starting collectibles.

From: Amity Worrel

Give Kids Some Shelves of Their Own

It is a truth universally acknowledged: There's no such thing as *too much* storage in kids' rooms. This ceiling-height built-in takes the available storage, well, sky high, while providing lots of opportunities for the bedroom's occupant to flex his styling skills when deciding which treasures warrant a shelf.

See More Photos: Tour a Cute California-Cool Cottage With Tons of Neutral Touches

From: HGTV Magazine

Get Organized With Baskets

Kids = stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. Keep little ones' toys up and off the floor with an assortment of baskets, bins or other open containers that make it easy to corral the clutter. Add handwritten labels, as we have here, to help kids find their treasured toys.

See More Photos: 35 Kids' Room Storage and Organization Ideas

Build Around the Ceiling Line

Stretching — literally — to the rafters (or, in this chic living room's case: a central support beam), this custom-built bookcase really boosts both the storage space and style with a beautiful coat of satin forest green paint.

From: Sarah Stacey Interior Design

Or, Build Around a Window

Working with the home's existing 1920s architecture — a central window with a radiator beneath — gave these built-ins their unique window-surrounding shape and encouraged the homeowner and designer to enclose the shelves' base with central vents for the radiator. Take a tour of the century-old home, filled with new-meets-old design ideas, below.

See More Photos: Tour a 100-Year-Old Home With an Eclectic Twist

Incorporate Negative Space

Don’t be afraid of blank space. Strategically leaving certain spots bare can enhance your design and make the items you do place on your shelves feel more important. The key is creating a balanced look by leaving similar amounts of open space between groupings. Also, if you’re working with two shelving units flanking a central focal point, be sure to give each shelf an equal amount of negative space.

From: Lindye Galloway

Dedicate a Single Shelf to Books

Create a built-in focal point by lining one of your shelves exclusively with books. Choose an upper shelf to help draw the eye up. Fill the others with favorite accessories, photos and trinkets.

From: Becky Shea Design

Coordinate Shelf Shade to Book Spines

Another way to streamline the color palette of your bookshelf is to display books in only one color and paint the back of the bookcase in the same shade. Select books in lighter and darker shades of the chosen color to create interest, then mix in a few sculptural pieces for wow factor.

From: Jenn Feldman Designs

Play With Scale

A collection of nesting objects (canisters, trays, bowls, etc.) works perfectly as a bookshelf focal point. Place the objects from smallest to largest for a classic approach, or mix them all up for an unexpected touch.

From: Caitlin Murray

Go Big With Oversized Objects

Small trinkets are usually the go-to for bookshelf styling, but large pieces actually work well, too. Just be sure to create balance on each side of your bookshelf by selecting objects in similar proportions.

From: Genna Margolis

Style With Items Inspired by Your Locale

Take a cue from the surrounding area when designing your built-in bookshelves. Often, the best way to accessorize is with items that mean something to you and your home. That’s why we have all the heart-eyes for the metal fish sculpture adorning this beach house bookcase.

From: Casabella Interiors

45 Must-Know Tips for Styling Your Built-In Bookshelves

Related To:

Shop This Look

Style Your #Shelfie

Don't Forget Bookends

Max Out the Space You Have

Pick a Color ... Any Color

And, Add Some Pretty Paper

Make Built-Ins Purely Functional

Or, Make Built-Ins Purely Decorative

Place Fragile Items Up High

And, Work In Functional Storage Down Low

Add Life With Plants

And, Bring On the Blooms

Go to the Dark Side

Or, Keep It Light + Bright

Group Collections Together

Create Mini Collections of Books

Or, Alternate Books' Directions

Built-Ins: Not Just for the Living Room

Bedroom Built-Ins? You Bet!

Rock the Rainbow

Or, Stick to a Single Shade

Style Shelves Minimally

Or, Style Shelves Maximally

Work In Form + Function With a Ladder

Use Built-Ins to Maximize a Mini Spot

Lighting: Add Sconce-Style Fixtures

Lighting: Or, Work In a Lamp

Work In Quirky Finds

Or, Showcase Your Prize Possession

Hang Art Inside

Or, Hang Art Outside

Or, Even Add Some Mirrors

Stash Stuff in Plain Sight

Style Around Your TV

Bring In Some Bling

Keep It Classic

Or, Make It Fun + Funky

Give Kids Some Shelves of Their Own

Get Organized With Baskets

Build Around the Ceiling Line

Or, Build Around a Window

Incorporate Negative Space

Dedicate a Single Shelf to Books

Coordinate Shelf Shade to Book Spines

Play With Scale

Go Big With Oversized Objects

Style With Items Inspired by Your Locale

10 Interiors That Make the Case for Built-In Shelving 10 Photos

How to Build Bookshelves Around a Fireplace

20 Beautiful Built-Ins 20 Photos

How to Display Your Collection Without Looking Like a Hoarder

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