-
Step 1
Paint or wallpaper the back of the shelves. You can use a different color than the rest of the room like a deep chocolate brown or shocking red. This adds interest & color.
-
Step 2
Take the dust jackets off the books. This makes any book look like an antique & will give the library an old world & cohesive feel.
-
Step 3
If you still really want to use dust jackets, or your books seem too mismatched, try making your own. Remember how you used to covers books in school? Get some white butcher paper & go to work. Several decorating magazines have featured this look.
-
Step 4
Arrange the books both horizontally & vertically. This instantly gives a feeling that you put thought into this instead of just throwing all of your books in it.
-
Step 5
Bookshelves aren't for just books anymore. Add in frames & vases to break things up & display whatever is important to you. You can even set a large seashell on top of a stack of books.
-
Step 6
Hang art from the top of your bookshelf. This looks nice if you have a pair of bookcases on either side of a fireplace. It will cover the first two shelves partly but you can easily move the art whenever you need to access the shelves. Use chain & matching prints to balance things out.
