How to Style Bookcases

As an interior designer, I’m often asked about bookcases by clients with new homes or recently renovated spaces. More specifically — everyone wants them, but no one knows what to do with them, or at least, how to style them. 

Unless you have hundreds of volumes of leather-bound books or an endless array of coffee table tomes at your disposal, you’ve got to get creative with how to make your shelves look full, balanced, and curated. Below are some designer tips and examples of styled bookshelves from a few of my clients’ projects.  

Balance without Symmetry                                                                                                   

A key factor in curating a look for your bookcases that isn’t too staged or expected is to create a sense of balance without necessarily using pairs placed symmetrically about an axis. Instead, look to objects that are similar in scale and volume and pit those against one another for a more natural balance. For example, a small group of leather-bound books could pair well with a large geode positioned one shelf over. 

Scale

In any arrangement, one of the biggest mistakes people make is forgetting to consider the scale of the items that they’re placing next to or near one another. Try to avoid positioning accessories that are the same height or mass together on the same shelf. This tends to look visually awkward and begs the question: Are they a pair or not a pair, but a set? One shouldn’t have to feel tension between objects.  

Collections                                                                                                

Everyone collects something. As a designer, I know that one of the best and most striking ways to present a client’s collection is a powerful and thought out grouping of those items. Why not put all of your Fiesta Ware together, and let it shine as a composition? The display of a total collection together elevates each piece and makes the entire group seem more special. Interspersing stacks of books here and there for interest is another way to add dimension to your collectibles.  

Accessibility                                                                                               

After giving you all of this staging and balancing advice, I think it’s most important to actually use the books you’ve strived so hard to perfectly place. Put volumes that you love and read often at lower levels. Display these books vertically for easier access. An easy way to give this more traditional book arrangement some style is to simply accessorize with bookends for practicality and look.  

Chad Graci is principle of the international design firm, Graci Interiors, LLC, based out of New Orleans, LA. Graci works on variously scaled projects both locally and nationally, providing his clients with beautiful, thoughtful interiors. On instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graciinteriors/.