Learn More About Our Full-Service Design Firm Learn More About Our Full-Service Design Firm

Nerdy Chic: Organizing & Decorating Your Bookcase

Hello Fabulistas! I thought we'd get a little nerdy today. I always notice how bookcases are decorated and organized. I notice them everywhere—at bars and restaurants, in homes and even on displays. Even though bookcases are made for storage, they're also built-in artwork! We can store our things and make the bookcase look fabulous at the same time! Your home is a reflection of who you are...and how you see yourself. I believe it also helps you become the person you want to be. If you want to be organized, this is the perfect way to get started! There are several ways to organize your books, so you have to decide what's best for you. Are you a visual person, and remember books by the color of their spines? Or, do you remember names and need things to be alphabetized? Do you want to divide books up by category? It's totally up to you!

Books by color from Land of Nod

Once the books are divided up, I like to put them in height order. Tall to short always looks best, but to avoid the "perfect" look you can mix them up a little. Be sure to align the books with the front edge so they look neat.

Neat bookcase from Pinterest

Have things other than books? Invest in some bins. This is a great way to add color, too. You can add accent colors here, or tone a colorful room down buy picking up black or white bins. Large bins can hold smaller items and papers, and magazine bins are a great way to keep those mags in order!

Bookcase with bins from Pinterest

Now the fun part...we style! Is there a bookcase style you LOVE? Look at some of your favorite designers and figure out which look works in your home. I like to space the books out so they aren't all in a row. I also turn some on their side, just to create a little more visual interest. Play around with this. There is no right or wrong way to style! Figure out what works for YOU!

Styled bookcase from LA Confidential

Last, accessorize! You'd be surprised with how many things you already have at home. You can work with just about anything, the key is, the space should represent YOU and YOUR FAMILY. Add some framed pictures or treasures you picked up on your last trip. Place them in the empty space between books, or even on top of books. Again, there is no wrong way to do this, so you can try it multiple ways!

Accessorized bookcase from JPM Design

Organizing and decorating bookcases are so much fun. You get to tidy up and create a new look at the same time. Will you be working on your bookcase this weekend? I'd love to see what you come up with. You can tweet your pictures to me, @robinbaron, or leave me a comment below.

Leave a comment

#ROBINISM

Light all four corners of a room. A well-lit room feels happier!

Evenly distributed light means fewer dark corners and shadows in the room.