Lavender Hill Interiors - May 2022
4 Steps to Styling Books at Home Like a Designer
Book lovers and aesthetes alike know the pleasure of a well-designed book collection. Whether it’s an expansive library meant to show off your classics pile or colour-coded open shelves that serve as a room’s key feature, organising books can bring a sophisticated elegance to any space.
Like any design project, styling books at home is an art. Here are some of our favourite ideas that can transform any book collection into a stunning visual display at home.
1. Create space for other displays
A common design mistake most people make is filling every inch of their shelf with books. Sometimes, less is more! The secret is to give your shelves room to breathe and space for you to display other beloved memorabilia or decor. For instance, round vases or ceramics can add softness to your shelf. This allows the eyes to calmly examine the display rather than be overwhelmed by crammed stacks.
Image from Elements of Style
Our Styling Suggestions
Lavender Hill Interiors Suri Vase & Medium Marble Pear on our beautiful coffee table books.
Rattan Tray with coffee table books and a Medium Marble Pear. Also showing a White Ceramic Jug and Imperial Ceramic Bird.
2. Play around with angles
Vertically arranging books isn’t the only way to go. Tilting some books diagonally as makeshift ends or creating curated stacks brings dynamism to your display. This technique also helps draw attention to certain areas you’d want to highlight. – You can group rarer titles together in a stack or have them lean on others to grab attention more quickly.
For books – or even magazines – with an exceptional cover worth displaying, you can consider positioning them face-front on an open wall-mounted shelf, like specialty books in bookstores.
Our Styling Suggestions
Lavender Hill Interiors decor pieces and books available on the website. Click on the photos to connect.
3. Stack a curated pile for the coffee table
Image from Pinterest
Stack a curated pile on the coffee table. Shelves aren’t the only place for arranging books. Coffee tables are an equally excellent spot to feature your favourite hardcovers. Consider a selection based on a theme or colour, and place it by width. Top it off with a chic decor piece of your choice or arrange some candles for added elegance.
You can apply the same principles to other surfaces, like a console table or bedside table in your guest room.
Lavender Hill Interiors One Drawer Bedside table styled with our books and decor items.
Left Image from Pinterest Right Image My Design Chic
Image from Ann M Dennis
Lavender Hill Interiors Glass urn Lamp styled with our Rattan Tray, coffee table books and decor pieces on a White Console Table and White Hamptons Coffee Table
Lavender Hill Interior Marble Pear and White Ceramic Jug along with our styling books. Connect by clicking on the photo
An example of a couple of our beautiful styling books available on line.
4. Organise by width or colour
Another approach is arranging your books by thickness or colour. For the former, place your denser volumes at the lower levels of your shelf, and fix the lighter books up top. You can keep the higher levels sparser too or break the lines with a small ornament. This way, you give balance to your shelf.
Image from Hamptons Diary
Organising by different shades is another classic technique that can elevate your display.
Image from Hamptons Diary
Lavender Hill Interiors Marble Pears and Apples styled with our coffee table books. Connect with the website to see more.
Depending on the room’s aesthetic, you can even try flipping the books to hide the spines and present a monochromatic and natural look.
Image from Joy Design Build
image from coffeetablestoday.com
Some of Lavender Hill Interiors' selections for styling with books
Lavender Hill Interiors Parquetry coffee table with Rattan tray styled with our coffee table books and decor items
These ideas only scratch the surface of your book collection's potential as home decor! Your creativity will surely kick in once you have the right furniture to work with. Lavender Hill has some of the essentials to get you started in this design journey.
