How To Style A Bookshelf: Creative Shelf Decor Ideas
A good shelf isn't full. The ones that look right in photographs leave roughly a third of each shelf empty, and that's the bit most people get wrong.
Everything else is mixing three things: books, one object with height, and something flat like a print or a frame.
Honest note: we make cards, prints, pin badges and party decorations. LEGO sets, vases and baskets are recommendations from elsewhere.
Shop the cards that go with these
Prints for the shelf, designed and printed by us
Small prints that lean beautifully against the back of a shelf, printed in the UK.
"Let It Be" By The Beatles Inspired Music Lyrics Print (Piano)
£8.00
"Let It Be" By The Beatles Inspired Music Lyrics Print (Guitar)
£8.00
Everybody In The Kitchen Getting Tipsy (A5 - A3)
£8.00
Hip Hop Don't Stop Poster (A5 - A3)
£8.00
Cause I'm Too Messy And Then I'm Too Fucking Clean (Music Lyric Prints)
£8.00
There's Only Room For One Dickhead Wall Print (A5 - A3)
£6.00
The method
- Take everything off. You can't style around what's already there.
- Fill roughly two thirds of each shelf and leave the rest empty.
- Per shelf: some books standing, a small stack lying flat, one object on top of the stack, one taller thing.
- Vary the heights across the shelves so your eye moves up and down rather than along a flat line.
- Step back after each shelf. It always looks different from two metres away.
What to put between the books
- A small framed print leaning against the back - instant depth.
- Something green that won't die on a dark shelf: a buildable plant, or a trailing pothos if the shelf gets light.
- A ceramic or wooden object with a bit of weight.
- A single photo frame, not five.
- A box or basket on a low shelf for the things that aren't beautiful.
Colour, alphabetical or by size
- By colour looks best in photos and is genuinely annoying to use.
- By subject is what most readers end up with, and it's fine.
- Spines out always - reversed books look neat and make the shelf useless.
- Group the loud paperback covers together so they read as one block rather than noise.
- Hardbacks at the bottom, which is both sturdier and visually correct.
Mistakes that kill a shelfie
- Packing every shelf to the end. Gaps are the styling.
- Every object the same height.
- Too many small things - one big object beats five small ones.
- Lining everything flush to the front edge; push some back for depth.
- Gallery walls and shelf displays - Read the guide
Found your words? Now find the card
How to write it so it lands
- Two thirds full, one third empty.
- Lean a print against the back for depth.
- Step back after every shelf.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you style a bookshelf?
Empty it, then fill about two thirds of each shelf: some books standing, a small flat stack with an object on top, one taller item, and a leaning print for depth. Leave the rest empty.
How full should a bookshelf be?
Around two thirds. Packing shelves end to end is the most common reason a shelf looks cluttered rather than styled.
Should you arrange books by colour?
By colour photographs best but makes finding anything hard. By subject is the practical choice, with loud covers grouped together so they read as one block.
What do you put on shelves besides books?
A leaning print, one object with height, something green that survives low light, a single photo frame, and a basket on the bottom shelf for clutter.
What plants work on a bookshelf?
Most shelves are too dark for anything demanding. A trailing pothos copes, and a buildable model plant copes with anything.
Do you sell LEGO sets or plants?
No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges, prints and party decorations in the UK. LEGO Botanicals and real plants are recommendations from elsewhere - the only things linked to our own shop are ours.