For those of you who want your bookshelves to actually hold books, check out this book lover’s guide to styling a bookshelf.

Growing up, my mom always had our bookshelf filled to the brim with books of every kind. They were arranged every which way and crammed onto each shelf like a pack of sardines. If we managed to get one book out, it was inevitable that a few more would come tumbling down with it.

Fast-forward to now and I have also taken on this habit of stuffing the shelves to the brim with all kinds of books, arranged every which way.

I flipped through a few home décor magazines and scrolled through my Pinterest feed to get some inspiration for a little organization.

A lot of the shelf styling pictures and tutorials that I found, while absolutely beautiful, didn’t actually contain many books. There were one or two perfectly placed on a shelf, but what about those of us that actually want to use our bookshelf for… books [shocking revelation, I know]?

So, I thought I’d share a book lover’s guide to styling a bookshelf. Because us book lovers deserve some lovin’ too. And to show it is possible to have a beautifully styled shelf that serves its intended purpose.

How to Decorate a Book Shelf Using Books

Here’s the before shot – I wasn’t lying when I told you it was cluttered and crammed!

Tip #1. Start with an empty shelf. It’s easier to put together when you’re starting from square one.

Tip #2. Remove all the book jackets from the hard cover books.

Tip #3. Put together like-colors and like styles – hard cover with hard cover, paperback with paperback.

Tip #4. Arrange books in rows and in piles. It creates a little more visual interest than just rows all the way across a shelf.

Tip #5. Shop your house for trinkets and knick-knacks. Candle holders, figurines and glass jars work great.

And just like that, you’ve got a great looking book shelf that is actually functional!

All our best,