Four Tips for Styling a Bookcase

Thank you Target for sponsoring this post!

Happy Hump Day peeps! On the agenda today: How to Style a Bookcase. I’ve teamed up with Target and my go-to gal for interior design inspiration, Michaela, to share some tips on how to ace bookcase styling instead of disgracing it. Cuz it can be a fine line, amiright? The truth is, nobody needs this advice more than I do right now. Can I keep it real with you for a sec and tell you things that will reveal what a snobby, pretentious, entitled whore I can be sometimes? Chase and I recently moved into an apartment. And not a nice apartment, not a town home, no – I’m talkin’ a massive, moderately ghetto apartment complex. With units the size of shoe boxes. And carpet. And popcorn ceilings. And walls that need a fresh paint job worse than my roots need to be dyed at 6 months of outgrowth. Ok?! And you guys – apartments are fine. I know this. And I know that I need to shut it and be so, so grateful to just have a roof over my head at all (you ingrate) – and really when I think about it and stop being such a Worldly Wendy, I AM so thankful for that. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that at age 30, moving into a funk-nast apartment complex feels like 45% depressing 100% of the time. But welcome to living in California! Turns out that when you’re a normal human and you don’t have a trust fund or a successful family business to inherit or a pre-IPO startup company that’s killin’ it or an investment banker husband or a blog that makes millions, you have to save up to buy a home by living in the ghetto for a minute. Right? Is this relatable to anyone else? POINT BEING: this place needs extra help being cute, and anything I can do to make it feel more like home is exactly what I need. So these tips are timely for me! And hopefully they will be for you too.

So, per Ms. Michaela of Michaela Noelle Designs, here are three ingredients that every bookcase needs + one more tip (and a bonus one, cuz we cool like that) for how to style your bookcase like a pro:

Ingredient #1: Books

Imagine that – books in your bookcase! But seriously, with all the bells and whistles in home decor these days, it’s easy to put them at the bottom of list. Just don’t forget that books are what this piece of furniture was made for in the first place! How you include the books is where you can get creative. Stack them horizontally, vary the side that they’re stacked against, have them come from both sides with space in the middle… the possibilities are endless. And you don’t have to include every book you own. Hand pick the ones you think would look the best based on color, height, and character, and then leave the rest for the bookcase in the corner of your office (or the boxes in your storage unit, in our case).

Bonus tips:

• If you’re going to stack your books horizontally, just make sure you put an object on the top of the stack. Michaela taught me this one, and she’s right. It looks much better.
• For a cleaner look, try turning the books around so that the pages are facing out. Anthropologie did this once and it looked amazing, so we know it’s a valid tip! If you’re anything like me, the color of your book bindings vary drastically. By turning the pages out, you get that uniform look without having to go out and buy 50 books you have no interest in, simply because they have white binding.
• Create your own book covers to get that uniform look. It’s a little more of a time investment, but worth it if you’ve got it to invest. Follow me on Pinterest and then search for book covering tutorials. I found this one which seems decent, but you might be able to find better ones (I ran out of time if we’re being totally honest here).

Ingredient #2: Objects

Here is where you get to add all your bells and whistles. Including unique objects adds dimension and color into your bookcase. Think picture picture frames, figurines (like the little elephant on my bottom shelf), decorative bowls, candles, etc. The nice thing is that items like this don’t have to break the bank. I love this and this from Target. Also, get creative and use things you already have. This globe and chevron frame were items I’d bought from Target months ago and repurposed for the bookcase. I bet you’d be surprised at how many things you can do that with in your home.

Ingredient #3: Something fresh or living

I can’t keep a plant alive to save my life, so for me it’s all about finding a fake plant or two that look real (like this succulent from Target). Whether it’s real or fake, make sure you add some texture and ‘life’ to your bookcase by including some type of plant.

Tip #4: Decorate in odd numbers

It is a scientifically proven fact that our eyes naturally gravitate toward things that are grouped in threes. Two of something can be too symmetrical, and four can look too cluttered, so three… three is that magic, sweet-spot number.

Bonus Tip…

• Once you’re ready to style your bookcase, clear everything off the bookcase and start with a clean, fresh, empty slate.
• Then add each key ingredient in this order: Books first, then objects, then plants.

SHOP THE BOOKCASE:

Bookcase: Threshold via Target, c/o {buy here} | Lamp: Home Goods {old; love this one} | Mini globe: Target {buy here} | Decorative bowl: Anthropologie {buy here} | ‘Front Roe’ book: c/o Reward Style {buy here} | Elephant figurine: Forever21 {old; similar here} | Chevron frame: Target {old; similar here} | Gold frame: Frame Bridge, c/o {buy here} | Accent pillows: Old {love this one and this one} | Elephant side table: Serena & Lily, c/o {buy here}

Find your style @Targetstyle

Have a Wet n’ Wild Wednesday!
Thanks for reading. xo