Books make great decor. By having them on display you can add character and interest to a space whether thats a bedroom, living room or a kitchen. It doesn’t always have to be a lot of books, even a couple is often enough. And by books, I also mean beautiful magazines, especially if you collect them.
Books are personal so they tell your story and show off your style. Most of us have many books — coffee table books, cookbooks, novels and more — so why not decorate with them. I’m sharing nine simple ways for decorating with books so they double as decor — I use many of these ways in my home because I love having books dotted around everywhere.
Decorating with books: 9 simple ways to display your books
1. show off books on shelves
I’m not talking about regular bookshelves stacked with books library-style, but instead books that are displayed with intention. This could mean having a few small stacks of books or maybe an open book or two. By doing it this way, you get to see and appreciate each book. I also like to mix in other decorations like candles, vases and sculptures to create a display.
2. use books as art
This is one of my favourite ways of decorating with books because books are art. Instead of shelving them with only their spines showing, pull out your most beautiful ones and lean them on a shelf so that their fronts can be seen and appreciated. This will add so much to your decor and you can change up the look by switching up the books whenever you want to. The grey shelf pictured above is a great example of displaying books in this way and it’s an easy IKEA hack that is so budget friendly too.
3. style a bench with books
A bench is another great place to display books. Whether that’s in an entryway, living room or bedroom, any bench, small or large, will benefit from a few books on display.
4. stack up a pile on the floor
Just like you might lean a piece of art on the floor, you can pile up a stack of books or create multiple stacks of books on the floor They look great and add instant decor. You can even stack up a pile next to your bed and use it as a small table.
5. leave cookbooks on a kitchen counter or island
Most of us own a few cookbooks at least so why not show them off in our kitchens? A cookbook leaning on a kitchen counter or lying on a kitchen island looks great and adds a lovely decorative touch to the space.
6. display books on a dining table
Dining tables are a great place to display books especially if you have a dining table that’s only used occasionally. I eat in my kitchen everyday so my main dining table is barely used. Instead of leaving it bare, I have a few books on display as well as some flowers or candles so it looks styled and adds to the rest of the room. But even if it’s used daily, if space permits, add a few books anyway.
7. stack a few on your desk
If you have a home office or even just a desk, it’s probably got a laptop or desktop on it but why not add a few books or magazines too? Beyond decor, they’ll give you some inspiration too.
8. display them in a basket
I don’t see books displayed in baskets much but why not? I do it in my home and I love the look. A shallow basket with a few favourite books is a perfect little decor accent especially in a living room.
9. display them on a coffee table
This might seem obvious and even feel like it’s overdone but there’s a reason for that – coffee tables and books, especially coffee table books just go together. It’s an effortless way to add some interest to any coffee table. And you can vary the look by having a book open on your favourite page.
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Lovely post that strikes a chord with me as an author and a practitioner of Tsundoku 😉 My favourite is number 2 although as mentioned I’m partial to number 4. I like the idea of using your books as art shelves too.
Love the idea of Tsundoku. Books do make lovely decor and I love doing no.4 too – although use magazines too.