Styling Bookshelves on a Budget
To style bookshelves on a budget, consider the following tips:
Declutter and Organize: Start by decluttering the shelves and organizing books and items by size, color, or theme. Everything looks better on a tray! A great way to organize lower shelves is to bring in larger matching baskets that will fill the shelf (this is where you can hide misc. items that won’t works on a shelf) in this case these act a little like drawers. The best place to get baskets are your local discount home stores. Don’t forget to measure your height/width/depth first--it will save you a trip!
Utilize Personal Items: Display personal items like photos, plants, or travel souvenirs to add a personal touch.
Mix and Match: Combine books with decorative objects such as vases, sculptures, or candles to create visual interest. We link to bring in textures (stone, wood, ceramic plants and metals) We like to check out our local thrift stores, and YES some are better than others, for home goods! Some of our favorite finds have come out from the local swap meet/ flea markets… Items to look for: sculpture, hardcover books of interest, large bowl, trays, pottery, plants, interesting objects
Use Vertical and Horizontal Stacks: Vary the placement of books by stacking some vertically and some horizontally for a balanced look.
Add Greenery: Incorporate low-cost greenery like potted plants or small succulents to bring life to the shelves. Plants are wonderful, to bring in texture and interest (don’t forget to get a plant tray, to catch excess water) There are a lot of lowlight plants out there that don’t require direct sunlight. A great place to find these are your local flea market, even big box hardware stores.
SCALE is important : The items on a shelf (think SCALE) .. The bigger the better to help fill the space. A lot of little items - tend to feel cluttered. And you don't need to feel like every shelf should be identical of full, it’s dependent on what you have.
Organize your Wires: if you need to put items on a shelf that have wires, we like to use closed back books shelves in these cases (so you don’t see all the wires) another option would be to place wired item towards the bottom (less visible wires)
By following these tips, you can style your bookshelves on a budget while still achieving a chic and personalized look. We tend to move items around on the shelves, until it feels good- it takes a little time to get the shelves right so that they feel balanced, organized and interesting!
Lastly, Have fun with it - Hope this helps!
