Besides engrossing yourself in an epic storyline and plot, one of the best reading parts is displaying your favorite books for your family and guests. Books are incredible decorations that add a chic, timeless aesthetic to your home. There are many ways to make your favorite books fun and playful, like adding them to a vintage truck, placing them in glass cabinets, or creating book sculptures.
Bookshelf Styling
One of the most playful ways to display your books is to organize them by color, size, or theme for a visually pleasing look. For example, you can have a section with only blue, green, pink, and blue books to create a rainbow. You can also organize large and small books together in size order or by themes, such as fantasy, science fiction, or mystery.
Elegant Stacked Coffee Table Books
Large art or fashion books can create an elegant centerpiece and focal point for your room. Be strategic when picking different books. Use neutral colors like white, brown, gray, and black. To add a bit of pop, add one bright, bold color, like blue. Surround these books with plants and other trinkets for a cohesive look. Besides, these large books look better on your coffee table than tucked away inside a bookshelf.
Built-in Bookshelves
Utilizing built-in bookshelves for a seamless look that acts as organization and storage while also saving space. These are fun ways to incorporate books into your home without the added hassle of adding a large bookshelf that takes up floor space. You can also use the built-in bookshelf for added trinkets and greenery.
Install Functional Floating Bookshelves
For a unique and playful decoration, install wall-mounted shelves to give the illusion of books floating. This is a fun DIY project. You can organize the books by size or genre and mix them with different trinkets. If you have historic or vintage books, this is a fun way to display them for your guests.
Display Books in Glass-Front Cabinets
If you have old, vintage books, displaying them in glass-front cabinets is a great way to showcase and protect them. The cabinets will help protect the books from dust and damaging air particles while allowing you to admire their beauty. They’ll also add a decorative aesthetic while promoting the books’ longevity.
Add a Quirky Library Ladder Display
Incorporate a vintage rolling ladder to bring an old-fashioned, timeless aesthetic into your living room. This addition of easy functionality will help improve your accessibility to books higher up on your shelf. This will also enhance the aesthetics of your home by keeping it clean and organized. It will also help you navigate your books safely and effectively instead of wobbling on a chair to reach for higher books.
Fireplace Mantel Styling
There’s nothing better than sitting next to a warm fireplace in winter and cozying up with a good book and hot chocolate. You can stack or layer books for a cozy, intellectual look next to a fireplace. This makes your books easy to find and within reach. Surround the fireplace with cozy chairs and cushions. Decorate the mantel with vintage books in warm, earthy tones for a cohesive look. Or, decorate the mantel with many different books for an exciting aesthetic that makes you feel like you’re in a library.
Books in a Console Table
To optimize storage and decoration, you can store books in open cubbies or under a glass tabletop to showcase your books and make them easily accessible. These will also act as conversation starters for your guests and add a touch of your personality to your room based on the books you choose to display on the console table.
Bookshelf with Mixed Decor
Blend books with plants, sculptures, and candles to vamp up your space and add texture to your personality. This will add variety and depth to your space and give it multiple focal points. It will also help make your space feel more varied without seeming too uniform or that your bookshelf has one sole purpose as a book-displaying unit.
Antique Bookcase
To add character and mix modern and vintage decoration, use vintage or repurposed furniture that adds character. An antique bookcase decorated with modern and antique books does a great job incorporating this vintage aesthetic. Head to your local thrift or antique shop to find a vintage bookcase made of dark oak with intricate carvings.
Books as Wall Art
Building a unique gallery wall is a great way to introduce quirky decorative aspects into your home! Arrange open books on the walls to create a dynamic art piece. Since you’ll have to cut the books to turn them into art, this is a great way to display books you’ve already read. You can open them to your favorite passages and display them on your wall.
Hanging Bookshelves
Use rope or wire to hang shelves from your ceiling to provide a unique floating effect. You’ll have to ensure these bookshelves are high enough that anyone can walk underneath them without hitting their head. Decorate it with small, non-fragile trinkets to mix it up. Use smaller, lighter books and ensure the shelf is secured to the ceiling.
Vertical Book Tower
This is a quirky feature you can add to your home. A freestanding column of stacked books is eye-catching. It’s better to add a book tower in an area of your home where there’s not a lot of foot traffic or pet activity to prevent it from toppling over. You can use a variety of colors to create an ombre effect. Use soft, neutral, gradient colors.
Book Wreaths
Grab some of our favorite pages from your favorite books and use them to craft decorative wreaths. Even though you won’t be able to read that particular book anymore, you can still display it to remind you of how enjoyable the story was and how much you learned from it. Use pages from different books to create various pages with different fonts.
Rainbow Book Arrangement
Save one shelf on your bookcase to organize books by color for a vibrant display. You can use all the rainbow colors, pick a particular shade, and only use books. You can start with white books and move on to light, medium, dark pink, and red books. If you want an entirely quirky, creative space, use a variety of books in different colors throughout the shelves.
Book Sculptures
To create a quirky and unique home decoration, create a book sculpture. Fold pages or carve books into large, artistic shapes that fit the aesthetic of your home. You have complete creative leeway here. Create sculptures like large horse statues or Greek gods for a homely, quirky aesthetic.
Books in a Basket
Adding a rustic or woven basket filled with books can bring your favorite fairytale to life in your living room. This adds warmth and evokes an inviting, homely space. Depending on the mood or conversation starter you want to create, you can use a variety of self-help books or fiction books in your basket. Place the basket in an accessible place in your living room so you and your guests can quickly grab the books and flip through them.
Books as Table Legs
Stacking books to support a glass tabletop can create a quirky and fun decorative piece. Use large, heavy books to support the table and anything else on top of it. Make sure the books are equal in thickness so the table isn’t tilted and stays flat on top of them. If you have excess books, this is a great way to display them and use them for other purposes.
Under-Bed Book Storage
If you have too many books and don’t know what to do with all of them, you can simply keep books within reach while maximizing space. Even if you want to keep your favorite books accessible, you can keep them right on the edge of your bed so they’re easy to grab before you fall asleep at night. Use different storage bins so they stay organized and don’t make one giant messy pile. You can even use the books to elevate your bed.
Books as a Nightstand
If your books no longer fit in your bookcase, you can easily stack books as a makeshift side table. For maximum accessibility, put the most recent book you’re reading on the top of the nightstand so you can quickly grab it before bed, read it, and then place it back on your nightstand made of books. Make sure you use larger books at the bottom of the nightstand so it’s sturdier and more stable.
Books as Planter Bases
If you have a lot in your home, combine them with your books to create a dual decorative element. Simply elevate plant pots with a tall book stack. This will give your home an inviting, homely feeling without seeming too overwhelming. Besides, adding greenery to your space is great for your mental health, as are books, so why not combine the two?
Books as Candle Holders
Stack books with candles on top and display them around your home for added ambiance. Make sure only to use candles nestled in large glass jars so it doesn’t accidentally burn the paper in the book. The books will evoke a sense of calm in addition to the candles. There’s no better way to create an inviting reading space than by combining candles and books!
Books on a Bar Cart
Add literary charm to your quirky, stylish bar setup. There’s nothing better than ending your day with a good glass of wine and a stack of good books, so combining the two is practical and easy. Use a vintage bar cart for a timeless, nostalgic aesthetic or a clean-lined, modern bar cart for a minimalist aesthetic.
Repurposed Fireplace Book Storage
If you have a fireplace in your home that’s dysfunctional and unused, you can fill it with books. This is an excellent and creative way to use something otherwise unused. You won’t need to go out and purchase a new bookshelf, either. Simply clean your fireplace and stack many books where the firewood would otherwise go.
Book-Filled Headboard
There’s no easier way to access books than by displaying them on your headboard. Installing shelves in your headboard is a great way to create a DIY headboard with books. Fill them with your favorite books so you can easily reach behind you and grab them when you want to read before bed. This is also a great way to maximize space, especially in a small home.
Books in a Vintage Suitcase
This is a timeless, nostalgic touch for book lovers. If you have an unused vintage suitcase in your attic or basement, it’s time to break it out and put it to good use! Fill it with your favorite books and display it in your living room. To make it pop, you can also revamp and refurnish it with gold accents.
Books in a Birdcage
Adding books to a birdcage adds charm to eclectic décor. Use a large, rustic, vintage bookcase as a statement piece and focal point in your modern living room. Fill it with decorative vintage books with gold rims to double as storage and decoration. Support it to the ceiling and hang it above your coffee table, or place it in the corner of your living room.
Books as a Room Divider
If you have an ample living space that you want to divide into two separate rooms, you can use bookshelves to divide the space. This is an easy way to divide the space without installing a wall and paying for construction. Besides, there’s nothing better than having a large bookshelf to divide a room. In one of the rooms, you can build a cozy reading nook with large bean bags and cushions.
Books in an Old Piano
If you have a dysfunctional piano that’s no longer in use, don’t throw it away! Instead, fill the center of the piano with books to repurpose it into unique shelving. Remove the piano keys and internal mechanisms, then install shelves inside to organize the books and keep them clutter-free. Keep the piano keys intact for decorative purposes.
Books on a Pegboard Wall
For an easy DIY project, install a pegboard wall in your living room with adjustable shelving for a dynamic look. Place your books on the shelves for a fun, dynamic look that you can change whenever you like. Use bright, colorful books for a bold aesthetic.