For many homeowners, bookshelves are a practical necessity. More than just acting as a lovely library of all our favourite literary works, your bookshelves are a way to showcase your creativity and build a unique tapestry of what makes you truly you. With that said, bookshelves can take up quite a significant amount of room from our walls, so for those of us who are inclined towards home styling, it’s important that we know how to make the most out of our shelving.
At La Joie Living, we are passionate about providing families and homeowners with new ways to really make their space their own. So, today, we’re going to go through some of the ways that you can bring your personality to your shelving aesthetic, and offer you insights into how you can upgrade your bookshelf style!
Choosing Your Bookcase
If you’re looking to style with bookcases and you are on the hunt for the perfect one, then we should start by helping you decide which is going to be right for your space. For example, suppose you only have a small wall space to work with. In that case, you’ll want to go for something thinner and taller, such as the French Provincial Extended Library Bookcase unit, which provides a slimmer bookcase option that is quite tall, coming with a matching ladder to avoid compromises on storage space and functionality.
Alternatively, if the style suits you better, you could consider going with the larger bookcase option, for which we have the Hamptons Halifax Extendable Bay Library Bookcase. This is a significant size upgrade compared to the French Provincial, allowing your bookcase to effectively become a feature wall in and of itself.
Once you’ve selected a bookshelf, or you’ve readied your existing shelving setup, we can then move onto your books themselves.
Start With Your Books
As the main showcase of your bookshelf, you want to know what will stay and what will go. Remember that not all of your books need to be on display at all times, and you’ll want to leave ample room for accessories. So, be brutal when looking at your lavish library, and see what books might be okay to stay in storage for the time being; you can always swap them out based on your reading habits at the time.
Say goodbye to those textbooks from high school you have somehow kept around, pack away the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th copies of that one novel you seem to always end up picking up before you remember that you already bought it. Now is always the perfect time to cull and reorganise your shelf space to ensure that your home is not simply claimed by clutter.
Once you’ve made room, you can start developing your accessory set.
As we mentioned, a bookshelf inevitably becomes a kind of tapestry of things that you care about, so don’t be afraid to add in some artwork and visually appealing pieces to really complete the look. Framed pieces are perfect for this, as it will also allow you to play with shapes and add more variety to your shelving.
Play With Shapes
For an arrangement to look natural and visually interesting, it’s important that you offer some eye-catching “anchor” pieces into your shelving. For this, find some taller
objects such as figures, vases, or even small sculptures to break up the uniformity of your books. You can even use pieces like these as bookends to really complete the look of an effortlessly charming bookshelf aesthetic.
Find the Perfect Plants
Hanging plants such as vines are a staple of home styling for a reason. They offer such a lush, beautiful addition that helps to make a space feel more lived in and vibrant. Another classic of plant styling is succulents, with their added bonus of requiring very little in the way of care to keep them alive and happy.
Just remember that any plants you get may have their own ideal watering schedules. So, if you’re planning to get a wide array of plants to take care of, try to make sure that you can water them at around the same times to avoid an endless cycle of keeping your bookcase aesthetic from drying out.
Invest in Storage Boxes
For those of us who find ourselves holding onto things for a long time (I’m looking at you, every book lover), a little extra storage space is always going to feel like a blessing. Because of this, having storage boxes that easily slot into your bookshelf is a great way to keep things organised, while also adding that extra flair to your bookshelf aesthetic.
Storage boxes add depth and intricacy to a space, rather than just having everything laid out in rows. So, whether you’re in this for the form or the function, storage boxes are a great way to tick off both.
Shop With La Joie Living Today
Whether you’re moving home or you’re just looking to update your furniture, La Joie Living is a fantastic one-stop shop for your at-home needs. Explore our full furniture range, and see how we can help you with the next step of your home furnishing journey!
