I recently completed an interior styling project for an Airbnb in South Yarra, Melbourne. The client liked colour and pattern. My interior design solution focused on these elements as well as shape. I chose a bookcase that had texture and different shaped nooks for objects including books. Here how I styled this bookcase, with tips on how to style your bookcase.
The right bookcase for your space and style
First tip is to find the right bookcase for your space and style. For this project I chose a white bookcase as a strong contrast to the blue walls.
If your style is Industrial, you might prefer a metal, powder-coated bookcase. If your style is Boho, you might like a rattan bookcase.
Knowing your style is key to choosing the right bookcase for the space. Knowing the location of your bookcase in the space is also important to ensure you choose the right sized piece.
Select the objects you want to display
An interestingly styled bookcase has objects that are personal to you that you want to display. They could be things you love, books, heirlooms, or a collection. The next tip on how to style your bookcase is to reflect on all the pieces you want to display. Then, look for similarities among them.
The similarities in your pieces might be colour, size (width and height), texture, pattern. For this bookcase, the pieces I had to work with were books. I also had the client’s travel photos in a frame and vases they bought.
All the other pieces I chose and added to the mix. The other pieces were in line with the style and colour scheme of the overall interior design strategy. Materials such as rattan and ceramic, colours such as pink and blue.
Trial and error to style a bookcase
Once I had a range of objects I put them in the bookcase and moved them around. Until the I got the balance right.
For example, my client wanted a cocktail mixing set and two tumblers on the bookcase. However, it didn’t work from a size and shape perspective. As a result, it was excluded.
Where there was a nook with height I added a tall item. Where there was width I added foliage (top left nook). I created height with books for the frame to sit on and be balanced next to the tall blue vase.
I put things vertically and then horizontally until it felt right. Sometimes your gut feel is the best guide.
You have probably heard that collections work best in odd numbers. Each nook in this bookcase (except for the bottom nook) follows this rule. It’s a good thing to keep in mind when styling your bookcase. The key on how to style your bookcase is trial and error.
If you’re really struggling in finding the right balance for the vignettes in your bookcase, keep things simple. Like I did with the nook with three pink bowls. I repeated the pink colour with the flowers and books for repetition and cohesion. I believe simple can also be striking when styling your bookcase.
