Have you ever gone to someone’s house or a store and saw a beautifully styled bookcase and were “jealous”? This has happened to me a few times in my life. I always envy a beautifully styled bookcase and have tried to recreate it in our own home. Here are a few tips and some of my favorite items to style your shelves.

Declutter

Before you organize anything in your bookcase or shelves, the first step is to declutter. Give away those books you will never read and magazines you will never look at again.

Find items you have in your home and can repurpose, instead of going shopping 
You will definitely find items in your home that you can use to style your bookcase. Go shopping in your own home first.

The most beautiful looking bookcases or shelves generally have one or more of the following elements in addition to books:

Boxes: I am a sucker for beautiful and colorful boxes. In the past, I have bought a box that is so beautiful that I have styled a whole room around one box. Here is one of my favorites. This agate lacquered white & natural storage jewelry box could be the perfect piece. It comes in different and bold colors as well. This one goes with almost any room and is inexpensive.
Geometric Objects: I love utilizing beautiful objects in my bookcase atop a set of books. I suggest you buy objects that look good from the side. Objects are of those things you may be able to find around your house. Here is one of my favorites, Christos Eternal Loop Sculpture.

Frames: Frames are key. They add that personal touch to your bookshelves. I personally like this one as it goes with the rest of the items I have suggested. This one is exotic burl wood.

Plants & Botanicals: I am also a sucker for succulents. They elevate every desk or bookcase or coffee table. I like this one for a bookcase. Brings that earthy element you need to warm things up.

Bowls: Bowls are also great to spruce up your bookcase or shelves. This can also be where you introduce “glass” to the mix. It is important to work with different textures.

Vases or Jars: Vases or jars that you use can be purely decorative or not. I like to keep the vases in my bookshelves purely decorative. Here is one I like. I personally prefer ceramic vases as opposed to glass. I also like to add texture with each item I use to style my shelves.

I personally like to take these items and move them around. I like to stack books sideways and put one of the objects on top in certain places in the shelves. You can do a beautiful design and change the look of your home as the bookcase tends to be large furniture and the way it looks can make a big impact on your home. Investing a bit in this part of your home or office design may also help you achieve that beautiful backdrop while you are on videoconferences.