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  • 22 hours ago
Our Interiors Editor shares her expert tips on what to skip, where to spend, and how to save when styling your bookshelf. Learn how to transform your shelves from simple storage into a personal statement.
Transcript
00:00What does your bookshelf say about you? I'm interiors editor Emma and he's wrote
00:03skip, film and save when styling a bookshelf that's as much about looks as it is about books.
00:08I know it might seem more organized but please, please, please skip color coordinating your books.
00:13Instead, if it's looking too cluttered, sometimes I like to face books spine inwards for a more
00:17seamless aesthetic. A well-curated bookshelf should read as effortless and meticulously
00:22color coordinating each book, well, that requires a lot of effort. Now I've heard people say to go
00:26to a charity store and buy heaps of books to fill your shelves and to that I say skip.
00:31Instead, you should be mixing and matching decorative objects, framed photos, portable lamps
00:36alongside your books in groups of three, leaving enough negative space for visual balance.
00:41Okay, where can we save? I'd save on the bookcase itself. Ikea's inexpensive billy bookcase is a
00:47bestseller for a reason and there's so many ways to make it custom, whether you build it in with trim,
00:52paint it or have bespoke doors made for it. I'd also save on the decorative items. Now that's
00:57not to say buy cheap decor but thrift things, pick up pieces on holidays, gifts from friends.
01:02Good bookshelf styling should tell your own personal story and the easiest way to do it is through the
01:07small decorative objects you style on it. As for where to spend, I would spend on lighting. You'd be
01:11surprised what even an inexpensive option can do to elevate your bookcase. It could be LED strips under
01:16each shelf, a picture light overhead, wall sconces on either side or even a portable lamp perched on
01:22one of the shelves. You'd never see a gallery without lighting and the same should go for your
01:26bookcase display. Bookshelves may seem like a functional feature but when styled right they can
01:30be a way to tell your personal story in your home. What should we style next?
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