
One of the best ways to store items you want off the floor and to showcase your own design flair is through the use of bookshelves or other types of shelves. However, unless you’re planning on just using the bookshelves for purely storage and organizational purposes, you might find it hard to know how to balance the functional aspect of a bookshelf with the inclusion of other elements.
To help you learn how to strike this balance correctly, here are three tips for designing an aesthetically pleasing bookshelf.
Think About The Bookshelf Itself
Before you get to putting anything on the shelves of your bookshelf, the first thing you’re going to want to decide is what you want your actual bookshelf itself to look like.
While you can leave a bookshelf exactly how it currently is, you can also make some striking changes to it that can add to the look and feel of this design element. Some changes you might want to consider making could include things like painting the shelves, be it the backdrop or the structure, a new color. Another option could be to use some wallpaper on the back of the shelves to create some additional interest within that space.
Embrace Space
Although you may want your bookshelves to be used to the max for storage, having a bookshelf that’s stuffed to the brim with books won’t usually make for the most aesthetically pleasing look. Rather, you should try to embrace some empty space within your bookshelf design.
To create this space, you don’t even necessarily have to leave completely empty space on your bookshelf. Rather, you can create the feeling of there being more space and breathing room on your bookshelves by arranging some books standing up on their spines and some books laying down on their spines. Also, if you overlap some books facing outward, you can create more dimension and more visual space with your bookshelf design.
Choose Items Strategically
For a truly well designed bookshelf, you may want to include more items on the shelves than just books.
As you pick items to display on the shelves of your bookshelf, you’ll want to make sure that you’re careful in what you pick so that you can make sure everything goes well together. To do this, try picking some kind of theme, like a color or material, and then only include items that fit into that category. This will help ensure that there’s a sense of unity and cohesion throughout the bookshelf, which will make the entire space very visually appealing.
If you have a bookshelf that you’re wanting to design in a way that adds class and character to your home, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you see how this can easily be done in any space.