Styled Bookshelves

If you know me, you know I'm a little bit of a highly organized freak girl.  Much like Monica on Friends, I believe everything has a place and needs to be clean.  Labels are this girls' best friend.  Are any of you like this?? 

Lately, I've been obsessed with bookcases.  Especially beautifully styled and organized bookcases.  They're such fun ways to display some of your favorite things in an artful manner.  Here are some styled bookcases that have recently caught my eye:

I love the shape of these bookshelves and the way all the china is displayed. Great alternative to a hutch or china cabinet:

via

Painting the back of the bookcase is the perfect way to add some color/pattern into the room. Cubbie hole shelves like these provide an easy way for kids to understand where each of their things go- especially if you have baskets for them, too!

Centsational Girl

This is a great example of how you can unify your bookcase with a dominant color.  This shelf shows how awesome symmetry can look!

via

Bookshelves in an office or den is a wonderful way to stay organized. Here, Megan uses the shelf has the feature for this wall.  Baskets and file boxes keep all her things organized without compromising style:

Honey We're Home

This is the sweetest shelf for a little girls' nursery.  I love all the baskets.  They provide hidden storage and add texture to the space.  This is a great example of how the shelf can be styled to seem visually balanced.  The large dark basket on the top left shelf is balanced by the other dark basket at the bottom right side of the shelf, with some white breaking up the dark on the middle shelf.

Dear Lillie

Martha, you've done it again. What a great idea, to hang pictures even between your shelves.  This goes to show that bookshelves are not only used to display books.  Get out your favorite vases, frames, pottery, and beach finds to show off!

Martha Stewart Living

Recently, I restyled my bookshelves in my room at home.  Here's how they turned out:

Here are some styling tips:

1. Start Fresh: take everything off and start from scratch

2. Favorites Only: only bring back things that you love and want to show off

3. Avoid Clutter: too much stuff with be overwhelming!

4. Start Big: begin placing larger items and fill in with smaller ones.

5. Balance: try to visually balance your items on the shelf.  Have some book stacked upward and some turned on their side, like you see on my shelf.  If  the top shelf has 3 items, switch it up on the middle and bottom shelf. {As seen above, intentional symmetry can work well sometimes, too.}

6. Personalize: include framed family photos, sketches you've done, greeting cards you love, framed hand-written notes, vases, plates, pottery, etc. 

Bookshelves are a fun way to accessorize your space. A little note: they're never finished! I'm constantly coming back and making small changes whenever I go home!

Do you have any bookshelves that you love? {Or love to constantly change?}

Love,