What Does Your Bookcase Say About You?

Often when we visit a business, friend, or family member we meander past a bookshelf and run our hands over those delicate spines, arranged ever so randomly for our perusal- or so we think.

Bookshelves, once resting places for forgotten encyclopedias and school study material have transcended into poignant pieces of curated design, intricately coordinated to visual perfection. We want them to showcase our interests, appear smart, sophisticated, chic even witty, all at a first glance.

“A bookshelf is as particular to its owner as are his or her clothes; a personality is stamped on a library just as a shoe is shaped by the foot” - Allan Bennett

Selecting your bookcase before you even consider styling is paramount and involves first finding a piece that will fit seamlessly into the space around you.

Look at what furniture you already have and assess if there’s room for a wide, tall or narrow bookcase.

Measure your space, mark out lines in the room with masking tape (easily removable) indicating the placement of where you would want it to sit. Then take a step back and see whether it’s hanging over windows, blocking doorways or taking up too much room.

Once size is determined, colour consideration is important as it will also impact your styling choices. 

Do you want a clean crisp white unit for your books and décor to pop, or do you want something edgier like a dark walnut timber or sleek black powder coated metal for that Manhattan vibe.

Now to set the tone for your bookcase – books come in all shapes and sizes and a great tip is to theme or colour block them. If you’re aiming for a ‘chic’ NYC vibe go with moody and dulcet tones and mix up different sizes for a well-put-together yet eclectic look.

For an eye-catching display that says fun and flirty - bright colours will pop- yellow, orange, red; blues/greens are soothing.

For timeless elegance that says sophistication and class, nothing beats a neutral palate of beiges through to soft browns, with a hint of gold or silver accents (like lettering on the spine of novels).

If you have a bookcase with adjustable shelving, play with a mixture of different heights. Not only can you vary your accent pieces, but you can also move around books that may not otherwise fit.

The key here is not to overdo it, nobody likes a cluttered space that is busy on the eye. Choose a mix of sizes and textures, be meticulous and cull whatever is too small and ‘bitsy’.

What could be a boring corner littered with clutter and forgotten books can be turned into a stylish book nook that sits proudly in your living space.

See below for a few pieces we feel have style and pizazz that you could turn into your own pieces of artwork with a little imagination:

Deco- a fusion of modern Art Deco and Scandinavian, with powder-coated frame and counter sunken oak veneer shelves

Flow- Oak timber with adjustable shelves and a chic 21st century Scandinavian design

Woodenforge - sustainable timber with quality craftsmanship, inspired by the pioneering era and railway tracks, reflective in the design. 

Van Dyks - turning houses into homes