Styling Ideas for Stacks and Stacks of Books

Happy Monday, my dear ones! How was your weekend? We attended a wedding, which gave us an excuse to dress Bixby up in a little tux, he was just too handsome. :) But moving on to the topic for the day: What do you do with your stacks and stacks of books? I am always changing up my bookshelves; it’s one of those small details that can make a big difference in the look and feel of a room, don’t you think? I’ve had my books arranged in rainbow order, by size, subject, with and without their jackets, you name it. Today I’d like to share a few ideas that have caught my eye recently for styling those books – some are quite useful, and others are purely aesthetic, but all are fun (and pretty). Enjoy!

Home of interior stylist Emma Persson Lagerberg; photographed by Petra Bindel; found via decor8

Admittedly, this look is way more style than function but if you don’t have kids, why not try it? Stacking a corner super high with books and magazines (especially a corner next to a cool little piano!) looks artsy and interesting. If you are going to try this, stack most of the books with pages facing out (rather than spines) for a cleaner look – all of those titles can be distracting (titles? who needs titles? lol).

Siren Lauvdal photography; via Desire To Inspire

Do you like to dip into lots of books at once? Embrace it by making a messy stack with books spilling open and piled on a side table – just hope no one else picks them up! Ha.

MICASA via Desire To Inspire

In an office space, I like the idea of using long, low bookcases rather than high ones to fill a corner. I don’t know about you, but really tall bookcases always sort of make me feel uncomfortable – like they’re going to fall down on me at any second…but then, maybe that’s a side effect of growing up in California! Also, they provide an excellent space on top to display favorite paintings and prints, small sculptures or ceramics and bud vases, etc. I think it’s much easier to style a flat surface than a big tall shelving unit, but maybe that’s just me.

Siren Lauvdal photography; via Desire To Inspire

Of course what goes around and behind all of those books matters immensely too, which is what drew me to these photographs from Siren Lauvdal. Gorgeous, gorgeous floral prints, colorful kilims and kimonos, and vases of flowers combine to provide a lush backdrop for simply stacked magazines and art books on tables and floors. And isn’t that chandelier made from little bottles and filled with flowers stunning? I love it!

Home of interior stylist Emma Persson Lagerberg; photographed by Petra Bindel; found via decor8

What I love about the dining space above is that’s it’s meant to easily double as a fully functional workspace, as well. The floating storage looks sleek enough to fit in seamlessly with this all-white dining room, yet can hold tons of supplies, files, etc. I also like how a favorite selection of books are displayed on top, while piles of magazines sit beneath, somehow managing to look chic rather than cluttered.

Home of interior stylist Emma Persson Lagerberg; photographed by Petra Bindel; found via decor8

 So, which were your favorite spaces and why? I’d love to hear! Also – how do you like to organize/style/display your books and magazines…any tips to share?

p.s. - I’ve been having some serious issues with my blog over the past week, worse than I thought at first. The feed was down, for one, so if you haven’t seen updates via RSS or delivered via email, that’s why! But, after hours of frustrating coding and troubleshooting, all of the problems seem to be fixed. Sigh. But – please do let me know if the site looks at all wonky in your internet browser, because some may view the site differently (Firefox vs. Safari, etc.) and I haven’t been able to check all of them. Thanks in advance!! Thanks for bearing with me! xo Laura

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