TIPS 9 Mistakes To Avoid When Styling a Bookcase

Does decorating a bookshelf seem overwhelming? No worries. Here are 9 mistakes to avoid when styling a bookcase.

Elegant interior with a blue and white color scheme featuring a striped armchair, a matching ottoman, and a built-in arched bookshelf displaying a collection of white vases against a deep blue backdrop, complemented by a lush green potted plant.

In case you were wondering?

I am the BIGGEST MISTAKE MAKER EVER. You might read this blog and think —that KariAnne—she has it going on.

Ummm.

{gulp}

Truth?

I MAKE MISTAKES ALL THE TIME.

Yep.

All. The. Time.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I get stuff right, too. But here’s the thing. Most of the stuff that I get right now? I got wrong once upon a time. It’s all about trying and figuring out what works and what doesn’t and replacing things and discovering what you did right and what you did wrong.

Because just like my mother said about stirrup pants, bright blue eyeshadow, and legwarmers…

….it’s always a good idea to learn from your mistakes.

Here are 9 mistakes to avoid when styling a bookcase.

(Spoiler alert: I’ve made all of these and a few more that I’d share if we were having coffee.)

9 Mistakes To Avoid When Styling a Bookcase

A stylish home interior with a black and white theme, featuring a shelf displaying a collection of white decorative vases against a dark backdrop, beside a white chair with a navy blue patterned cushion.

1. Not enough contrast

I wanted to start with one of my favorite bookcases.

This is the built-in bookcase in the living room that has watched me grow up.

For years it was painted white and it blended into the other molding in the space.

Empty living room with glossy wooden floors, a white fireplace, built-in shelves, and large windows draped with golden curtains at Thistlewood Farms.

Here’s a picture of what the same bookcase looked like when we moved in. See how it just blends into the space. I added the milkglass to the bookcase, but it just look blah. It blended into the background and didn’t really stand out.

And then?

I had the idea to paint the back of the bookcase with SW Naval.

And now?

Look at the pop of the milk glass. It looks like artwork.

Here’s the same bookcase at Christmas.

I added my advent calendar to the middle two bookshelves.

I love the pop of the red against the blue.

If you have a bookcase that you want to make a little more interesting? Consider painting the back or even adding wallpaper (grasscloth wallpaper works amazingly well for this) to the back of the bookcase.

2. Not enough texture

There’s something about texture in a bookcase that makes it stand out.

Here’s one of my favorite texture pieces. My sister made this for me. It’s a felt succulent in a terra cotta pot.

I found super similar options on Etsy including these polka-dotted cactuses.

And the best part? You never have to water.

Here are a few options for texture on a bookcase:

  • these small white vases
  • this wooden chain
  • these rattan boxes
  • this scalloped tray (with a 15% off coupon)

A shelved display featuring lined-up rolled papers and large letters "x" and "o" in different cells, set against a soft grey background.

3. Not changing up the size of the books

I should have added an asterisk to this one.

If you have a set of books—I’m looking at you World Book Encylopedias—in otherwords, a set of books in the same color and the same size—that’s perfect for a bookcase.

I’m talking about books that aren’t a set—but they are all the same size on the shelf. Same size books kind of make a bookcase a little boring.

Vary the height of your books and it looks more like a curated collection and much more visually interesting.

4. Overstyling

Coco Chanel had it right.

Decorate your bookcase? And then take a couple of things off.

We have a tendency to over-decorate. It’s kind of like we get everything perfect and then we doubt ourselves. We think we need MORE, so we add one more thing.

And then one more thing. And we one-more-thing our way into an overstyled bookcase.

Keep it simple, like these metal spheres that I have everywhere. They look cute and don’t take up a lot of room and are perfect for stacking on top of boxes or books or adding to a bookshelf as a bookend or putting on top of a pedestal.

Another simple way to decorate is to add a set of metal boxes.

These are discontinued, but I found some that are super similar here.

And this similar set in gold.

Golden geometric orb decorations on a dark blue background, featuring a mix of spherical and intersecting line designs.

A cozy corner of a room featuring a striped blue and white armchair, a built-in dark blue bookcase displaying decorative plates and a teapot, next to a window with light grey curtains.

Three decorative blue and white patterned ceramic balls on a stack of matching plates, placed neatly on a dark wooden shelf.

5. Not taking advantage of the vertical space in the bookcases

When I first started decorating bookcases? I ignored all the vertical space.

See how the plates in the bookcase take advantage of all the beautiful vertical space.

Plates are also great to stack and then add stuff in the middle of them.

Like these blue and white spheres.

You can see all my favorite inexpensive bowl fillers here.

I also love lanterns on a bookcase for height. And my favorite lanterns have metal and wood like this one. This white lantern is so pretty, too.

And this one with a wooden lid.

And you could stack this galvanized metal bread box on books to add additional height.

A cozy, blue-toned bathroom with built-in shelving displaying decorative items and a clear glass shower door revealing a tiled shower interior.

6. Not sticking to a basic color scheme

I almost didn’t type this mistake.

Because I do love mixing it up a little. But the challenge with bookcases? If there are too many colors and different shades that are all different tones and hues—it can look jumbled.

So I always try and stick to a basic color scheme.

Like blue and white or cream and white or red and khaki or navy and khaki or navy and red and white.

There are a myriad of color options.

(total aside: just typing that word makes me extra happy.)

If you are looking to create a vintage bookcase collection with a nautical flair? Here are a few options:

  • this vintage looking white urn
  • this vintage looking jack
  • these vintage looking book boxes
  • this clock

Bright, elegant hallway featuring white built-in bookcases with decorative items and books, white cabinets, hardwood floors, and an open doorway leading to another room.

A close-up view of a decorative piece featuring a string of white wooden beads with a tassel, placed on a book inside a black wire basket.

7. Not styling the overall bookcase

Sometimes when you decorate a bookcase you get so fixated on a single shelf.

Bookcase tunnel vision.

Take a deep breath.

Step back and focus on the entire bookcase.

Look how all the shelves blend in with each other and when I think I need a little something extra? I add a little strand of wood beads. It solves all your bookcase problems.

This is the one I have all over my house. You can see it here.

A chain is another version of the wood bead. And they come in so many different materials now.

Like this amazing rattan chain—I’ve never seen one like it before.

A white built-in bookshelf displaying a collection of neutral-colored decorative items, books, and brass lamps with innovative lighting ideas, along with a plush pillow at the bottom.

8. Not enough lighting

Lighting is one of the things we forget about bookcases.

Here are a couple of solutions:

  1. Add lights to the top of the bookcase like these sconces
  2. Add a lamp to the side of a bookcase
  3. Add spotlights above the bookcase
  4. If you don’t have a plug, you could add a rechargeable lamp like this one

On these bookcases? I LOVE this wood bowl. It’s perfect for scrabble letters or mini pinecones or wood beads or acorns or bookcases.

You can see a similar wood bowl here.

I’m also all about gold lately. I love mixing metals like these gold spheres with wood and glass and white pitchers. This sphere came from Hobby Lobby several years ago, but I found a similar version here.

A neat white bookshelf displaying decorative items including old books, a green plant in a woven basket, an ampersand symbol, and vintage-style stone tablets enhances the charm of a farmhouse bedroom makeover.

9. Not enough negative space

Okay.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but it’s okay to leave a little space when you are decorating a bookcase.

Every space doesn’t need to be filled.

Here’s a good example that I found. See how you can see the back of the bookcase and everything has a little space around it.

Remember our Coco Chanel example.

Decorate, take a few things off and let the bookcase breathe.


I do change up my bookcases on the regular.

It makes them (and me) happy.

Truth?

One final thing about bookcase decorating, even if you make mistakes—it somehow works out in the end.

Sometimes you start decorating and you toss the rules out the window and you never know where you’re going to end up.

But it’s usually a happy place.

disclosure: affiliate links are used in this post.

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Posted On: August 8, 2024

Written By: KariAnne Wood

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