5 Brilliant Tricks Interior Designers Swear By To Stylishly Design Bookshelves

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Interior design experts have a knack for turning even the most functional furniture items into elegant-looking set-ups in a way that seems appealing to viewers. A good example of this is the skilfully styled bookshelf, with the right kind of shape, size, colour, texture, and variation to make it seem fascinating and lived-in without overplaying. Luckily, these tricks are actually more achievable than you may think – and they do not even necessarily require you to invest in anything new. 

From ladder and leaning bookcases to floating metallic shelves, hidden library passageways to built-in stacks – the options are endless, and these ideas help store and exhibit all the reading material in style. Besides, a few of these tricks can, in fact, make your bookshelf a statement piece in your house. We spoke to the folks at Vedas Export, a boutique home decor brand based in Ranchi to give us their tips and tricks. And with celebrities like Tapsee Pannu, Eeshaanya Maheswari, Aniruddh Sharma and Mrunal Panchal, all looking to Vedas for decor pieces and more, you can trust the advice 10X!  Read ahead and find out what interior designers suggest you can do to transform your bookshelves – simply with a few add-ons or by making the most of what you have!

Go Simple And Sober: Stack It Up

Those wanting to avoid splurging on a brand-new shelf altogether can simply stack books against the wall in a preferred colour sequence. If your bed is closer to the pile of books, you can use those books as a rough-and-ready bedside table, too. Oh, and experts love the hanging lamps and pendants over it to add light to the space while also fancying a lacklustre corner. 

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Opt For Multipurpose Shelves

Homeowners with limited dedicated space for bookshelf can choose multipurpose shelves. Though common, this trick works best in most compact apartments, especially if you have décor items to display in abundance. Multipurpose shelves bring some quirky intrigue to an otherwise empty wall or corner of your home. Fill yours with books, metallic vases, candle holders, and vases.

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Leverage Those Colourful Covers

If there is one trend doing the rounds across social media and within the interior community, it has to be colour-coordinating bookshelf and home libraries. A set-up like this looks best when it has the right amount of height and width to display books with possibly all the colours available. Experts recommend picking a lighter and deeper shade for the bookshelf or library unit to create a polished aesthetic and allow vibrant shades of the book covers to steal the limelight. 

Liven it Up With A Theme

To spruce up your reading nook or workspace, upholster your floating bookshelves or cubicles in the same material as your seating. Say, for instance, you choose a compact and circular metallic bookshelf designed by Vedas Exports to dangle above your work desk, a white chair with a metallic frame and similar shape can help transform an overlooked space in some parts of your house into something attractive. With books, place a few figurines alongside mini-indoor planters and there you have your favourite reading corner. Or even some lovely plants to give it a natural look and feel. 

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Go Glam With A Mirrored Backdrop

Get artistic with the way you display your books. Open bookshelves are a thing of the past, present, and future, but how you leverage the same space to create alternating compositions makes all the difference. Contrary to what is expected, instead of keeping the wall behind the shelf tinted in the same shade as the unit, you can get mirrors installed to give the wall some depth. Mount a few focus lights on the top to shed light on your collection of books and other décor items you might place to fill in the gaps. Keep the pile of books and your collectables limited so the visitors can see the mirrored background in all its glory. 

Your bookshelf and what you read can speak volumes about your preferences and personality. According to expert interior designers, coupling your book collection with other décor items that hold a sentimental value for you, can narrate even more of your personal interests and story in “shelf-styling” – so play it well!