Adding bookshelves to any room create excellent spots to store all your favorite hardcovers and anthologies. But what's more, they make the perfect place to display pottery, art, and other home decor to elevate the style of any room instantly. So whether they are built-in across an entire wall or placed quietly in a corner, here are 10 bookshelves that transform the room they're in. (Because that's what sexy, smart shelves do.)
1. This room looks like it's in some magical place where reading and relaxation could happen without any interruption. The floating bookshelves by Lago Design add to the luxurious "let's get lost" feel. We appreciate how they saved that top shelf to display just one piece of art.
Video of the Day
Video of the Day
2. You want floor-to-ceiling bookshelves you say? Then, we present this design from Pearson. With varying heights, each shelf frames a bigger center area with room enough to display something extra dramatic. And we're not just talking about that beautiful black furry chair. We say the whole thing is fabulous.
3. Sure, bare walls with a few pieces of art are nice, but have you ever tried a Scandi-inspired bookcase like Line Schjelde did in her Denmark apartment? The light colored wood provides an instant focal point where all her favorite reads are just a reach away. Plus she has an impressive collection of ceramics too.
4. We saw these somewhat secret shelves tucked under this cleverly designed couch and desk combo on SH65 Architect's Instagram and said 'oh wow' quietly to ourselves, we swear. The simple setup provides ample space in this living room for reading and screening, and we are so here for that. No coffee table needed with this shelving unit. And we love how the greenery flanking the large window gives this space such a warm vibe. We could read here for hours.
5. A wall of open shelves like this feels surprisingly serene. Kinne Andersen's apartment in Copenhagen is awash in soft neutral tones, making it the perfect backdrop for smaller scale sculptures, larger items, book series, and other decorative objects that we could quite frankly gaze at all day.
6. If you have lots of books at home, you'll love these beautiful bookshelves for how filled to the brim they are — as any bookworm would. The glass-doored beauties inside a stunning Spanish home by The Archers feel like just the spot to keep precious journals and sketchbooks tucked away for years to come. What a welcoming way to style bookshelves.
7. Just the littlest nook for books and an architectural arch are giving us all the feels for these rustic shelves tucked in the corner of a living room by Amber Interiors. (She is a queen of vignettes and interior design tips!) A spot like this is the perfect place to display one of a kind trinkets and other decorative items from your world travels. This is definitely a charming shelfie moment.
8. This ultra posh home office by Alana Irwin is giving us glam vibes with those sea blue shelves. (Although so many paint colors would look gorgeous on this backdrop!) With just a few well placed objects, paperback books, and other bookshelf decor, what was a plain old wall gets transformed into a major fashion statement.
9. Who doesn't love a dark and moody decor moment? Molly Britt Design mixes modern and traditional design in this room with millwork walls and a built-in bookshelf that is to die for. That deep shade of gray all over makes those shelves stand out oh so elegantly. Use this space to display picture frames, stacks of books, and other shelf decor.
10. We love a mashup of old and modern decor, and this inspo seen on Spark Interiors' Instagram feed has us clapping our hands. The bookshelves serve as an easy-on-the-eyes room divider and design element — these shelves also don't take up prime real estate in the room. Wall space is left for windows and other artistry. What a lovely place to perch some scented candles and stacks of your favorite fiction.
These are decorating tips and styling ideas that anyone can try (or DIY), whether you have a large or small space.