OUR FAVORITE BOOKS FOR STYLING
On many of our interior design jobs, we’re asked to style out spaces with “smalls,” — all the pretty accessories used in bookshelves and on coffee tables and other surfaces throughout a room to create a complete, cohesive look. Clients are always shocked at how the styling process transforms the space. It’s our favorite part of each project!
Books are incredibly versatile when it comes to styling because they come in endless varieties (any size, any color, any theme) and serve double-duty as an accessory you can actually use. (Form AND function, people!)
Bookshelf stacks on the shelves at our Shore House Six project
HOW TO SELECT BOOKS FOR STYLING
First and foremost, start with subjects that you’re into. Travel, Fashion, Cooking, Animals, Politics, Photography. Invariably, there’s a pretty coffee table book for every preference. And when you pick a specific theme within those categories (Zebras, for example, or Parisian architecture), it becomes a hunt that often leads to unexpected treasures.
Always look under dust jackets to see the cover or spine hiding beneath. Pretty linen covers come in all sorts of rainbow hues and are sometimes more attractive when displayed without the dust jackets.
Scour library book sales, tag sales, ebay and used book stores to get the best bang for your buck. (Local friends, look out for the Southport & Westport Libraries bi-annual book sales - they’re gold mines!)
Look for books in varying sizes so you can create horizontal stacks that go from big to small.
Neutral books in shades of cream, linen, gray and black always look chic and will help balance out some of the brighter or patterned spines in a bookshelf stack.
Consider typography on the spines of books. If you’re filling a shelf with books placed vertically (like at the library), the spines are what make or break the collection on the shelf.
Don’t buy vintage books with any signs of damage like foxing (brown spots and stains), brittle pages, or a musty smell that wrinkles your nose.
We’ve been compiling our tried-and-true titles on our Favorite Books for Styling (& Reading) Pinterest board (organized by color of course). And we hope you’ll tag us on instagram with some of your favorites too!
There are beautiful children’s book collections to be found and displayed — even in “grown-up spaces.”