How to style your bookshelves like a designer

Has bookshelf styling ever felt intimidating to you? Like something better left to designers?

If so, you are definitely not alone & there is no degree required to decorate your bookshelves like a pro.

Living room fireplace with white brick surround, built-in shelves styled with pottery and baskets, and a wooden coffee table with an open book in the foreground. — Living room

I want to share a few helpful tips I use when refreshing the bookshelves in our home. The best part? This doesn’t require you to buy new décor. You can likely “shop” your own home and create shelves filled with beautiful pieces you already love.

Let’s get started.

Start with a clean slate

First, clear the shelf you want to style. Wipe off the dust and begin with a clean slate—both literally and visually.

White built-in bookshelves with lower cabinets in a cozy living room, styled with pottery, framed art, and greenery.

gather what you already have

Next, start gathering items from around your home. Think:

Baskets
Decorative boxes
Pottery or ceramics
Photo frames and artwork
Lots of books
A real plant or faux flowers
A few decorative objects

choose a simple color story

Pro tip: As you gather, try to land on a color palette to keep your shelves feeling cohesive. This is often why shelves feel “off” even when all the “rules” are followed.

Choose one north star item that already contains the colors you want to work with—maybe your area rug or a piece of artwork that will live on the shelf. Then keep the pieces you gather within that palette.

Brass, silver, black, and white are neutrals in my mind and work almost anywhere. I often keep my color palette consistent through book spines, pottery, and artwork.

place the largest pieces first

Now think about scale.

Place your largest items first. Baskets are wonderful on the bottom shelves—they add visual weight and make the shelves feel grounded while keeping items accessible.

Next, bring in your larger artwork or pottery. If you place art on one shelf, go diagonal with the next piece—don’t stack similar items directly underneath one another. The same goes for large pottery.

build beautiful groupings

Now it’s time for your medium and small pieces. I like to think in terms of groupings—a few objects living together rather than scattered across the shelf.

A few no-fail groupings:

A piece of art with 1–2 layered objects in front
A horizontal stack of books with a decorative object on top
A vertical stack of books with a bookend or object on top
A cluster of 2–5 pottery pieces in varying heights

As you place these groupings, remember the diagonal tip—don’t repeat similar groupings right beside or beneath one another.

Built-in bookshelf styled with vintage books, framed landscape art, woven baskets, brass bowl, and neutral pottery for a cozy, classic look. — Living Room bookshelf

step back & tweak

Finally, step back and tweak.

Ask yourself:

Are my eyes drawn too heavily to one area? That may be a scale issue—too many large or too many small items together.
Are there too many square or rectangular shapes? Add something rounded—a bowl, pottery, or oval frame.
Do all the pieces feel the same texture? Balance rough with smooth: woven with marble, ceramic with glass.

And make sure there’s something organic on your shelves—a plant, real or faux. It brings life and movement.

Built-in living room shelves styled with pottery, baskets, framed art, and books above white lower cabinets, with a wood accent chair in the foreground.

Let your shelves be an expression of you. I love mixing old and new—antique books from my grandparents, ginger jars I thrifted, and my favorite Target baskets. Personal photos and travel mementos deserve a place here too.

Vintage blue and neutral books styled upright on a built-in bookshelf for a warm, layered look. — Vintage books

If it starts feeling busy, don’t be afraid to dial back and rotate pieces seasonally so your favorites can shine.

Let me know if this was helpful—and if you’d like more styling breakdowns like this. What should we style next?

Modern traditional living room with built-in shelves, a white brick fireplace, neutral seating, and warm wood floors. — Shop Living Room

If you see anything you like you can shop our living room here on LTK & you can find all the details of our living room from furniture to paint colors here.

Shop our bookshelves

If you find you need to fill in some gaps in your shelf decor, I’ve curated a collection of bookshelf decor here on Amazon filled with beautiful classic pieces that I would add on my own shelves.