Master The Shelfie · Round up everything you could possibly use to style out your shelves (books,...

A Guide to Decorating Your Built-Ins and Bookshelves

©2019 BLOOM IN THE BLACK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Master The Shelfie

©2019 BLOOM IN THE BLACK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. STEP 1: LEARN

P I C K A C O L O R S C H E M E

Instantly weed out anything that doesn’t fit within your color scheme without agonizing over if it should stay or go. Here are a few starting points you could

use to base your color scheme on:

Once you choose your main color, pick 1-3 accents that achieve the vibe you are going for. Looking for calm or minimal? Choose deeper and lighter shades of the main color. Looking for drama or cheer? Choose colors that boldly contrast the main color.

I D E A 1An object you adore

I D E A 2A favorite color

I D E A 3An accent color from an adjacent room

Whether it’s a book, a painting gifted by a close relative, or just a really cool vase from Target, the primary color in this piece can serve as your jumping off point.

This can be your favorite color of the moment or the one you have long held close to your heart. Chances are, if you love it you have some pieces you can use for your shelves.

The nice thing about this approach is that if you use an accent color from one room as a dominant color in another, you get a really nice visual flow that still maintains variety.

Master the Shelfie | GUIDE

©2019 BLOOM IN THE BLACK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. STEP 1: IMPLEMENT

B R A I N S T O R M A F E W O P T I O N S F O R E A C H I D E AO B J E C T S I L O V E

M Y F A V O R I T E C O L O R S

C O L O R S F R O M O T H E R R O O M S

M Y F I N A L C O L O R S C H E M E

Master the Shelfie | WOR KSHEET


P U L L O U T A L L Y O U R S T U F F

Round up everything you could possibly use to style out your shelves (books, objects, art pieces) and set everything out for evaluation.

Next, you're going to want to group things into categories and like colors to start to make sense of the madness.

S T E P 1Beg, borrow, and steal...

S T E P 2Stick to your color scheme

S T E P 3Curate your book collection

…from other rooms of your house. This is likely the largest area of your home you will ever need to style and it is much easier to redo the smaller areas around your home than to start from scratch here.

If it doesn’t fit in your scheme, it loses its seat at the table. The exception: neutrals and metallics. Hold onto those for now.

You don’t have to chuck all of your airport paperbacks but they don’t need to go on display either. Store or donate them! From what remains, choose a few special or pretty books to display. Hardcovers are golden.



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E X P E R I M E N T !

Time to start styling those bookshelves. This can often be the hardest part — a blank slate is super intimidating. Just dive in and know that you will be

rearranging all of this a few times — nothing is set in stone...

S T E P 1Start with the basics

S T E P 2Use odd numbers

S T E P 3Vary heights and sizes

S T E P 4Vary texture and sheen

S T E P 5Add depth

S T E P 6Take photos of what works

For each shelf, use something vertical, something horizontal, and tie those planes together with a round or organic shape.

Three is foolproof but five works too. Bear in mind a group of united items will read as one object. Like a candle on a pedestal.

Lead the eye around your styled vignettes by varying the height and visual weight of the pieces you use. Pair your items with things that are significantly taller, shorter, wider, etc.

Don’t get stuck on one note when it comes to the materials you use. All dull, all shiny, all clear, all metal, all wood… you get the picture. When it's all the same, nothing stands out.

Don’t put everything in the middle. Be sure to put objects behind and in front of one another. Try hanging a picture on the back of the shelf and placing a few small items at the front.

You might need or want to move one vignette to a different shelf and trying to recreate that from memory is the worst. Been there, done that, don’t recommend it.



Give yourself permission to try different things, even if you’re pretty sure it won’t work.

S K E T C H O U T O R J O T D O W N A F E W S I M P L E

I D E A S F O R G R O U P I N G S



D I S T R I B U T E E V E N L Y

Now that you have some styled shelves that are working, take a step back see if it feels balanced. Is one side tightly packed with the other wide and airy?

Do you see any colors bunching up? How about materials? This is where those photos are going to come in handy because it’s time to move things around…

S T E P 1 : Determine how "full" you want things

S T E P 2 : Spread out your colors, materials, and shapes

Do you want your shelves all very full, all very sparse, or an even mixture of the two? If your plan is to style all your shelves to have the same amount of stuff in each, your job is a bit easier. Just eyeball everything from afar and be sure there are no uneven spots. Squinting can help you see the mass rather than the individual things in this step.

If you want to create a mix, I find it helpful to just count the number of each and stagger them. Full one on the left, then full one on the right. Ended up with three full shelves clumped in a corner? Pull them down and recreate each one in a more appropriate spot referencing the photos you took, then place an airy vignette in one of the previously full spots.

Step back again to evaluate. This time, take note of any colors that are dominating in one area, especially if it’s a color that stands out quite a bit. For example, whites in a dark bookcase are like little beacons to the eye, so pay extra attention to sprinkling the white pieces around evenly. Receding colors that contrast less with your background are a bit more forgiving.

Follow the process to evaluate and distribute in this order: 1. Colors 2. Materials and textures 3. Shapes



Don't worry if you're no Picasso. This doesn't have to be perfect. It's just for reference as you move things around.

R O U G H L Y S K E T C H T H E L A Y O U T O F Y O U R S H E L V E S

A N D N O T E W H I C H G R O U P S S H O U L D G O W H E R E



F I L L I N

It’s inevitable — you are going to have gaps. Even if you have a lot of stuff, not all of it is going to work. What’s a girl to do but go shopping?

Here are a few places to find great fillers:

Before you go shopping, jot down any shapes, materials, textures, or colors you need more of. Bring your list and take some final photos to reference. These will help you decide if that set of antique croquet balls will actually work in that cool bowl on the third shelf to the left ;)

T R Y . . .Thrift stores, antique malls, and yard sales

T R Y . . .The clearance section of your favorite off-price retailer

T R Y . . .Your favorite big box or large chain store

This is the perfect opportunity to buy that weird little tchotchke you never knew you always wanted.

I have great luck at HomeGoods. It’s a gold mine when you need some supporting cast for large decorating projects.

Consider Target, H&M, and IKEA. The constant rotation of on-trend pieces make these great places to find seasonal fill-ins as well as permanent additions.



S H O P P I N G L I S T

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You made it!

Congratulations on mastering your shelfie!If you enjoyed this project, I'd love if you'd post a photo on Instagram using #mastertheshelfie and tag a friend who might find this guide useful.

Master The Shelfie · Round up everything you could possibly use to style out your shelves (books,...

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