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Design Dilemma
tricialamm

How can I make my bookshelves prettier? What's missing

12 years ago
How can I make these bookshelves prettier? What are the decorator tricks?
Featured Answer
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    Maybe no books on middle shelves so light can keep traveling through glass. Put objects in unit that REFLECT light. Back the back of the unit with a lighter tone material, mirror or even just glass. You can try adding mirror or glass to sides and not back and see how that works for you too. Mostly the dark color and books are sucking up whatever little light is coming from down lights. If you can NOT bounce the light down and into all sections you might have to add some battery operated LED "puck lights". Can find on amazon. Just start layering different objects you may already have like silver trays, frames that are mirror finish, glass vases and glass objects, candle holders with extra glass and mirror reflectance.

    Last but not least, if the bookcase is "permanent" for you then actual "library light" fixtures may be able to be mounted on either side of the unit in the vicinity of the middle display shelves. Those would be an "upgrade" or improvement to the unit" Need electrical behind unit. Metal conduit for electrical wires can be put through unit. But, that is investing in improving furniture item and that is judgement call you would have to make.

    Oh now I see whole room shot. Maybe remove all books accept at bottom....a few. Need more powerful light first. But, try no book on any but, bottom shelves. Sorry, I love my books and love looking at them but, they make dark space darker. you have to say how much you are willing to do on this unit. Just rearrange or IMPROVE?

    Comments (16)

    • 12 years ago
      I'm not an expert decorator but the four areas to the bottom right are too identically-arranged and don't match the two on the bottom left, and I also think you could benefit by some new items of different sizes and brighter colors or even shinier for contrast.
    • 12 years ago
      What other colours and styles do you have in that room?

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    • 12 years ago
      Other photos from the same area
    • 12 years ago
      Great comments! Thank you!
    • 12 years ago
      Also, I need a 36" square tray for my ottoman. Anyone have a source for that? I've exhausted the web and can't find anything that big.
    • 12 years ago
      Move things to be off center and asymmetric. All the books are the same in each box. take one group and push the books that are laying down to the left so they touch the wall and se somethng on them. don't have them sandwiched with the vertical ones.. Move your vases around so each one is not in the center. Like to put groups of things in an area not single items unless I really want to draw attention to it. You could add a pillar candle and a small square picture frame in one of the upper sections. Thin in terms of groups of 3. And try not to center everything
    • 12 years ago
      Wow, spell check made that really hard to understand. My edit button is not working either
    • 12 years ago
      Moroccan trays can be v. big.
    • 12 years ago
      I think the framed photos get lost, so I would move them to another place. One look that would work well on the dark book case for the top three lit openings would be different shapes in ivory vases, picking up the lighter color of the base of the cabinet. Then the bottom two rows could be books and the symmetry would work. Make sure the pieces you choose fill the space. Notice how the ginger jar in the middle is the right size for the space, but the small round jar next to it is too short and small in scale? You need a single piece for each space or a series of two or three in each which are of a good enough height. A small collection of repeated silhouettes, could be other items, like turned wood pieces, plates, shell or rock specimens, just make sure they are to scale and centered in the space.
    • 12 years ago
      Thank you all so much! Very helpful! I've got some great ideas to play with now!
    • PRO
      12 years ago
      insert removable panels as the back part of the shelving; you can use a different finish on them, or use a wall paper. http://www.flickr.com/photos/glitterlessgold/4432845460/
    • PRO
      12 years ago
      having good results with LED linear lighting. Lots of products and choice though so, best to get support from knowledgeable electrician before ordering and hookup. I see shelves have wood edge on you unit. Could be worth it to look into a retrofit of the shelf wood edges with an extra cavity or pocket to accept LED linear track if you want unit to stay the color it is and not apply any additional surface treatments to back or side. The LED retrofit would be a very small and easy to fixture to shield and blend in. Light is gentle and effective for the most part Good item to research further.
    • 12 years ago
      Your sofa cushions are playful, but your bookshelf is serious. You can always wallpaper the back of the shelves with a pattern that has the same blue as the ottoman. Wallpaper is removable when you tire of it. Add some brighter accents -- create papered book cover sleeves in light neutrals {creams, tans, light blue}, a nice piece of white coral to complement the pretty shell, some silver vases, add some sparkle. It's a beautiful, comfortable room!
    • PRO
      12 years ago
      I really love your room! You could go one of two directions:
      1. I would recommend is finding a few more 'teal' color pieces (like the color of that great ottoman) that can go into your book shelves to unify them. A rule of thumb that works when staging book shelves is for that touch of teal to be on each shelf so that your eye will follow it from top to bottom in a zig- zag pattern on each shelf. For example, if you have a large vase with a touch of that color on the top shelf; then perhaps a medium size accent piece with teal highlights set alongside some books on the next shelf down and then another piece on the opposite side of the shelf on the shelf below that..etc. You could even do this with silver accent pieces if you like. Just remember, if you use lots of little things in this shelf you want it to have some cohesion so when you see it from a far it all connects and does not just look like a bunch of stuff.

      2. Another look that I love is to find a "collection" of pottery or vases that are large (like the ones you have at the top center) and use them in the shelves to give a clean art gallery look instead of lots of little things. You could find a collection of large vases with bold pattern like you have in your accent pillows. Good luck!
    • PRO
      12 years ago
      What a great book shelf you have! There are several ways to decorate this shelf. In my opinion, your decorative items mixed with your books feels too cluttered. Here is the technique I would use:

      1) Starting from your top left shelf. Keep it exactly the way you have it. One decorative item per shelf.

      2) Right underneath that shelf, place your books as a library all lined up horizontally. Don't stack any books vertically for this technique. Your books are beautiful and look very decorative.

      3) Underneath this shelf, place one decorative item on it's own again.

      4) Continue doing this for each shelf, alternating between decorative item on it's own shelf, and then rows of books on the next shelf.

      The end result should look very nice!
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