Wednesday, July 9, 2014

5 Ways to Decorate With Books



A room without books is like a body without a soul.


True book lovers scatter books all over their home. Not only are the bookshelves stuffed with words contained between book covers, but you may find a pile near the bed, a few in a basket in the powder room, or a random stack by their favorite chair. 

I go beyond the obvious and decorate with my books. Here are five ways I use my books in home decor.




1. Between Bookends

Bookends are a great way to hold a series or books written by a favorite author. I've used them for writing instruction books on my desk, marriage books in my bedroom, and on my mantle with a monochromatic color scheme. Bookends give character to a room.




2. As Art

I saw someone on Pinterest who arranged their red, white and blue books to make an American flag. Others group their entire book collection according to color (which messes with my mind -- mine are grouped according to subject). You can also pick out five or six books with the same color spine for a mantle color scheme.




3. For Seasonal Decor

Each October I take Thoreau's Walden off the shelf. Its cover of fall leaves fits perfectly with my fall decorating. Emily's season of life is in preparation for her wedding and marriage. It makes me smile to see the books she's reading.  




4. In a Vignette 

I use my tea-themed books in the kitchen with my teapots and teacups. My old "My Wonderful Writing Machine" from 1954 is propped near my typewriter. Wrap a piece of old lace around a group of them for a vintage look. 




5. Take Them Apart

Book page crafts are all the rage right now. If you have a book that's falling apart, use it to make a banner, roses or wreath. You can even print on them. These are guaranteed to make a book lover smile. 




I love how my family and guests pull the books off my shelves, from between bookends and off easels to thumb through them. When they ask, "May I borrow this?" my answer is always "Yes!" Books grow character when they are well-loved.   

Book Images That Make Me Smile


Book Statues to Love
For the Book Lover                                         Linked to: Preparedness Mama 

        
 




12 comments:

Shannon Wallace said...

These are great ideas! I cannot wait to incorporate sine of them into my home! :)

Farm School Marm said...

The kids and I are book lovers - or, as my husband calls us, nerds...but we're so busy that I don't do much decorating at all right now...unless the books scattered about the house (as all of us have several we're reading at anyone time)counts as decorating!

I always enjoy reading your blog - this time of year we're SO busy outside and your blog reminds me to slow down and remember the haven that my home is for my family - and that my time in it is well invested!

Annesphamily said...

Hi Pamela! I love visiting you and it has been a bite. Time moves so quickly. I love the book ideas here. I just rearranged some of my books, according to size! LOL! I love my books and could never give them up. I am not a fan of the kindles or such technology. I like the feel of the book and the smell and everything about them. My uncle Louie had a very old copy of The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, he let me borrow it once and I carefully read it. One of my favorite books. When my sister inherited their house I begged her to give me that copy. She put them all away in boxes! Makes me so sad. My aunt read all the romance novels. HeeHee. I have a friend who loves those crazy books. I wish I could get my hands on them. My uncle loved classics, his wife romance! Yet they were married for a really, really long time, nearly 45 years when he passed away. He had married at age 39! Goodness you made me share some wonderful memories. Thank you and thanks for the tips on displaying my books! Hugs and Prayers, Anne

Sharon said...

Loved these ideas, Pamela! I love books, and I always have them lying around - usually in piles tucked away for a future read. Oh, and I have double-stacked bookshelves, too! So, maybe I can put them to use as decoration. :-)

I always have a book *going* - and they feel like friends to me. Never cracked a spine, never bent a page. Treasures!!

GOD BLESS!

Kelly-Anne said...

This was such a lovely, inspiration-filled post, Pamela! I love how you've used your dear books to create pretty spaces in your home... We have so many books in our house that I'm certain we could become a library:). And my sister and I just love using old books for crafts - they're so versatile! Have a wonderful week further! Blessings! Kelly-Anne

Rebecca said...

Good ideas! I find I've incorporated some of them without intending to :)

How about a post of "weeding out" one's book collection?????

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

Fun ideas and I'd love to read a few you have shown here.

Fondly,
Glenda

Unknown said...

I absolutely love this! I have so many books. It is really overwhelming. I've never thought about setting them up in a prettier way. Pinning :)!

Anonymous said...

Love this, Pam! It would appear that your home looks much like my home. My husband is a career bookseller over 30 years. We got books! I collect vintage and antique editions and LOVE to actually read them as well as show them off in vignettes all over the house. Currently, I am preparing for the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writer's Conference in the hopes of pitching a couple manuscripts of my own so I might add my own tomes to the stacks. One of my projects may be of interest to you and I would love your feedback on a bare bones pdf of the children's picture book devotional I'm working on. I can't find how to email you to ask this huge favor, though. You can email me at misskathypwp@gmail.com - let me know if you have the time or inclination. It would need to be this week sometime as the conference is the last week of July! Thanks for thinking on this.
Joy!
Kathy

Esther Asbury said...

Love your ideas for using books in decor. I do the same thing. There isn't a room in my house that doesn't have books (of some kind) in it!

Michelle said...

These are some really neat ideas.
I recently, saw online, arranged my books in A-B-C order according to the authors last name. My bookshelves look so much more organized.

Andy and Ana said...

Evening Melanie~A Sheltering Tree...Thank you for sharing these wonderful way to care for ourselves thru books...looking forward to this great project of re-vamping my bookcas with a purpose. Much appreciated, Ana~church of Christ salutes you :)