The art of shelf decoration dates back almost as long as shelves themselves.
I have this picture in my mind of Neolithic people putting beautiful shells and stones on their mantelshelves (click link to see photo)
Over the ensuing 5000 years, we have invented lots more items to enhance our bookshelf décor – including books themselves*
*The first book being the Chinese book The Diamond Sutra printed around 868AD
I am not a professional designer when it comes to shelf décor – you could say I am ‘shelf-taught’ (sorry!)
Hopefully these bookshelf décor ideas will give you some inspiration and help you when it comes to choosing the right decorative objects for shelves.
First things first. A bookshelf is not just a place for books! When you see some clever-clogs being interviewed on the telly, they always have bookshelves jam-packed with books. Wall to wall. Without even space for a cigarette paper between them, let alone a piece of objet D’art!
The all-book bookshelf is not what we are talking about here. We are talking about living room shelf décor, where books and ornaments blend together to create a visual delight, adding to your home décor.
The first thing to think about is the books themselves. For a classically good-looking bookcase décor, you could purchase a fine array of first editions, or antique books with beautiful gilt edging.
Personally, I would recommend Frost Books and Artifacts – https://www.f-b-a.com/ – as well as having many first edition books, it is also a great place to go if you are looking for retro books with attractive front covers – not all books need to be facing sideways!
OK, yes, I am still talking about books. If you really want to improve your…shelf-confidence (nope, no apology this time, that was a genius pun – I am patting myself on the back as I am typing this!) then why not buy books according to their colour?
You could choose a few soft pastel colours, or go for classic black, grey, gold and white, or choose one of the many luxurious colour combinations.
Here are a few that are popular at the moment (Spring 2025)…
Gold, Puce, Burnt Orange and Beige
Gold, Tan, Cream and Dark Charcoal
All the blues – Sky, Navy, Midnight and Royal
All the browns – Wood, Coffee, Umber and Desert
All the greys – Black, Charcoal Grey, Gun Metal Grey and Pewter
Marsala, Dusty Rose, Red Violet and Midnight Purple
Navy Blue, Black, Scarlet and Champagne
As well as colour, size is really important in shelf decoration. Buying a set of first editions will guarantee uniformity in size. Alternatively, you can go into Waterstones with a tape measure!
You can place them tall short, tall short to create interest, or you can use well-established design rules such as the Rule of Thirds ( a simplified version of the Golden Ratio) and the Fibonacci sequence.
To my eye, the cleanest look is always uncluttered, same colour, same size, in small groups throughout the bookshelf, with lots of space left.
This brings us on to the back of the bookshelves. Most are plain wood or plain walls. You can add interest by painting or wallpapering the back wall or by the texture of the wood in a proper bookshelf. I think the grooved wood image above creates a luxurious vibe.
I also like the grey paint for the horizontal and the gold for the vertical as it complements the overall ‘shelf-assured’ nature of the design.
So, aside from books, the next step on the shelf décor journey is to choose some other objects to blend with the rest of the bookshelf décor.
Photos and figurines are popular choices. The framed photographs add that personal touch, and the figurines provide interest and help fill the space without overpowering it.
One of the key things with tasteful bookcase décor is to not overdo it. Leave plenty of empty space and don’t overfill the design space.
Remember, Less is More (more or less), but don’t be too minimalist. You don’t want people to think you have just moved in or are in need of additional decorative objects for shelves.
A piece of artwork, a vintage Box camera, a houseplant or a childhood doll can all have their place in your shelf decoration plan.
It can be meaningful as well as eye-catching and should not be dressed just to impress.
It needs to be authentic, it needs to convey who you are. These shelf décor images have all been created by AI and are, understandably, a little cold. Don’t be afraid to bring out your colour palette in full.
Unleash the beast. Show your shelf-confidence.
Believe in your shelf!! (I’ll get my coat!)
Top 5 Decorative Objects For Shelves under £100
Here we have the first section of shelf styling ideas. You will be surprised how much you can achieve even on a small budget.
Explore the rest of the under £100 range HERE
Shelf Decoration Ideas Under £200
When it comes to living room shelf décor, you will be pleasantly surprised with our range of affordable objet D’art. Remember that all the decorative objects for shelves you see here are handmade by some of the leading international glass artists.
Discover the rest of the under £200 range HERE
Under £300 Shelf Décor Ideas
The choice of living room shelf decoration really starts to open up at this price point and you can find items that really do exude luxury.
Items in this price range can be explored HERE
Bookshelf Décor Ideas Under £400
I tried to stick to top 5 shelf decoration pieces but it was too hard to choose. When you have over 1200 decorative objects for shelves it becomes harder and harder to narrow it down.
At the bottom, I have put links to the rest of the gallery shop so you can carry on looking through at your leisure for bookcase décor items to dazzle and delight.
Shelf styling items in the under £500 price range can be explored HERE
Here is a link to Bookcase Décor from £500 to £1000 and here is the link for those people looking to spend over £1000 on Shelf Decoration.
I hope you have found this article useful (and enjoyed the terrible puns as much as I did!).
Please consider sharing the article with your friends. Just triple click on the www web address in the address bar above, copy it and put it in an email to your friends. It might help take their minds off Trump for a while. Thank you!
Kind regards
Barnaby Kirsen
Boha Glass Ltd