How to change up your bookshelves
Once a year you can justify pounding your home with decorations and scent, so don’t forget the bookshelves. You can leave what you have there and simply add fresh greens for an easy great looking holiday display. It is also a great time to take everything out, do them up for the holiday with great shelving arrangements and then reevaluate for a fresh start. The New Year is a great time to have your Lee Douglas Designer come out to accessorize your shelving professionally.
I am going to address both year round displays as well as Christmas, so here it goes:
Holiday Bookshelves
1_Add fresh greens. As I have stated so many times before, grab a box of fresh greens from Lee Douglas, mix them up then tuck and place around your existing bookshelf accessories and you’re done. This couldn’t be easier!
2_Holiday Shelf Arrangements-
a) If you aren’t looking to clear off your whole shelf, the best way to start is to get an anchor in place. I usually tap a nail in the corner between the wall and the shelf. You can then add a piece of wire to the nail which will attach and secure the arrangement.
b) Using a floral foam block for artificial floral, use a few artificial stems of greenery or wrap a small garland around the block.
c) Attach the wire from your anchor to the greens or garland on your floral foam.
d) Continue to add artificial and fresh to make the shape you want.
e) Throw in some ornaments or ribbons and there you have it. Something new to look at for a brief time period.
Everyday Bookshelves
After the New Year, get rid of bookshelf items that don’t excite you anymore, that are not on trend, or don’t mean anything. Clean everything off and tackle a new look. Here are some pointers:
Bookcases can be grand or a catastrophe based on what you put on them. Accessorize your shelves by giving careful thought and customization. Really make them yours.
Look at what you love. Display things that mean something to you and make you grin when you walk by.
Group similar things together. I always tell my Designers, “Like items grouped together are more powerful than alone”. This means that groupings of colors, shapes, etc. become a collection rather than a loner.
Books are the best! That seems like a stupid thing to say when they are BOOK shelves, but you might be surprised. Don’t just throw some old paperbacks on a shelf and call it a day. Use nice books and group them by color. Stack some groups horizontally, stack some vertically, and mix them up a little. For example, stack some left or right justified on the shelf vertically then put some horizontally next to the vertical stack forming an L- the lower horizontal stack is the perfect place to set a photo or accessory.
Make the shelves flow with things that answer to other things and creates balance, in other words, relate the objects.
Today’s trend, regardless of style, is to minimize. Less is more when it comes to bookshelves. One larger scale item alone on a shelf is better than a bunch of confused small pieces.
Skip all the above and pay your Lee Douglas Designer for an hour or two of time to do it right the first time. You’ll sleep better at night!