The term “bookshelf wealth” is being mentioned all over social media lately and the cozy, welcoming look has established itself as one of the predominant trends of the year. Here’s why I think this aesthetic is here to stay.
Bookshelf wealth, the maximalist interior-design trend that’s all about the beauty of an overstuffed bookshelf piled high with books and decorative items that reflect the owner’s life and personality, is being mentioned by decorators, designers, and home decor fans everywhere lately. Seen as a bit of a backlash against strict, curated, often impersonal minimalist decor styles that tend to look the same in every home, bookshelf wealth is meant to be authentic, highly personal, and completely unrestricted – and although clutter makes me shudder, I’m all for it. I’m not someone who usually thinks that you should hold onto things “just in case” or because you have a sentimental attachment to them, but books have always been the exception to the rule.
We’ve added built-in bookshelves to every room that we could around our old farmhouse over the years, and I’ve always told the kids how important it is to have books in a home. I think that if the urge to read ever comes up, you should aways be able to wander over to your shelves and pick up a book that interests you without barriers. You could say that this is the home decor trend I’ve been waiting for, but I would argue that bookshelf wealth is really an entire lifestyle and one that we could all really use at this exact point in our collective history.
Books Elevate and Transform Lives
Pictured above: Black lampshade | Faux leather desk blotter | Vintage dog printable art
There’s no tool with greater power to transform lives than a bookshelf full of volumes of books about all different subjects. Regardless of your station or current situation in life, whether you choose to read fiction or non-fiction, the distinctly analog experience of reading a book has been shown to calm your nervous system while expanding your mind and broadening your perspective.
When you’re reading a book of any sort, you’re being provided with an education in spelling and grammar that you may not even realize you’re receiving. Practically speaking, just being someone who is known to read books makes you seem instantly smarter and will make others more open to your thoughts and ideas, but you’ll become much better at expressing those ideas as well. In today’s world, where so much of our communication is done through writing via email, social media, and text messaging, it’s a wonder that we seem to have decided that reading and writing skills aren’t absolutely essential. Make no mistake; they definitely are, and people do notice grammar and punctuation in even the most casual of interactions. Read a book and you’ll instantly start to make a better impression on those you meet.
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Books Elevate and Transform Rooms
We visit many homes for our interior design photography business and one thing that I’ve been quite concerned, confused, and horrified by is the fact that people just don’t seem to have books in their homes. Open shelving is one of the biggest home trends, and it’s a bit disconcerting that no homeowner seems to have any intention of ever using their shelves for actual books. It’s troubling that no one seems to be reading in any meaningful way, but it’s also a shame that people are overlooking how much beauty and warmth books can bring when you use them to decorate your home.
Books above: Sunday Suppers | Habitat
Books are an indispensable and timeless tool for home decor and seem to be a universal design element in spaces of all different styles for a reason. Whether your space is traditional or more of mid-century modern style, If your room is feeling a little cold and soul-less, chances are that books are one of the things missing from your decorating scheme. Stylish coffee table books are often stacked on tables, shelving units and cabinets, and other surfaces to add texture and personality, and of course, nothing looks better than seeing row upon row of beautiful books all lined up on a bookshelf.
Books above: This is Home | Eat Drink Nap
Cookbooks are an important decorating accent for creating a cohesive look on kitchen open shelves, and I love to use them stacked in groups of two or three to ground a grouping of smaller decor items or to display a single larger item like a favorite bowl.
Old books found at thrift shops and flea markets can add a sense of history, delight, and nostalgia to a freshly re-decorated room and the muted colors and interesting typography on their spines add instant character if the decorations in a space are a little too new and polished.
Although the bookshelf wealth look is often thought of as being used in classic rooms where wallpaper, dark rugs, lamps with beautiful shades, and heavy curtains would be appropriate, even the most modern spaces can benefit from the texture and interest that a full bookshelf can bring.
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Is the Bookshelf Wealth Trend Inauthentic?
Some people argue that the bookshelf wealth trend lacks authenticity because people are buying books simply for the way they look without actually reading them based on decor tips from social media. They say that the look of bookshelves filled with books needs to be earned by actually reading all the volumes in your collection and that this style of home decor takes a lifetime to achieve.
Books above: This is Home | Eat Drink Nap | The Great American House
I reply that if someone can see the beauty in books and wants to bring them into their home to fill shelves, they probably at least like the idea of reading. Maybe they aren’t what would be considered well-read at the current moment, but the aspirations are probably there. If you’re surrounded by books, at some point, you’ll wander over to your shelf, pick something that interests you at that moment, and flip it open. There are no rules as to how much you need to read at a time, what type of book you need to choose, or when is the right time to do it. The only thing you need to know is that if you have a moment and a spark of inspiration to read passes over you, a book should be close at hand to make that happen. Setting your family up to have the opportunity for this basic human joy is a wonderfully authentic thing to do with the spaces in your home, whether you build the look over time or decide to go for it after completing a brand-new renovation.
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Is Bookshelf Wealth Anti-Minimalist?
The suggestion has been made that the maximalism of bookshelf wealth is simply a cluttered act of rebellion against the more prescriptive, severe home interior design styles and advice of the last few years that implied that owning very few items and keeping your decorating choices pared-back was the only way to really achieve style and happiness at home. Of course, minimalists read books, too, and the bookshelf wealth trend within the design industry is really very tidy and anti-clutter at its core.
Minimalism is all about living with only what is essential and necessary, and I would say that books definitely fall into this category. Bookshelf wealth is not about negligently piling books willy-nilly on every open surface in your home as if they’re about to be tossed out like yesterday’s junk mail, but rather it’s about displaying books with thoughtfulness, care, and appreciation. Books and other treasured mementos are arranged in a way that is both functional and pleasing to the eye and all the items used have a home and a purpose. Bookshelf wealth is definitely about abundance, but in a calm, deliberate way, and I think these are concepts that any minimalist would support.
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Decorating Ideas for Achieving the Bookshelf Wealth Design Aesthetic in Your Home
As far as design trends for interiors go, the bookshelf wealth look is quite approachable and easy to achieve. This look is very open to interpretation, but here are a few of my own favorite guidelines to follow. Hopefully, these will help you get inspired to create your own cozy version of this appealing style.
Rules to Help Your Bookcase Look Its Best
If you want your bookshelf to look more intriguingly layered than overwhelmingly cluttered, it helps to have a bit of a strategy. I like to create a mix of both hardcover books and paperbacks. I use both new book selections as well as older ones that I find at thrift shops, antique stores, and flea markets.
Sticking to a refined color palette for about 80% of your book collection will result in a look that feels comfortable and cohesive. My preferred colors are earthy browns, muted greens, and blues, but I like to break that rule every once in a while so the overall effect doesn’t look too planned. A color palette with brighter tones will result in a more playful, less formal look.
Fill in the Blanks With Non-Book Items
I like to take decoration inspiration right out of the pages of some of my favorite books on traditional homes when it comes to finding decor ideas to complete the look of my shelves. I think adding different objects to your bookcases is a great way to bring personality and whimsy to your space, and I think it makes the whole composition so much more endearing.
Adding in items like framed photos, pieces of sculpture, and baskets to keep a few things hidden are some of my favorite ways to bring even more life to the parts of my home where I embrace the bookshelf wealth look. Stagger similar items, such as vintage baskets or paintings, at a diagonal from one another to keep things feeling balanced.
Other Design Elements to Add to Your Space
Pictured above: Black lampshade | Faux leather desk blotter | Vintage dog printable art
If you’d like to extend this design style beyond the confines of your bookshelves, there are certain key elements that you can bring into your rooms. Shop for antiques in rich wood tones, wicker baskets to add texture and storage, brass candlesticks for soft, flickering light, and framed prints and paintings in beautiful, eye-catching frames.
Do you support the bookshelf wealth look and lifestyle in your home? How do you feel about this being labeled as a current trend?
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.