Built-in shelves are beautiful features and add to the architecture of the home. They can be found in so many different rooms but when it comes to decorating them, it can be a little tricky. Some built-in shelves have movable shelves while others are fixed, which means they cannot be moved up or down. When you come across these shelves, you are at the mercy of the space in between each shelf and have to plan accordingly. When we walk homes with built-in shelves, we like to use several different elements to decorate them. Here are our steps for decorating built-in shelves.

Decorating Built-Ins

As interior designers, we are often asked questions about our processes for decorating built-in shelves. Well, the process is simple. When you stand back and try to envision what elements are needed for the room and the built-ins, you start to think about what colors to use, what textures you can bring into the room, and how you can bring a sense of the homeowner into the space through the décor. These starting points direct our design strategy to provide perfectly curated shelves that reflect our client’s sense of style and memories.

The Project – Music Room with Built-in Bookshelves

We recently had the pleasure to redesign a music room for a client. It is a beautiful space with a fireplace and built-in shelves on either side. We started designing the room by picking out some beautiful colors to brighten up the space and bring it to life. Once the room was painted, we planned for the accessories. We picked out the décor and curated the right pieces for the room.

• Step 1 – Having empty shelves is the best starting point in decorating. This allows you to start fresh and handpick each item for every shelf without any distractions.

• Step 2 – One thing to think about is the type of accessories, art, and books that you are looking for when you are shopping. It’s great to include some sort of botanical or greenery into the design to pull in color and an organic element. Deciding if you want to include live plants, stick with silk or leave them out altogether will help you know what to look out for.

• Step 3 – Start shopping! The fun begins when you start finding the right pieces for the room. You don’t have to have tunnel vision and buy items per shelf. Shop as a collection. In this space, we wanted white accessories with a few black, gold, and silver/mirrored pieces. As we shop at some of our favorite retailers, we start buying items that we like. It doesn’t mean that it will always work, but we won’t know until we try it.

• Step 4 – Shop the home! Our clients will often encourage us to pull items for our projects from other rooms in their homes. It is great to use accessories that the client already owns and incorporate them to show off their personality. We also look out for family photos that we can include in our design.

• Step 5 – Before we get started placing accessories, we take an inventory of what we have.  All of the jackets are pulled off of the books and we start sorting pieces before placing products on shelves. We like to use all neutral colored books when styling shelves because it creates a uniformity and in this design, the all-white books contribute to the accessory theme.

• Step 6 – Making the magic happen! We start by picking the heights of the shelves and move them into place. The big pieces like the art and large vases go in first. The vases and other decorative accessories are placed by staggering or alternating them throughout the built-ins. Smaller pieces of varying heights go in last. These accessories include books, boxes, picture frames, and greenery that are layered in until each shelf has a story to tell.

The final result is this beautiful room that our clients will love and will be able to enjoy. The eye-catching blue shelves draw attention to the bookshelves and the white accessories. If you need some design inspiration, contact us. Gracious Home Interiors would love to help you with your next interior design project. We will find the right accessories and elements for your space and built-in shelves.

Shop The Look

Love the look? Shop some of our favorite decorative accessories right from the blog!