Styling A Bookcase

“So, please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookcase on the wall.”

– Roald Dahl

We have some lovely built in bookcases in our home.  They are one of the many period details that make our home so charming. BUT this bookcase was NOT styled at all.  I unpacked the boxes when we moved in and left my design books, gardening guides, old theater scripts and picture albums where I placed them .

You guys probably have never seen this bookcase, huh?  I usually crop the photos of the mantel so my messy bookcase isn’t on display.  Ha! Ha!

Then I found out Matthew Mead was coming….

Yup, I HAD to do something with the bookshelf.

BUT I also wanted to keep my books.  SO I turned them around.

Before the spines were all different colors – hot pink, green and not the usual “time worn” look I love.  So now the books (with the pages facing out) give a more neutral backdrop that doesn’t draw the eye to them.

I shopped the basement and brought up all sorts of mementos.

On the top shelf is binoculars that belonged grandfather, whom I never had the chance to meet.  He passed away in the 1960s at a young age due to complications from breathing in asbestos. When I was just a little girl my mom would take them out  and we’d look through them  trying to see nature in the trees and the sky.  I’m glad they have a spot on this shelf.

As I told you before, this rocking chair was my mothers when she was a girl and Conor’s doggie has been resting there since Christmas.

Other shelves have ribbon and burlap, galvanized tin and the sea glass bottles I made last year with a lone pussy willow.

I put all our family albums in a vintage milk crate I found a few years back:

The blue stein was from my Junior Year Abroad and the one thing I bought in Munich when I travelled across Europe with friends.  Boy, did  I love that year and fell in love with so many cities.  You can also see my, much loved, book of Shakespeare and all the bookmarks from college.

This photo of Conor was taken by my friend Egle at his 3rd birthday:

I love that image of him.  He is looking at all his friends running around and laughing. You can almost see all his dreams reflected in his clear, blue eyes.

I’m so happy I can now share this little corner and shelves full of memories with you. Even my favorite image from our wedding (in the rain).

So nice not having to crop it out when I take a beautiful picture of flowers:

What about you?!? Do you have an styling tips for bookcases?