14 Creative Ways to Decorate With Books

If you’re a bit of a book lover, there’s no better way to make your house into a home than by decorating with books! Using books is a really subtle way to add meaning and a personal touch to your home decor… and make yourself look like a smarty pants at the same time!

And there are so many fun and creative ways to display books!

In this post, I’m going to share some of the biggest benefits of decorating with books, plus a whole heap of my favorite book decoration ideas. From gorgeous coffee table displays to cozy book nooks, let’s dive into the world of bookish home decor!

What Are The Benefits of Decorating with Books?

Here are some compelling reasons why you should consider decorating with books.

1. Books Are Cheap Home Decor Items

When it comes to home decor accessories, books are a relatively affordable option. Thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, yard sales, and used bookstores are all treasure troves where you can find beautiful books on a whole range of weird and wonderful topics, often for less than a dollar or two each.

Whether you’re going for a modern aesthetic with striking black-and-white photo books or an elegant look with worn vintage tomes, you shouldn’t need to spend much to put together a nice collection of books to decorate your home with.

And of course you could always just use the books you already have! You don’t have to buy any new ones at all.

2. Displaying Books Will Encourage Your Little Ones to Read

By putting books on display around your home, you make a bit of a statement – that books and reading are very important to you. If you have children, this is a really subtle way to encourage a love of reading.

3. You’ll Spark Interesting Conversations

A well-placed book on a coffee table or an end table can be a great conversation starter when you have guests over. It’s an easy way to connect and share your interests with others.

4. Books Express Who You Are

By incorporating your favorite books into your home decor as decorative objects, you can express your personality and interests.

Whether it’s a stunning book of photos of your favorite country, a thought-provoking novel by a little-known author, or a cherished copy of the Bible, your book collection can make your space uniquely yours.

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14 Unique Ways to Decorate with Books

Whether you have a small collection of books or a vast library, there are so many creative ways to incorporate books into your home decor.

Let’s have a look at some of the best ideas for using books as decorative elements!

1. Display Decorative Books on Your Coffee Table

Of course, coffee table books are the classic way to incorporate books into your home decor!

Go for large books with beautiful covers and a subject matter that reflects your interests, whether that’s art, fashion, photography, or travel.

Stack a few coffee table books of varying sizes, mixing and matching covers for a visually appealing look, or lay a single book open to your favorite page. 

2. Use Books as Risers

A great way to decorate with books is by using them as risers. Stack a few books on top of each other and display other decorative items on top of them, like vases, candles, and ornaments.

It can take a bit of experimentation to find an arrangement that feels right, but this is a pretty simple way to add some visual interest and depth to your surfaces.

3. Show Off Your Favorite Recipes in the Kitchen

Cookbooks aren’t just for cooking; they can also add a charming touch to your kitchen decor.

Prop a favorite cookbook up against the wall or open it on a stand to display a particularly delicious-looking recipe. This way you can easily switch up your decor throughout the year, by showing seasonally-appropriate recipes.

4. Give Your Books a Makeover

One problem with decorating with books (at least if you want to use your existing book collection) is that all the different colors won’t necessarily match your color scheme.

In this case, there are a few different ways to create a more cohesive look. You can recover your books with decorative paper or fabric, paint the covers to match your room’s color palette, or take off any dust jackets.

5. Turn Pages into Art Prints

This book decor idea is perhaps a little bit naughty, but it is something I’ve done myself.

If you’re looking for affordable wall art, find a book with some beautiful images, whether that means photos, illustrations, maps, or even typography, carefully remove the pages, and frame them as unique art prints. You could even make a whole gallery wall from one book!

6. Display Your Books The Wrong Way Around

Ready for another controversial book decoration idea?! For a minimalist or even boho look, try displaying your books with the spines facing inward, so only the pages are on show.

This creates a more uniform look with neutral colors, which can be pretty calming. That said, it does also make it harder to find a particular book, so perhaps avoid this option if you’re a real bookworm!

7. Make Rainbow Bookshelves

If you have a lot of colorful books, organizing them by the color of their covers is a fun way to turn your bookshelves into a stunning visual feature of their own. Start by sorting your books into different color groups, then arrange them in a gradient or rainbow pattern.

This technique works particularly well in rooms that could use a pop of color, as well as in children’s bedrooms. But you could also create more monochrome gradients if you stick to books that are roughly the same color.

8. Create a Book Nook

Why not turn your love of books into a whole extra seating area? A book nook is a cozy, dedicated space for reading and relaxation.

Pick a quiet corner or awkward space like under your stairs, add comfy seating, good lighting, and, of course, plenty of books. See how I created a cozy reading area for my children.

9. Use Spice Racks

IKEA spice racks make for charming book displays for children’s books. I’m sure you’ve seen them on Pinterest!

Mount these racks on the wall and stand the books upright, so the covers become wall art themselves, and it’s easy for your children to pick out their favorites. This could also work well with recipe books in your kitchen.

9. Set up a Dedicated Book Cart

We use drinks carts and storage trolleys to house drinks and other items, so why not have one dedicated to showing off your books?! Whether you use it in the living room, your bedroom, or even the bathroom, a well-styled book cart would make for a really unique but practical piece of decor!

To style a book cart, mix books with small decorative items like plants, candles, or picture frames. This will add interest and break up the visual monotony of rows of books. 

10. Install Some Invisible Shelves

I’m sure you’ve seen those invisible shelves before – the ones that make it look like a stack of books is floating on the wall?

This is a beautiful way to display small stacks of books and turn them into wall art. It’s also a great idea for children’s rooms because it looks like magic!

11. Put Up Some Really High Shelves

If you’re going for a classy or even a minimalist look, installing bookshelves right near the ceiling of your room can create a pretty dramatic effect, especially in rooms with high ceilings. You could have a single shelf that runs all the way around the edge of the room, creating a kind of book border.

This is also a great option for small rooms, because it can make them feel bigger and get a lot of the storage out of the way, if that makes sense.

To reach the books, you might also want to get a ladder, which can become a piece of decorative furniture itself.

12. Put Books in Decorative Containers

There are so many different creative ways to display books, beyond lining them up, stacking them, putting them on shelves, etc. 

Get creative by trying out different storage solutions for your books. For example, you could put them inside pretty baskets, box files, magazine racks, crates, and other decorative holders. This way, you turn them into little decorative displays, while keeping the books organized and protected. 

You can then put these book-filled containers on surfaces, under tables, next to sofas, in corners, and anywhere else you can think of. 

13. Treat Yourself to A Built-in Library Wall

If you really want to go to town and you’ve got a particularly large book collection, creating a built-in library wall is the ultimate dream for many book lovers.

This option not only gives you the storage space to house a lot of books; it also makes for a visually striking display of your favorite reads. Built-in cabinetry and shelves give you a seamless and integrated look that freestanding shelves just can’t match.

Plus you get to feel like Belle from The Beauty and The Beast!

14. Turn Books into Other Objects

Another creative way to incorporate books into your interior design and show off your bookish personality, is by turning old books into other objects to put them to good use.

For instance, you could hollow out a book to create a secret safe for your valuables, or even transform a set of books into a knife block for your kitchen.

These DIY book projects aren’t for everyone, but if you’re an avid reader and you want to bring a kind of literary charm to your home, this is certainly the way to do it!

How Will You Decorate With Books?

I love how creative you can get with making books a part of your decor. And because everyone has different types of books they like to read, everyone’s bookish home decor will be unique!

I hope you found at least a few ideas that you like the look of in this post, so that you can turn your book collection into a beautiful part of your home’s aesthetic! Happy decorating!