plaster busts wearing masks as bookshelf decor

Hey friends! Let’s talk about bookshelf decor! This is a roundup of fun ideas for bookshelf styling, including some things that are on my own bookcases.

My husband and I just gave away a few hundred books. We did it to reduce our bill to the moving company when we moved from LA to the Chicago suburbs. It had been a while since we’d culled our book collection, but we’d done it a couple of times before with other moves. The up side to doing this, of course, is that we make room for new books.

Naturally, we’ve got some extra bookshelf space right now, when before, our bookshelves were jam-packed with books! Here are some ideas for bookshelf decor. Some of them are quite cheap—and I’m sure you could decorate your bookshelves for free, just with things you already have!

Pretty Rocks and Shells

I love crystals! I gave one of my best friends the other half of the geode in the picture below. We have a lot of shells, too, picked up from vacations and our time in Los Angeles. Anything from the natural world looks terrific with books.

crystal geode and dark blue crystal cluster on stack of Toni Morrison books

large shell on a bookshelf of Elizabeth Hoyt romances

Holiday Decor

Here are my favorite Halloween decorations (really easy to do—you find those little busts at thrift stores and make the masks out of black felt), and a Swedish straw Yule goat.

plaster busts wearing black masks on a bookshelf

Swedish straw goat holiday decoration on bookshelves

This is a great way to decorate bookshelves, and I just might try it. Twinkly lights make everything more magical! Photo from the Instagram @caketinz_does_manga/.

Twinkly Lights

bookshelves decorated with many strings of twinkly lights

Plants

These photos are from the Instagrams @myhomecanvas1502 and @cookiecat.herine.

several houseplants as bookshelf decor

several plants on bookshelves, along with a candle and a framed print

Family Photos

Of course. Or friend photos!

Figurines

Funko Pop Vinyl figurines are really popular as bookshelf decor. But you can also go more old-school, like me! This brass kitty and the bluebirds were my grandma’s.

vintage brass cat on a bookshelf

blue glass birds sitting on a stack of poetry books on a bookshelf

Trophies and Awards

Don’t keep your softball trophy or course certificate under the bed. Put it on your bookcase to remind yourself of your accomplishment! This is Mr. Donovan’s “Unsung Heroes” award, which his coworkers made up because he deserved an award.

glass trophy on a bookcase

Framed Prints

Etsy sells so many cute prints about reading! Like this print...

framed print that reads "Not now, I'm reading."

Or this one!

"Reading Is Dreaming With Eyes Open" framed print with deer design

And this is a greeting card from a line of greeting cards I wrote. Lots of regular-sized greeting cards fit nicely into a 5″ x 7″ frame for fun, cheap home decor.

framed greeting card with an ice cream design that reads, "She's an extra sprinkles girl in an ice cream world." on bookshelves

What other ways do you decorate your bookshelves? OR, do you use other things besides bookcases to display your books? Let me know in the comments! Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy reading!

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