How To Style A Bookshelf with Wayfair

Believe it or not, not everything in my home is stylish. It’s unrealistic to expect that everything you purchase will not only be functional but also look great in an Instagram photo, right? That’s just not real life. I seem to have acquired a few items somewhere between my single days and married life that I would not miss should they ever disappear permanently. Such items include but are not restricted to: Batman Mr. Potato Head atop the toilet, a stuffed Lebron James doll watching us sleep from Matt’s nightstand, a DJ mixer currently on the kitchen table because sometimes you want to up the energy when you eat. As they say, for better or for worse!

The task of designing a bookshelf is daunting and it’s just one piece of furniture! There are a few approaches. You can keep it minimal in both color and/or the amount of books on the bookshelf. Or you can go all out. Given the quantity of books in our library, I had to opt for the latter. At first, I dabbled with the idea of turning all the books backward because I’m going with neutrals in the rest of house. However, Matt was quick to put down that idea due to the difficulty with which he would be able to find a book. Now, I have yet to see him ever try to find a book after he reads it but to compromise, I decided to embrace our collection and the plethora of colorful bindings.

So, where do you begin? Find a bookshelf that suits your needs. I knew I wanted something simple and this bookshelf from Wayfair is under $100. Since it’s white, it doesn’t detract from the items on the shelves. Since we have a ton of books in a wide array of colors, I didn’t want to worry about any clashing going on. I love that the piece can also be re-purposed later as a shoe shelf should I find myself in need of more shoe storage!

Next, decide how you want to organize your books. Matt initially requested that he have an entire section dedicated to himself when I sat down to tackle this project. Quite taken aback (because I thought in marriage nothing is “yours” or “mine” anymore), I dutifully tried to make this happen as a good wife would. However, I quickly realized the collection of Batman comics and stack of books on sports gambling just weren’t going to look pretty next to each other. Size and color weren’t in sync and I’m a perfectionist. So, I reevaluated and decided to color organize in order to achieve my goal: a beautifully coordinated wall. I’d argue this is also what a good wife has to do sometimes as I’ve learned over the last 7 months of marriage!

I personally love how things turned out! I didn’t get it perfect on the first try. I swapped things in, out, and around until I was satisfied. The last step was to add a few pieces of decor that were also functional as well. A gold mirror via Wayfair to check yourself before you run out (Matt uses this more than I do), a key tray because I am oh so good at losing everything I own, and a vase to hold a few beautiful blooms. So, what do you think?

Wayfair bookshelf | Wayfair mirror | Wayfair rug | Bed Bath and Beyond gold tray

Shop a few of my favorite books below, too!