11 Creative Ways To Store Books That Actually Enhance Your Home Decor

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Books have a simple allure to them — while they are stationary items that often aren't all that exciting on the outside, their pages hold an infinite number of possibilities, from knowledge to adventure. If you're a book lover, you may find that your collection is squirreled away in your home study or in the corner of a living room. While this is a fine way to store books, it doesn't always enhance your home's decor to have them crammed into one area. If you want to use your literary collection to bring decorative value to more spaces, there are a number of ways to do so. 

Since books are so versatile and touch on every topic known to humans, you can easily integrate them into every single space in your home. Place them prominently in the kitchen on a shelf, in your child's bedroom or playroom using fun and inviting book displays, or arranged in an aesthetically pleasing layout in your home office. And, if you want to repurpose books that you probably aren't reading anymore, try making them into a themed side table — the sky is the limit. 

Enhancing your decor with the help of books can be easily done by placing some cookbooks in a visually appealing position in your kitchen. Although you might not do any fiction reading in your culinary space, this is a natural room to house your cookbooks in. If you have an especially good-looking cookbook, you might find that using a front-facing book holder is the perfect way to show it off and bring some extra appeal to your kitchen. This also boosts functionality: use the stand to hold the book open when following a recipe from inside.

Maybe you're running short on bookshelves, or perhaps you just want a less conventional storage solution for your books. Either way, an old library cart makes for an excellent book display — and for obvious reasons! You also get the added benefit of being able to wheel the cart to wherever you need it. Should a library cart not be an option, you can repurpose any tiered cart, such as a the IKEA RÅSKOG.

While this may seem like an obvious way to use books in your home decor, it's definitely an easy one to overlook. A nicely illustrated book or one filled with gorgeous photographs of landscapes or cityscapes can provide a little extra sophistication to your living room. It's also a nice addition for guests who might be sitting back and relaxing. Want to make it a little more personalized? Track down a book that features one of your favorite vacation destinations — like Paris or London — which will make you more likely to enjoy it, too.

A floating shelf is one of many ways to incorporate books as art in your home (especially in rooms that don't have proper bookshelves). You can pick some of your favorite reads so that they are in easy reach, or you can select the best-looking books from your collection. Whatever types of books you choose, remember to regularly dust your floating shelf to keep your display looking fresh. You can also treat books like artwork on their own by facing their covers outwards on floating shelves.

If your little ones like to read, what better way to enhance the decor in their space than by using a wall-mounted shelf for their books? Unlike a shelf that will store the books in a narrow setup, these bookshelves are prized for their front-facing display, which makes selecting a book accessible for young people who cannot read yet or who are more enticed more by cover art than by the title. Curate the books on display, selecting classics with timeless art, which will help you get the most decorative value.

Color-coordinating your book collection is as simple as it sounds, and it can really make your library pop. You can arrange them in any pattern that you like, whether that's using a rainbow positioning (red, orange, yellow, green, and so on) or placing them however you feel enhances the look of your room. Additionally, you can arrange by size as well if the books vary a lot in dimensions.

If you're lucky enough to work from home and find yourself using your home office regularly, creating a pleasant backdrop for your office using books is a great move. Not only does it help your space to feel more orderly, but it also can be beneficial if you regularly take part in video calls. Should you want a little method to the madness of trying to arrange your bookshelf, take some time to read up on best practices for how to decorate a bookshelf.

Want to branch out a little with your book display? Why not create this curvy holder, which is made possible with some simple hardware. Purchase a pack of floating bookshelves, like the Eapele 4-pack for $15.99 on Amazon. Next, stagger their arrangement on the wall so that the books can be stacked in several sections, each on a slight angle up to the next shelf. Guests will be sure to love this magical-looking presentation.

If you're looking for a super simple way to make your books even more interesting, mix and match the way you stack them. Pile some up horizontally on the bookshelf and others vertically to give your eyes a more unconventional layout to admire. You can easily style your books by stacking an equal number of books horizontally as you do vertically, creating a pattern of sorts.

Sometimes, putting items inside a basket can make all the difference in the world. One easy way to help books look more decorative is by simply placing them inside a basket or bin. You can then put the container on a table, on the ground next to the couch, or even on a bookshelf. It's all about creating visual appeal in your own personal style. A basket also makes it easier to move your books around as needed.

Sometimes, it's easy to overlook the most basic ideas, such as keeping a stack of books on a side table or in another spot that will lend some visual appeal. This is a tried-and-true approach to using books as decor that's sure to look great. You can use books that are in your reading rotation, keeping them nearby for your next session, or choose a handful of works that just look good — either way, you can't go wrong. Also use stacked books to elevate decor pieces like lamps or bowls, too.