When you're looking to bring your living space to the next level, a properly styled bookshelf will get you there. What better way to get there than by making your bookshelf look like a work of art? Using one of our old tricks from grade school, see how we're taking our boring old bookshelf to the next level. Let's talk #shelfies. Have you always wanted to get that streamlined bookshelf display look your see in design blogs? See how you can use an old trick from middle school to seriously upgrade your bookshelves and take them from cluttered to curated!
Remember back in school when you used to wrap your loaned textbooks with paper and doodle your crush’s name in the inside flap? (Just me? Don’t lie to yourself, now.) We’re reviving that old trick and putting an ‘adulting’ spin on it to help elevate our bookshelf decor. Grab some gift wrapping paper and scissors, some chic bookends, and get ready to take the perfect “shelfie”.
Step 1: Choose wrapping paper that fits in the color and decor scheme of the room the shelf will be in. Cut a piece of wrapping paper about 4 inches higher (2 inches on each side) than the book you’re covering. Roll the book over and trace it out.
Step 2: Roll the book over (so you have enough paper to cover the binding) and use a pencil to trace along the opposite cover. Trim 2 inches out from the pencil mark. This gives you a rectangle of paper that is 2 inches bigger on every side than the book you are covering.
Step 3: Fold the long sides of the paper around the book to create a kind of “jacket” around the cover. Be sure to pull the paper tightly when you do the second side so the paper cover is nice and snug and won’t fall off or leave a space around the binding when you close the book.
Step 4: Once you have your long sides folded in, use a pair of scissors to snip the paper on both sides of the book’s spine. Cut along the spine to remove that little square of paper. The reason we do that is because we can’t fold the paper in where the spine/binding is so we have to leave a space there.
Step 5: Fold the remaining shorter sides in to completely cover the book. Be sure to fold/tuck the corners over like an envelope to give it a super clean and polished look!
Step 6: Switch up the paper colors to complement each other, or go streamlined and monochromatic- it’s all up to you! When you’re done covering your books, it’s time to add some embellishments!
Cute bookends can show off your newly covered library in a whole new way, so we made sure to use these awesome lucite bookends we DIY’ed with Miss Kris. Add some greenery with a small succulent or other indoor plants to bring some life to your display. Add other small decor items like candles, knick knacks from your travels, or artwork to round out your collection. Pro Tip: we brought this up when we styled our Skateboard Shelves, but it’s always best to style things in threes. It just brings everything togehter.
Show us your #shelfie and tag us on Instagram and use #bemakeful!
- books
- wrapping paper
- Scissors
- knick knacks
- bookends
Kelsey Formost
As an only child who had to entertain herself a lot, Kelsey has always been a DIY fanatic! She grew up half beach bum in San Diego, CA, and half country bumpkin in Colorado Springs, CO. When she's not living the dream DIY-ing with Makeful, you can see her pop up on TV once in awhile on shows like 'Modern Family' and 'New Girl'!
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