14+ Ways to Decorate with Books

Books are one of the easiest and cheapest ways to decorate your home quickly! Here’s 14+ ways to decorate with books around the house.

I don’t know if you know this but, I love books…specifically I love vintage books. I love the story that comes with the wear and tear shown on the antique books. The faded colors and worn down covers. The antiqued pages and the obvious love. There’s just something about them that add so much life to a room.

This round up of ways to decorate with books contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn’t wholeheartedly recommend anyway! Read my full disclosure here.

Books add height, color, story, texture and dimension to a space when used a decor. For all these reasons and more, I started selling books on Etsy last year. It all started with paring down some of my vintage book collection, which had gotten too large for me to give it the love it deserved.

But when I realized that people loved buying decorative books online (and I loved searching high and low for gorgeous books), it was really a match made in heaven. Some of my favorite sales over the past year were the custom ones where I was able to work directly with the buyers to find just the perfect books to tell their story or fill their shelves with the perfect sized set.

shop vintage style books here

shop modern style books here

Because the decorative books in our Etsy shop have been such a hit, I wanted to take a step further here today and share some of my favorite ways to use the books you could buy in our shop. Whether you’re decorating shelves or looking for ways to save money on wedding decor, there’s so many ways to use books to decorate!

A collage of images shows many different ways of decorating with books -- including stacks of vintage books on tables and bookshelves to decorative books on end tables. Text across the center of the image reads "14+ ways to style with books"

Creative Ways To Decorate with Books

If you love the look of books as decor, this list is for you! Whether you're decorating with vintage books or what to show off your extensive and well-read library, here are 14+ creative ways to style your home with books as decor.

Turn the pages out for a neutral look

This can be a pretty controversial topic, so some people may hate you for turning the book spines around. But I, personally love the neutral look that it brings when you face the pages outward on the decorative books.

Use them on a nightstand

It's always nice to keep a book or two by your bed for late-night reading, but they can also function as decor on your nightstand or bedside table too!

Use books to add height to decor on shelves

Of course, one of my favorite things when decorating with books is adding them under items to add a little height to your shelf decor and bring variety.

Use them on tables for wedding or event decorations

I used a ton of vintage books at our wedding, which is one of the many ways we saved money on wedding decorations. Check out these other genius ways to save.

Photo Credit: meeganmakes.com

Decoupage a book cover

Learn how to create a picture on the spines of books with decoupage. It is a fun way to add detail and texture to any bookshelf, home, or office.

Photo Credit: sarahjoyblog.com

Rip off the covers for an unbound look

If you don't like the cover on the book, simply take it off, and voila! You have a farmhouse-style unbound book that styles well on the coffee table or really anywhere in your home! Make it even cuter when you wrap some vintage lace around it or tie some jute twine to hold a stack together.

Photo Credit: www.lizmarieblog.com

Use them in the kitchen on shelves (add in cookbooks!)

One way to bring books into the kitchen area to decorate with books is to use them on your open shelves and built-ins and add in some cookbooks, too. Love the mix shown in this kitchen!