How To Style A Rainbow Bookshelf - J. Cathell

How To Style A Rainbow Bookshelf

How To Style A Rainbow Bookshelf

Tired of looking at boring bookshelves? So was I! Last year I shared this glimpse into my home office, but lately I felt like something was missing. I love being in that space and feel equally energized and relaxed while working in there. Since Atlanta Home Mag was coming over to shoot the space, I decided to spruce up the bookshelves a bit. Here is a whole guide on how to style a rainbow bookshelf so you can do it, too!

The first step was removing everything from the shelves, and sorting them into colors. I knew I wanted to put them back together sorted by color groups. The whole room was covered in piles of color coordinated books and was a total mess for a few hours! Trust the process though. Once you have them sorted, you’ll want to figure out where you want colors to hit. Because I have these bright orange chairs, I knew I wanted blues to be close by to compliment the orange. I also decided to hang a few Gray Malin prints on the opposite shelves so I decided to keep color to a minimum on that side. By choosing black and white books, I was able to make the photographs pop! Even the painting stands out a bit more. Now that you’ve decided on where to put the colors, you’ll also want to think about adding in some accessories. I looked around the house for items that needed a new home, and found that to be another great way to make the space feel new.

As with any project, think about symmetry, scale and balance. There were a few shelves I had to move colors around, and that had to do with making sure things were well balanced. Once all the books were back up, I added in those found items and transformed the once boring bookshelves into vibrant little spaces! As always, send pictures if you do this at your own home! I love to hear from you all.

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5 Comments

  1. 12.19.21
    Ashley Frey said:

    Beautiful!
    What color is your paint?
    Thank you!

    • 12.24.21
      Jess C. said:

      Oh thank you!! My wall color is White Dove throughout the house!

  2. 2.25.22
    Allison said:

    Did I miss who the portraits are by? So many great tips!

    • 2.25.22

      They are by Charles Cashwell, I love his charcoal sketches.

  3. 9.20.22
    Caroline said:

    I love this! And where are those orange chairs from?