The Vintage Shelf: Decorative Books

Personally, I think a shelf full of colorful books is one of the most inviting objects in a room, the first thing which catches my eye.  I recently read an article from the Wall Street Journal about decorating with books.  The focus of the article was based on recent interior decorating trends of turning the books around on the shelf so you just see the pages, backwards books.  

The idea behind the trend is keep the color scheme of the room/area neutral in colors for a more calming minimalist  effect.   Personally, I find myself itching to turn all those books around to see what they are!  But to each their own.  You could choose books with white pages, cream colored pages or even decorative paper edges, like the gold gilt.  Or possibly old dictionaries with the cut out tabs would suit you.  

If you don't like a rainbow of color for you book shelf, an option is to find books with spines all the same color.  Or you could choose 2 different colors and add other vintage goodies as accents.  It doesn't need to be the whole shelf or several shelves.  A grouping of 3 or 4 books makes a beautiful decorative display.  Stack them, tie a piece of jute around them, add some greenery, whatever makes your idea of a warm inviting display.

References

The Great Bookshelf Debate, Wall Street Journal