5 Steps to Make Your Bookshelves Look Trendy...

Bookshelves are normally filled with dog-eared copies of romance novels or textbooks we are forced to buy for school.  I have a fantasy in my head that my bookshelves won't be used as a supplementary storage unit for my overflow of shoe boxes... Because right now, that's probably the only practical use my bookshelves store.  It would be nice to display photos and beautiful "coffee-table books" in their native setting... and put the shoes back where they belong (in the closet, or in my case, in a museum.)

Step One: Get a Bookshelf

Screw conventions.  I want something that isn't white, rectangular and from IKEA - aka my current shelf.  The Biblioteca Shelf from Umbra is way too expensive at $725, but I think it can be recreated by cutting a couple coffee tables in half and screwing them together. 

Step Two: Find quirky and classic bookends

To organize a bookshelf, you need book ends and these ones are beautiful!  From Barnes & Noble ($39.95) they are made of white marble, so they are sturdy and well made (as long as you don't drop them).  The shape is classic and adds a little zen.  Why not burn some incense while practising yoga in between reading Eat, Pray, Love?

Step Three: Set the illusion that you're a grand traveller

Louis Vuitton is known as the purveyor of all things classic and luxurious.  However, these won't break your bank.  Priced at only $34 each, LV has City Guides for Paris, London, Rome, Tokyo, New York, LA, Mumbai and Miami.  They sell the collection in a set (for $130) but I like the different colours for each city.  Even though a vacation to these exotic locales isn't realistic, the stylish city guides can be a getaway on their own.

Step Four: Display memories of your loved-ones, or good looking one night stands.

Do I even need to explain these?  They are awesome and super cheap ($10.50)... again from Umbra.

Step Five: Knick-Knacks

Knick-knacks are essential on a bookshelf.  They fill up empty space (in case your library is lacking...) and should be able to tell a story about their owner.

My family has three sets of Russian Nesting Dolls (Matryoshka) that reside on top of our "family library".  I bought my mother this set of white nesting dolls from Urban Outfitters (approx. $14.50) for mother's day.  The best thing about these guys is that when they are not being admired for their modern (almost clinical) twist on kitsch, they can be used as measuring cups. 

I think I've gotten the inspiration to get rid of my secondary shoe closet.