12 Ways Art and Books Can Tell Your Story

12 Ways Art and Books Can Tell Your Story

On the day we moved to our house, after taking care of a few essentials (hello, coffeepot!) , the very first thing I did was unpack many boxes of books and prop my preferred prints on the windowsill. The giant wardrobe boxes and stacks of paper-wrapped dishes had to wait, because I knew that my books and art, over any other objects, would make our new house genuinely feel like home. The books that you collect over the artwork you select because it makes your heart beat quicker, or speaks to you in some manner — those things combine to tell your unique story.

Nourish yourself this autumn with the comfort of books and art in every room. Keep on reading to see 12 ideas for placing your books and art on display in the ways.

Glenn Gissler Design

1. Know that books and art were made for each other. As this space demonstrates so well, books and art are a match made in paradise. A tall bookcase filled to the brim, overflowing with stacks on the floor, plus art hung not only on the wall but on the case , creates a richly inspiring atmosphere.

Prestige Custom Building & Construction, Inc..

2. Borrow a few tips from art galleries. Gallery-white walls and track lighting directed at the artwork can easily be re-created at home. Here, a rich ceiling painted cinnamon-cocoa adds a warm, enveloping note, along with the long, low bookcases give added space for framed photos and paintings.

Emily A. Clark

3. Hang art on your bookcase. Just one framed work hung onto a bookcase suddenly gives the whole room a fresh layer of sophistication, and it’s a lot easier to get right than you might think. Hold up potential prints, paintings or photographs to have a sense of the size that works best — there is not any hard and fast rule, so go with what seems right to you. Most frames will probably look best when hung about two-thirds of how up the bookcase, though with bigger bits you might have more leeway.

Michael Fullen Design Group

4. Turn your dining room into a library. Fill the walls together with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and amp up the cushy dining room texture with an upholstered armchair at the head of this table. Want to really go the distance? Bring in a library ladder to reach the greatest shelves.

Economy Interiors

5. Upgrade your shelves with light. It consistently amazes me what a difference a little light makes. To play up your bookshelves, consider using sconces or clip-on lighting turned downward to illuminate your bookcase. Swing-arm or even pharmacy-style sconces are a traditional option, but even the most elementary clip lighting will do just fine. Or as an alternative to sconces, consider setting a set of little bent-arm table lamps in addition to the bookcase, together with the arms directed onto the books below.

Tucker & Marks

6. Channel a fancy decorator. Perfectly straight and symmetrical structures and gilded or black frames mechanically feel posh. Try out a grid of four or six, or a set of prints wrapped. Wondering what to framework? You can never go wrong with architectural drawings and vintage fashion sketches.

Sullivan, Goulette & Wilson Ltd.. Architects

7. Care for your books like art. Why keep picture ledges reserved for art alone? Mix things up by exhibiting books with beautiful covers alongside framed photos and artwork.

Siemasko + Verbridge

8. Produce a library corner in any room with a round table. Tall bookcases are a welcome addition, of course, but a round table stacked with hefty tomes may also stand alone as a mini library. Lean art on the wall or windowsill nearby to add another layer of interest.

In case you really do have a tall bookcase, consider pushing a demilune or long, narrow console table right up against it and stack more books on top.

9. Make your own salon. Art hung low and high, lush red drapes, art, sculpture and plants in any combination will give your area the feel of a modern-day salon.

Sara Tuttle Interiors

10. Bring art to the kitchen. You listen to songs while cooking, and why not like a little visual inspiration too? A dim accent wall brings drama to framed art, even though a table and mirror lamp add to the feeling that this really is a kitchen that you can really reside in.

Mary Prince Photography

11. Go for it — failing an whole wall with art. Have a big, blank wall? Quit overthinking it and get started hanging! Work from the centre out, filling the whole wall with art of all kinds — do not be concerned about whether it matches. The pleasure in a gallery wall is giving the eye plenty of different kinds of things to investigate.

Shannon Malone

12. Collect everything you need in a comfy spot. Have you got that one special spot in your home that contains all of your favorite items? If not, I am hoping after reading this you are going to take a moment to create one. Bring your treasured books, songs and art together around a comfortable chair or two. Now sink and enjoy.

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