How To Decorate with Old Books

I’ve always been an avid reader. Storing books has been something of a problem until I discovered the magical world of Kindle and ebooks. During one of our moves, I went full-on Marie Kondo and managed to scale back the number of physical books I own. Now only buy physical books I know I will use over and over. (Mostly ones with pretty pictures) I gave away some books too but my collection of vintage books is something I could never part with. The covers are intricate like mini works of art in themselves. The topics are hilarious. And many of the books have been handed down through my family. So what to do with them rather than letting them gather dust on a shelf? I decorate with old books! Here’s how. . .

Tie them with a Ribbon

This is one of my favourite ways to decorate with old books. The look is stunning and so easy to do. When you get sick of the current look, you switch the books or tie them with a different fibre: ribbon, kitchen twine, hessian strips, even lace. I have many colour coordinated colours I use throughout the seasons.

Decorate with Old Books Seasonally

The photo below shows how vintage books can be incorporated into seasonal decor. The colours of old covers are so vibrant and intricate they should be displayed. I have collections of red/orange (autumn), brown/black (winter) green (spring), blue (summer), and white that can be used all year round. Old books look good with any kind of decor. If you like swapping accessories to suit an occasion (red for Christmas, green for spring, etc) a display like this can be simple and effective. I often have a pile of books on the mantle. Most of my books are stored in a cupboard in my office. I swap them out when I want a new look.

Display Old Books in an Unusual Way

Why put your cookbooks away when they can be displayed on the kitchen bench? Vintage cookbooks or recipe cards make lovely kitchen decor. Stack them in a crate for extra impact. This keeps your stash tidy but allows you to find what you need without rummaging.

A variation on this idea is to pile your old books in a small suitcase or trunk. I love this idea. It allows your guests to read the books if they wish and not ruin your display.

Think about the Covers and Spines

This may be sacrilege to some (and possibly me too) but another way to decorate with old books is to play with the spines. Old books have thumbed pages, pages that are thicker than modern books. Pages that show age and wear. If you’re going for a neutral vibe, turn the spines to the back and showcase the pages. If you’re only using the books for decoration then you don’t need to see the spine.

Some people like to cover old books to make them coordinate with their other accessories. There are many examples of fabric covered books, books covered with maps, and hessian. Some avid decorators go so far as to rip the spines completely off to get the look they want. I’m not sure I’d go this far. I wouldn’t glue a cover over an old one but I would make a ‘dust jacket’ cover that won’t ruin the book.

Put a Book Under a Cloche

Cloches make everything look better by drawing attention to the single object. I love putting my tiny books in a cloche to highlight their pages. Alone on a shelf, nobody pays attention but under a cloche our guests seem drawn to read the quirky contents of the pages.

Create a Mass Display in One Colour

This assumes you have a stash of books squirrelled away somewhere, (mine is not as substantial as this) but even four or five books of the same colour can have a huge impact stacked together, especially if you use them as either a mass group of a colour from your palette or a tiny pop of a contrasting colour.

Use Your Old Books as Art

Two influencers I follow have done this to great effect. They Lived Happily Ever After has combined old books and a word wall.

Ana, from Fiddle Leaf Interiors took the idea one step further and aged some second hand books, then painted a horse picture on them!