by M. Sparga

Created on: April 13, 2010

Is your bookcase made of dark wood, stuck in a shadowy corner, or dimmed by the shadows of glass doors?  There are ways for your books and other decor to see the light, and these tips don't even require that you install any additional lighting (although that's always an option too).  The items you choose to display on your bookshelves and the techniques you employ to arrange them can make all the difference.   

Contrast  

Go for contrast to make the items on your shelves especially visible.  Choose books with light colored spines that stand out against the all the dark wood.  Select bright accessories that pop against the backdrop.  Certain crystal, glass, or other translucent treasures might get swallowed up in their dark surroundings, so go for more solid decor that doesn't rely on catching the light to look stylish.  You can still get a shiny, glittery effect with, for example, decorative geodes.   

Shape  

Think silhouettes.  You can opt for interestingly shaped items to break up the straight lines of your books.  Items such as bookends, vases, and sculptures come in all sorts of contours, and if you can find them in light colors that aren't too see-through, all the better.  Think white marble bookends, bright wicker baskets, or golden antiques, whatever fits with your personal decorating style.   

Backdrop  

If you have your heart set on displaying a collection of books with all black bindings, or particular treasured items that simply don't stand out against the bookcase, consider creating a backdrop that would in fact highlight them.  You could go so far as to cover the entire back surface of just that shelf, to make it into a kind of accent shelf, or of all the shelves if you really want to customize the appearance of the whole bookcase.  Or you could put something lighter-colored directly behind just the section or item you want to highlight.  You could lean a simple print against the back as a backdrop, prop up some fabric, or even use a square of corkboard.   

Stacks  

If you have a smaller item that you want to display, but it doesn't stand out enough or gets blocked by the bottom frame if your bookcase has glass doors, why not use a few books to elevate it?  Create a simple yet apposite platform by stacking several books flat and placing your item on top.  You can construct an elegant pyramid effect by using books of decreasing size.  These types of stacks enable you to fit more books in with the same amount of other decor, thus maximizing your use of the shelf space - not to mention that they create visual interest.   

A dark bookcase can still stand out with eye-catching displays if you know how to choose and arrange the most fitting books and decor.  You can turn rich, espresso bookshelves into a vibrant, functional area of your home with something as simple as a set of golden bound books and a few white vases. 

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