Beautiful Bookshelves: When Showoff Shelves Draw Double-Duty

Every homebuyer has a story. Or two. Or more. By designing gallery-like walls throughout your home, MainVue makes certain you have a fresh slate for your best narrative.

Whether it's a bookshelf designed directly into your MainVue den, multipurpose or leisure room - or one you add later to a great room or foyer wall - practical shelving can do dazzling double-duty as decor. Tips from our design team can spin a basic wall into a multi-dimensional work of art.

Recommends one top MainVue designer: use shelves, like this one, that appear to float up the wall. It immediately boosts your aesthetics, making ceilings look more voluminous. In chrome or black, this design looks fantastic on its own or when paired side-by-side.

Next up: once bookshelves are ready, start with the obvious - books. Test your creativity by layering tomes - displaying covers and spines, old and new - vertically and horizontally. Mix up these arrangements with an accessory piece that doubles as a bookend.

Third to-do: fill photo frames. Use heirloom portraits, favorite current family pics or random images that capture your fancy. MainVue experts suggest sticking with 4x6- or 5x7-sized frames so they don't overpower shelf space. Another designer rule-of-thumb: no more than three frames per shelf. If you're a super-achiever, bump up your shelf-display game by following a color scheme: use images that tie into your room's accent color - bright, floral or earthy - you name it.

Jade, glass, metal, baroque, painted, paper...choices for decorative boxes feel infinite. So are the ways you have for displaying such bookshelf staples. Discover these MainVue design team favorites at Wayfair. Not only do decorative boxes add texture and character to your shelf, but they can store heart-warming heirlooms - even if the keepsake contents aren't visually attractive.

Spontaneous? Unpredictable? Bold? Be all three. Decorative pieces are ultimate shelf space show-offs - and fantastic fillers that free you to add your own unexpected flair. Try something as fresh as flowers, one-of-a-kind as a child's painting or as romantic as a candle. Draft, craft and create whatever you choose into a stimulating shelf space that you and guests can enjoy year-round.