How to Decorate Bookshelves for Christmas: Ideas That Work

The quickest way to decorate bookshelves for Christmas is to take things off before you add anything. Clear about a third of what's on the shelves, add one thin garland, group ornaments in threes, and finish with warm lights.

It's very common for shelves to turn into a catch-all for every ornament that didn't fit on the tree, so don't feel bad if yours already has. The steps below fix that, and they work for built-ins and freestanding units alike.

Save

Why should you remove things first?

Bookshelves are dense by nature. Add holiday pieces on top of full shelves and the eye has nowhere to rest. Gestalt psychology describes this with the figure-ground relationship: we sort a scene into a figure and a background. Empty space is the background that lets your ornaments read as figures.

As an architect, I'd remove roughly 30% of your everyday books and objects. Take out the small knickknacks, busy paperbacks and anything that fights your holiday colors. Keep the anchors: large coffee table books, a substantial vase, a sculptural piece.

If you have a lot of books and can't remove them, turn some into part of the display. Stack a few horizontally as risers, or group spines by color so they read as one calm block. That is how to style bookshelves with lots of books without hiding them in a box until January.

How do you add greenery without crowding the shelves?

Match the garland to the shelf. On a standard shelf about 10-12 inches high, a thick pine garland swallows the books. A thinner, softer drape sits lower and looks neater.

• Put garland on the top edge and perhaps one lower shelf. Draping every shelf creates horizontal stripes that make the unit feel heavy.
• Or weave a thin strand loosely through the objects instead of laying it along the front.
• Keep it from overhanging so far that someone snags it walking by.

If your shelves flank a fireplace, I recommend good-quality faux greenery. Dry real branches near heat are a poor idea, and faux won't drop needles into your books.

Pet safety and real greenery

Some traditional holiday plants, such as holly and mistletoe, are listed as unsafe for pets by many veterinary sources. Check with your vet about any real greenery before it goes anywhere a dog or cat can reach. I use faux on lower shelves and keep real stems, if any, on the top tier. With a climber at home, I'd stay faux throughout.

Save

How do you arrange the decor so it looks intentional?

Think in zig-zags. Place your main focal pieces (a metal reindeer, a ceramic house, a cluster of ornaments) so they form a loose triangle across the whole unit. If one red object sits top left, put the next middle right and the third bottom center. The eye travels over the entire display instead of stopping at one shelf.

Vary height too. A shelf where everything is 6 inches tall looks flat. Set a tall taper candle holder beside a low bowl of ornaments, and use a horizontal book stack as a riser.

What is the rule of three for shelves?

Group small items in odd numbers, usually three, in different heights. One bottle brush tree looks lonely, while three in varied sizes look planned. A simple set: a tall cone tree, a medium framed photo and a low bowl of pinecones.

These are useful bookshelf decorating ideas for a living room because they work with whatever you already own. For more on the overall plan, see our full Christmas decorating guide.

Save

What lighting works best on holiday shelves?

Deep shelves turn into black holes at night, and light is what brings them back. I'd choose warm white around 2700K. Cool LEDs look clinical next to a Christmas tree's glow.

Most shelves have no outlet inside, so battery lights are the practical choice. The visible battery pack is the part that spoils the look. Hide it:

• Inside a decorative box shaped like a book.
• Behind the garland.
• Stuck to the underside of the shelf above, behind the front lip.

Thin copper-wire fairy lights nearly vanish against wood, leaving only the points of light. Weave them through the greenery or drop them into a glass hurricane vase with ornaments.

Save

Which colors and textures suit your room?

Red and green are traditional, but they can jar in a neutral or coastal room. Pull from the palette already there. In a blue and gray room, try silver, white, mercury glass and dusty blue ribbon. In an earthy room with terracotta, beige and wood, champagne gold, bronze, wood ornaments and forest green velvet fit better.

Shelves are hard surfaces, so add softness: velvet ribbon trailing over an edge, pinecones, dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks. Reflective pieces like mercury glass bounce light into the back of the shelf.

Skip loose glitter. It migrates into book bindings and is nearly impossible to clean. Metallic finishes and matte ceramics give the sparkle without the mess.

Any quirky ideas for a bookcase?

A few that suit a shelf: a tiny forest of bottle brush trees, mini paper stars clipped to the shelf edge, a row of small framed holiday cards, or a vintage ornament in a glass cloche. Keep it to one playful idea per shelf so the unit doesn't turn into a toy store. For a quieter base, see these modern bookshelf ideas.

Save

What order should you style the shelves in?

1. Remove about 30% of the existing items and dust the empty spaces.
2. Run any plug-in cords now, or have fresh batteries ready.
3. Place and fluff the garland.
4. Put the large non-holiday anchors back.
5. Place the main holiday focal points in a zig-zag.
6. Fill gaps with small clusters: ornaments in bowls, little trees.
7. Add softness with ribbon or hanging ornaments.
8. Turn on the lights, step back about 10 feet and squint. Dark or crowded spots will stand out. Adjust.
9. Secure breakables with museum wax, especially in homes with pets or kids.

Also make sure tall units are anchored to the wall, particularly if you hang filled stockings from a shelf. If you're stuck on the rest of the room, these room fixes pair well with a styled shelf, and the tree inspiration post can help you echo its colors on the shelves.

Frequently asked questions