8 Ways to Decorate Your Home with Books
Posted by
Ashley Little
Making book page table runners, via Offbeat Bride
Books are for reading, yes, but did you ever consider them as part of your home decor? I’m not just talking about books sitting on a shelf organized by color. Click around DIY blogs and you’ll see instructions for repurposing books into everything from storage to hanging mobiles.
For me, there’s only one issue with book DIYs: I can’t stand the thought of cutting up a book. A few years ago I had the brilliant idea to carve out the pages of an old Singer sewing book to make it into a storage cubby. After I flipped through the book, I realized I didn’t have the guts to take a knife to those gorgeous pages.
If you feel the same, ease the pain by crafting with books that have yellowed, stained, ripped, or missing pages. Hit up your local flea market or Goodwill to find books you’re not emotionally attached to. The other option is to buy the decor so that the guilt of destruction lies with the creator.
Whether you decide to craft or buy, here are a few ways to use those precious books as decor around your house.
Stacked Book Lamp: Break out your drill and show your handy side with this DIY light that comes together with a simple lamp kit — no electrician required.
Book Page Table Runner: Give bored dinner guests something to read while your other friends ramble on about their new dog/house/baby/car. Just tape book pages together on the back and place it right on the table. The paper-punched edge is optional, especially if you’re not crazy about the doily look.
Book Cover Headboard: Glue book covers to plywood for a headboard that is both colorful and awesome. Save the discarded pages from those books for future DIY projects. (via Instructables)
Book Spine Storage Bin: Fool everyone into thinking you own five or six more classic literary novels. Only you will know that your Nintendo Wii accessories are stashed in there.
Bathtub of Books: This DIY is totally aspirational, as most of us barely have room for a couch much less an extra bathtub. I can’t think of a better conversation piece for your holiday party, though. (via Boing Boing)
Folded Book Sculpture: Book and sculpture in one, these carefully folded pages can be customized to spell out any four-letter word you want. (No, not those four-letter words. Keep it classy!)
Embroidered Pages: These pages are attached to a key ring rack, but you could easily embroider a page and frame it as wall art, too. (via My Hands Made It)
Paper Vase: This looks like a vase, but I’m not sure I’d recommend putting flowers in it. It’s the only vase you’ll ever own that doesn’t need flowers to make it look pretty.
