DIY bookish decor idea…….You know when you walk into someone’s house, and their living room looks like an actual Pinterest board? Like… how do they do that? My place usually looks like a mashup between “college dorm energy” and “Target sale aisle exploded.” Not bad, not great. And listen—I’m not made of money. But I do love books. I mean, I’m that person who has random paperbacks in the car, in the bathroom (don’t judge), and like three stacked under the coffee table because I keep telling myself I’ll finish them soon.
So the other day, I Googled DIY bookish decor ideas—just hoping for something easy, something that makes me feel like my place could be a cozy little reading café instead of… whatever chaos it currently is. And I gotta tell you, some of these hacks actually worked. Like, shockingly.
And because I overshare (you know me), I’m writing it all down here. This isn’t Martha Stewart perfection—this is the messy, “oops I glued my fingers together” version of book-inspired decorating.
The Coffee Table Stack That Suddenly Looks Fancy
I used to think just piling books on a table was lazy. Turns out, it’s called “styling.” Yep. Designers literally charge for arranging books into “coffee table stacks.”
Here’s what I did: grabbed a few hardcover books (even the ugly ones), then wrapped them in leftover brown kraft paper. Scribbled the titles on the spine in Sharpie. Boom—suddenly they look minimalist chic.
My friend walked in and went, “Oh wow, when did you get into design?”
And I was like, “Girl, that’s a stack of cookbooks I’ve never opened.”
Pro tip: put a random object on top. A candle. A little plant. A mug you forgot to wash. (Okay maybe not the mug, unless you want that authentic lived-in vibe.)
The Book Page Wall That Made Me Cry (In a Good Way)
Okay, so this one was dramatic. I literally ripped apart an old copy of a thrift-store novel (don’t panic, it was a bad one). I taped the pages up on my wall in this patchwork, messy-but-cute style.
At first, it looked like a crime scene conspiracy board. Like I was plotting something sinister with all those pages. But then I stepped back, strung some fairy lights across it, and—oh my god. Cozy. Magical. Designer-y.
It legit looks like something out of a rom-com where the artsy character lives in a loft.
Warning though: my mom saw it on FaceTime and gasped, “You destroyed a BOOK??” I had to remind her it was a $1 romance novel from Goodwill where the plot was literally, “He was a billionaire cowboy astronaut.” So yeah, chill, Mom.
Floating Bookshelves (That Make People Do Double Takes)
Have you seen those shelves that make books look like they’re floating against the wall? I bought the brackets on Amazon for like $12. Installed one with my very questionable toolkit (shoutout to my butter knife screwdriver).
Now I’ve got a stack of books on the wall, and visitors keep saying, “Wait… how is that staying up?” Honestly, it gives me way too much joy to just shrug and say, “Oh, you know, designer magic.”
They don’t need to know I drilled it wrong the first time and had to cover the hole with a random poster.
Also—if you want to get extra, line the books by color. Rainbow shelf = instant Instagram clout.
The Candle Trick (aka Bookstore-In-A-Jar)
You ever notice how bookstores smell like… comfort? Like ink and old paper and maybe overpriced coffee? I found a hack: take a plain candle, wrap the glass with a strip of book page (yes, again with the book pages, sorry purists), tie it with twine.
Boom. Suddenly your Walmart candle looks like something Anthropologie would sell for $48.
Bonus if you actually get a “book-scented” candle. (Yes, they exist. I fell down an Etsy rabbit hole—proof here.)
Turning Dust Jackets into Art (Not as Nerdy as It Sounds)
True confession: I used to throw away dust jackets because they annoyed me. They slide off, they wrinkle, they get chewed by the dog. Then one day I was like, “Wait, these are literally free art prints.”
So I framed one. Just popped it in a cheap Dollar Tree frame. Now it’s on my wall, and people think I bought “literary art.” Nope. That’s just the cover of The Night Circus I rescued from under my bed.
Do this with multiple covers and suddenly you’ve got a gallery wall that looks high-end but cost… basically the price of tape.
Random Tangent About Middle School Lockers
This is unrelated but kinda related. Back in 8th grade, I covered my locker with ripped-out magazine pages of bands I pretended to like because everyone else did (Looking at you, Green Day phase). That’s basically what this DIY book decor thing feels like—just grown-up locker decorating, but with better tape and fewer Avril Lavigne posters.
The Reading Nook That Accidentally Became My Whole Personality
I don’t have space for a big reading corner. But I shoved a thrifted chair by the window, piled it with pillows, draped a blanket over it, and suddenly… it’s a nook.
Add a stack of books beside it, a candle, maybe that page-wall in the background, and people literally say, “Wow, your place is so cozy!” When really it’s just a glorified corner I shoved clutter into.
But hey, branding matters. I call it my “literary corner,” not “that spot where I scroll TikTok until 2am.”
Quick-Fire Bookish DIY Ideas about DIY bookish decor idea
- Book vase: hollow out an old hardcover (it’s harder than it sounds, I nearly stabbed myself). Stick fake flowers in. Boom.
- Book spine bookmarks: cut out old spines, laminate, call it “upcycling.”
- Old ladder as bookshelf: looks rustic. Also, dangerous if you actually try to climb it after wine.
- Book jars: fill mason jars with random phrases clipped from novels. Makes you look mysterious. Or like a serial killer. It’s a thin line.
Why This Works (Even If You’re Broke and Tired): DIY bookish decor idea
Here’s the thing. Designer-level spaces always look intimidating. But really? It’s just layering. Books + lights + cozy stuff = done.
And if you’re like me—messy, sentimental, slightly chaotic—DIY bookish decor makes your place feel like YOU. Not a showroom, not some sterile HGTV spread, but like your personality spilled onto the walls.
And honestly, I’ll take that over perfect any day.
Outbound Links:
- Paulo Coelho interview — The Guardian
- Sylvia Plath bio & works — Poetry Foundation
- Original “Crying in H Mart” essay — The New Yorker
- James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter — James Clear
- Matt Haig’s blog — Matt Haig
