I just love how colourful my bookshelf is! I do it kinda by genre and then alphabetical. The rainbow method seems so impractical organization wise, and I just think you have to be some kind of book psycho if you're going for the spine-in method hahaha

@staceycolvin7624

4 жыл бұрын

Ditto!

@beahallberg7822

4 жыл бұрын

I had the rainbow "styling" for a while, and I tend to find my books by the colour of the spine, so that worked great! But i found that it felt too styled and not as homey as it could feel, so now they're sorted by theme/genre and it still looks great and styled, I still find my books, and it feels homey at the same time! But having books facing pages out.... that wouldn't work for anyone who likes to read.

@randomstudent3061

4 жыл бұрын

Same not as pretty but I can find what I want to read much easier

@mrobershaw2

3 жыл бұрын

@@randomstudent3061 yeah

@cbmk788

9 ай бұрын

Hahaha tell me you're a real book reader without telling me!

I like that you leave the styling up to the taste of the individual doing the styling. You don't have to style the book shelves according to colour - that's just one suggestion. It's simply up to the way you want your shelves to look. I've started to lay and stack some books just to add some variety to the display. It's good to try out different ideas and see what you like.

The only problem I have with styling my bookshelves is that they are absolutely full of books ... :D I couldn't squeeze a trinket in edge-wise!

@LoveYamachan

4 жыл бұрын

And that's the best~ xD A well loved bookshelf is one where it's filled with well read books~ Mine is full to the very last cm~ I file one series vertically like usual and then maybe stack the soft bound ones sort of a bookend or separator to another series that I'll file on the other half of the shelf~ Or I'll do a combination of both, 2 hardbounds then soft bounds filed on top of it~ So it sort of looks like a tetris~ xD

@rebecarendell

4 жыл бұрын

Mine are full of books only, too, but when arranged by colour that looks fantastic in itself. I then just have a few plants, including some drapey ones, on top of the shelves, and some smaller ones dotted around in front of the books.

@ivyconcepcion-guzman7032

3 жыл бұрын

Same thoughts here! I was telling myself I wish I could have some space for some type of art behind my books but mine are books for grad school and the rest just non-fiction books for reference. Not so much for decor but yeah I guess we can make it work! :)

@LadyAhro

3 жыл бұрын

Same. Just too many books.

As a book-lover I can't stand the idea of tearing off the books cover and facing inside out. It makes no sense. Instead, wrap the books in monochrome paper, white or beige, you will have the same decorative effect.

@paigesilvia9544

4 жыл бұрын

I think she was just referring to the dust cover.

@MrsSinbad

4 жыл бұрын

I just watched this and she did say to get books from the dollar tree, so not good books you already actually own, just rubbish books for decorative purposes...I love my books and I still have old school books and encyclopedias which are so obsolete it’s not funny, but I would never destroy a book just to decorate

@mrobershaw2

3 жыл бұрын

i agree and then you can write the title in a more aesthetic way. you still have them looking beautiful, but you can find them.

@ateacherexplains

Жыл бұрын

This screams “tell me you don’t read and only use books as decor”

I’m a book nerd so actually read my books and I have loads of them. Organizing them by colour or hiding the titles isn’t going to happen but I really like all the other tips. Thank you. I would kill for a wall of shelves.

@olbird7647

4 жыл бұрын

Me too- and many others by the looks of it. My books are for reading and they don't look at all bad on my bookshelves with other bits and bobs styled in front of them. Multiple colours and sizes have never been a visual 'problem' and I suspect it's something design-peeps have invented to mess with our heads 😳😳😳😳

@bearnerdette6077

4 жыл бұрын

I am a book nerd too, but I love having color coded shelves.

@ariadnepiera4838

4 жыл бұрын

I’m a book worm/nerd too, but my husband and I have read most of the books on our shelves. I sort of categorize the books so we know the general idea of where a book would be if we wanted to re-read it and also have areas for books waiting to be read. I get overwhelmed by visual clutter, but my husband and I also don’t like getting rid if books, so this is a compromise.

What is this 'empty shelf' that you speak of?

Your book shelf is featured in an Apartment Therapy article. How exciting to see your work being recognized

Yessss! This video is much needed as I just bought my first house! Soooooo many shelf styling opportunities!

@7sevendaysara

4 жыл бұрын

Congratulations! Having your own house is an incredible feeling Sara Nena DIY

Such a lovely, helpful video! It may seem like such a simple thing but it's really nice of you to actually do a video on just styling shelves. Thank you!

Love the color, shape and texture of the beads on the shelf! LOVE open shelving! The glass jars for your dry goods are beautiful. 🌸🌼🌸

I always find shelves such a challenge so this video is very helpful. And, can we just say how gorgeous you look.

Love those diy danie shelves!!!

Thanks for the great tips. I’ll be refreshing some shelves this weekend.

I love the books with the spine against the wall! I have a lot of books that I've read and would be a cool way to use them for decor!

Love the hints about how to work with books. I’m a k-3 teacher and my sons has lots of children books that’s they cherish trough the years and what a great way of take those books from plastic beams and display their classic and wonderfully illustrated editions.

I would love to see a presentation on rugs. I have so many questions. Can you use rugs on top of carpeting? How do you layer rugs? How do you choose sizes? Can you use rugs to divide a room? How do you decide depth of pile? I love your style so I would enjoy seeing your take on this.

@olbird7647

4 жыл бұрын

Of course you can put rugs on top of carpet and size pretty much depends on the size of the area you want covered.

@Lorjarca

4 жыл бұрын

And pile is determined mainly by which room the rug is in.

Great tips and inspiration! Thank you Alexandra!💜

Love love love love your style!

Aww, love the picture of a cute Alexandra and her lovely mum 💖 great video👍

Spotted my favourite book of all time on your bookshelf - A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews. Shoutout to an amazing Canadian author 💗💗💗

Woot woot! Another Alexandra Gater Videoooooo!!

Shelfies ❤️😃 hahaha! So cute !l love these ideas 🌺

Thanks for yet again another inspiring video. Love your style.

I'd love to know where the artwork showing the backside of a curvy woman is from. It's gorgeous.

@natalieblocher3939

4 жыл бұрын

It’s from urban outfitters!

Great ideas as always! Thanks.

Gorgeous ideas 💡

Omg I’m so early! I love your style Alex! 💕💕💕

Shelfies! :) If I could give you more than one thumbs up I would give you a second one just for "shelfies". I don't feel angry about the way you organize your books but I do feel very anxious :) How can you find your books? For me they have to be organized by author. Needless to say my bookshelves are always a mess but it is somehow very comforting to me,

@GradKat

4 жыл бұрын

I’m totally in agreement re the books!

@7sevendaysara

4 жыл бұрын

I organize them by title. But I looove how nice is the colour coding. Sara Nena DIY

@sashac7002

4 жыл бұрын

I usually have a good sense for what a book looks like so color coding works well for me!

@olbird7647

4 жыл бұрын

Definitely by author! 👍

@crystalczubowicz9827

4 жыл бұрын

Yes! I organize by genre and then by author within that. I have a bunch of long series (with anywhere from 3-12 books) and they almost always have a different color for each book. I can't imagine splitting up a saga!

Thank you. I have thought of covering books in same neutral color. You have inspired me to rethink my shelves. I am painting my walls so I will take down all books and rethink what I put back.

Love this video!!! Thank you.

HERES A GREAT TIP FOR SHELFIES IF YOU WANNA FILL IT WITH BOOKS THAT LOOK GOOD TOGETHER: Booth & Williams. They have book sets that are color coded as well as cool vintage books. And they’re a good read. I pick random books out of each set and haven’t been disappointed since

omg i needed this 🤗😂

This video came out perfectly for me! I just put up my picture shelves yesterday & they are in dire need of styling!

Thank you! I have been thinking about how to style my bookshelf and just like that you uploaded this! *bye, going to onlineshop some tall objects* ❤️

Looks really nice !! Can't style a shelf without plants !!

Bookshelves are so hard!! I organize my books by genre and I refuse to do it any other way. But it can be difficult to style them

Video request: A video series on how to decorate when you have 2 cats that will climb anything, eat/chew on anything that dangles & knock anything over within their reach?! 😭😭😭 I love so many of your ideas but can't even entertain the idea of a lot of them because.. Cat life! 😭🤦 We live in a small, 1.5 apartment so every bit of space is precious. I have no idea how to make the space look good because we can barely even have plants! We have 5 tiny potted plants on the very top of 2 Billy bookshelves - that's as high as they have to be, to stop the trapeze artist Fuzzbots from getting at them. We've been in this apartment for almost 6 years now & only have 3 pieces of art hung up because of the same problem.. If we put out photo frames or anything decorative, like trinkets, the cats will knock them over/sit on them/ or try & EAT them 😭😭😭 I've always wanted to make this place feel tidy, organised, calm & beautiful.. But it seems impossible. **Random rant over** P.s. I love both our Fuzzbots more than anything but I'd love to find a way to decorate without worrying about fuzzy sabotage! 💕

@casey5030

4 жыл бұрын

Omg same

I love the look of books arranged by color but I HAVE to do it by genre 😅

@emz5334

4 жыл бұрын

Me too... giving me heart palpitations just thinking about splitting up series’ & trilogies because they are different colours! 😬

I love love love the look of books with the pages facing out. But as an avid reader I could never do it 😂 so I opted to try the rainbow look and I like how it turned out.

Yassss needed this video!!!

I loved this! I don’t have open shelves in my kitchen, but I do have bookshelves and cubes from IKEA. I’m constantly rearranging so this was helpful. I am on the “no” side when it comes to books being backwards. It would drive me crazy. I love my books! But I do get it for minimalist trends. PS you look beautiful!

I LOVE A Beautiful Mess 🥰

2:42 Love that the first art piece you use is basically a drawing of your famous bathroom hook Melinda!

Good info. Love your videos.

Your hair looks so cute! Thanks for the tips.

Hair looks on point! Helpful vid. 😊

I did that recently with the books in my apartment. I mainly read e-books from the library, but I had a bunch from my work that I was planning to return until COVID hit. Plus we don’t have any bookshelves of shelves in our apartment. So I tried turning them around feeling icky about it, but it really did tone down the mood in our living room with their beige pages since I couldn’t put them anywhere else. 😅

Great ideas and tips! thank you!

Love it! Never understood the books facing backwards either! I'm too much of a book worm to do that🤓

Alexandrea the 1st category you have identified "Thriller, Filler & Spiller" it's commonly used for selecting plants for outdoor planters. You probably didn't know that which makes you the real deal....you innately "get it" without textbook learning. Good for you Missy! I enjoy your studio make-overs, I am in awe of your talent!!! ; D

I needed this 🥺

Love these ideas x

Love the #shelfies!

10 comment and I’m so proud of myself!! Love you Alexandra from OKLAHOMA

Love your videos

Love your show by the way!

Happy to see you grouped 'Harry' back together❤

@jemma50

4 жыл бұрын

It looks like she is missing a couple of the series, though. ;) The 3rd and the 7th, I would say.

i really like using the konmari method on somewhat empty shelves.. just put your favorite or most beautiful item on that shelf to show it off!

Alexandra i LOVE your hair wavy curly, its a really good look for you, try going even curlier next time big bouncy waves and bangs would be so adorable!💕💕💕

Appreciate that disclaimer haha~ Another bookworm here, if people use their own books for display purposes then it makes sense, it's storage and decor in one. But to buy LOTS of books (and any other trinkets really) just for display purposes with no practicality isn't really my cup of tea~ I see YTbers decorate their homes and the common pattern is to buy a shelf and buy tons of things to fill up that space~ Looks pretty but basic and no personality~ I like it better when people use what they have and buy small things to fill in the gaps~ That's why I like the loft make over~ All the books where put up in a high floating shelf close to the ceiling~ And the tarot stuff all displayed in a small shelf~ It's practical, personal and pretty~ That makeover is my fave~

I rearranged my bookshelves this week, sorting them by genre and author, so I could catalogue them. It's making that task much easier, but now I hate them, aesthetically! As soon as I'm done with logging them, and I have the energy (I have about 500 books), I'm going back to arranging them in a decorative way; I previously had them sorted by colour, and it looked so much more pleasing 🙈

I love this video, I am so decoratively challenged. =). I’m another who likes to keep books by subject, but am toying with the idea of covering the books in a subject area with the same color. Remember in the old days when you book covered your textbooks at school? I’m just OCD enough to try this. Then I’d have to figure a way to uniformly display the title on the spine. I imagine someone sells cute labels on Etsy. Thanks Alexandra!

Great video, thank you 🙏

Where did you get that gold rainbow shaped book end from? I LOVE it!❤️❤️

I love your ideas

Hey Alexandra My kitchens cabinets dont go as high as the ceiling, so their is a about a 20 inches gap between where the cabinet ends and the ceiling . How you decorate that empty space?

I love it, as usual, Alexandra! ❤ Do you have any recommendations for faux drapey plants? I need one for my desk hutch but I don't get enough sunlight for a real plant. I also must know where you got that golden peacock. It would be perfect for my dresser/TV console! Thanks, Alexandra! ❤❤❤

@sashac7002

4 жыл бұрын

Ikea has a new drapey eucalyptus plant that's pretty good for a high shelf!

Taking the cover off books is like peeling the skin off a human! Book-a-cide😢

@petriiaa18

4 жыл бұрын

DubaiPrincess18 haha

@olbird7647

4 жыл бұрын

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 but yeah, you're absolutely right!

@XO2HKIM

4 жыл бұрын

I disagree, after all, they always say "don't judge a book by its cover".

@olbird7647

4 жыл бұрын

@Maroxa Livesfree hardback books still come with the outer cover!

@tracygarrett3952

4 жыл бұрын

@Maroxa Livesfree I've never seen a hard back without a dust jacket. Maybe a large coffee table book, but not a typical novel.

Thank you for the tips😊

Love your hair and makeup in this video!

I am pro regarding the DIYs but I still struggle in the shelf decor, thanx for this video alexandra Sara Nena DIY

I love your videos 😊💕

Can you show how to style a side table as well? I have a round glass one (top and bottom shelf) that I’m really struggling with!

Hey Alexandra! so I have this v old bookend that I made in a woodshop class lol and I want to use it but I am not sure where to place it, or what look I need to give it some style ... please help

How does your kitchen drapey plant stick to the wall ??

YASSSSSS 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

Thank you for this tips! It would be so nice to have tips for toy shelfs! I like that my daughter can see their toys but not sure how to make it work decorating wise. Thanks!

@olbird7647

4 жыл бұрын

I wouldn'y worry too much about having a designed look to kids shelves- toys are for playing with.

I’ve been waiting for a video like this because I bought floating shelves and installed them and decorated them but I fell like it can be prettier. Btw #shelfies are a real thing on Instagram. Good ideas too!

I have two open shelves above my toilet. I would love ur thoughts on how to style that.

Can these tips apply to fire place mantels? Any suggestions to displaying magazines on a fire place mantel where they won't stand up on their own?

Should a fireplace mantel be decorated the same as shelves? Mine is the focal point in my living room and I'm never happy with it!!! Thx!

Thank you for these videos, it helps me a lot with my home decor. Could you give some ideas on how to decor the empty shelf that is on top of the closed cupboards in the kitchen? thanks.

The shelves that are truly challenging are the deeper ones that are open on all sides and aren't flush to a wall. Sometimes they call them etagere"s. Mine has 5 shelves about 13" apart, and 29" wide. I have one of these units on either side of the fireplace. Advice please!

@SaraSmiles29

4 жыл бұрын

I would just say spread it out more depth wise. So adding big objects to the back, some to the very front. And on some shelves you add some in the middle area. Should work fine :)

@sashac7002

4 жыл бұрын

Layering is key! You can use art as a background for objects. Also don't do too much on every shelf, leave every other one with more empty space. Keep one shelf with things in the center, then the next one spread across the whole shelf, then center again

@rtd1791

4 жыл бұрын

You know, before you figure out how to arrange items on your shelves, I think it’s better to figure out what the purpose(s) of the shelves is. Are they decorative or functional or both? If they are functional what are they supposed to be for? Do they divide the room and create architecture? Or do you need to store practical items like gaming equipment? Do you have these shelves just so you can display objects? And if so, what kind of objects? Like if you have a glass orb collection, for instance, and you may want special lighting. If you have lots of little figurines, you may want risers or stands to display them on. I think the purpose of the shelves should guide how you arrange the stuff on the shelves. For example, your shelves might need to store practical stuff like gaming equipment and electronics that maybe you don’t want to look at. It makes sense to put that stuff in a container and then put it on a shelf. The items that you find pleasing to look at can be arranged in a more artful manner like the other commentators suggested. Most mixed use shelves I’ve seen have the more practical stuff on the bottom and the decorative items on the higher shelves. I think you meant that your shelves are open in the front and the back, rather than all sides. Unless your shelves are supported in the center and truly have no sides? IKEA’s Kallax units have shelves that are open in the front and the back. I usually see decorative items displayed in two basic ways on these shelves. Larger items that fill most of space and are pleasing to look at from all sides are placed by themselves. Smaller items and items that definitely have a backside are layered with taller items in the center and smaller items closer to the edges of the shelves. I’ve even seen framed photos placed with their backsides facing so that a photo is displayed in the front and back.

I have a very eclectic Style and pretty much wild wild bookcases any suggestions for getting the Hollywood version of the absent-minded librarian?

Love your hair!

Alexandra, could you please comment the link to the paint safe adhesives for frames and such? I know you’ve linked them somewhere but I can’t find them

Alexandra where did you find the small art print of the girl reading?! I need one.

I have 2 HUGE (3 meter tall x 1 meter wide) shelves on either side of my bed, and I'm fairly minimalist (not many books, etc.) So other than plants, and maybe a candle or glass bowl or some art, I'm not sure what to put on them to make them feel serene and calming like I want in my bedroom, so many shelves feel too busy for a bedroom to me personally, but how do you balance style and minimalist/calming shelves?

@olbird7647

4 жыл бұрын

Can the shelves be removed if you don't really want them?

I need help with how to style top of kitchen cabinets. I cant really find anything online for an eclectic/boho look

🥰🥰🥰

I can't do this because my bookcase is full of books and no empty space. In fact I think I need another bookcase.

What about bakers rack in the kitchen and fiberglass prefabricate shelves in the bathroom around the bathtub?Thank you for this video I appreciate it

Cute hair!

Love this video, so helpful! I have a shelf that’s being used as a room divider and so there’s no backing for me to lean prints and artwork up. I had some with a kickstand but my cat knocked them over. Do you have any suggestions to create height in that situation?

Fab video!! But does anyone know - on the kitchen shelf, what are the items in the jar that look like dried tentacles???

@moniquem783

4 жыл бұрын

Rachel Clarkson I’m pretty certain they’re dried chillies.

@RaeC5280

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you Monique M!!! I really had no idea.

Great video! I have a request Alexandra, could you do a video of DIY book cover ideas? I want to do this with mine but I don’t know how to make cute ones, especially with adding text to the spines. Thanks!! Love your content ❤️

@Smooshes786

4 жыл бұрын

Go old school with paper bag or any paper you love. Add details that make you happy. 😊

Can we style shelves in green or it has to be neutral colors?

Serious question: where do you get cute trinkets from! I definitely have a lot of empty space on my shelves... but I find I'm just not much of a stuff person. How do you find cute little decor that isn't just... stuff for the purpose of having stuff?

I love the idea of open shelving in the kitchen. I was surprised to hear dishes displayed tend to get dusty all the time. Maybe this depends how much dust comes in your home.

@seanmorgan2356

4 жыл бұрын

If you only display things in your kitchen shelves that you actually use frequently, you will be washing them often so no worries about dust. The key, I think, is what Alexandra said about having cute/pretty dishes that are worthy of display. I've done the 'dry goods in jars' thing, which is really cute, but I didn't use them often enough to keep the dust from building up.

Looks very pretty, but how do you find a book when you organize by color?