A Book For Every Room
My guide to living with books, not just shelving them
I’ve never believed books belong only on bookshelves. In our home, they find their way into every room. A few stacked in the drinks cabinet in the kitchen. A favourite novel resting on a windowsill. A stack of local history books on the coffee table I’ve promised to read. (I’m keen to know more about our cottage and it’s history) Books aren’t just for reading—they become part of the decor in a house. They soften corners, add height to little vignettes. They tell visitors what we love, what we’re learning, where we’ve been. And best of all, a book invites pause. It might be a moment stolen in the office chair, a passage re-read instead of watching YouTube, a cookbook opened for the hundredth time with a smudge of flour on the edge of the page. When you open the pages and flick through, whether for a minute or an hour, a book has the abitlity to make you slow down and think.
Here a few places I like to tuck books around the house. I use a variety of volumes from 200 year old books about flowers, to a new home style book, it all depends whether the purpose is to read the book in question on a lazy afternoon, or I if simply want to use it to accessorise a space.
1. The Kitchen Counter
I have a friend who loves a recipe book. She has quite the collection in her kitchen. You can always find her newest favourite on the counter beside the toaster.
Add a recipe card box, a candle, and a small jug of flowers to a simple idea like hers and suddenly your kitchen corner has customised personality.
2. On the Coffee Table
The coffee table in our living room has pile of books in constant rotation. Their mostly for my reading pleasure and chosen for their lovely covers or spine colour. After Im done reading and tired of the look, I change them out.
Tip: Make a stack of three by theme—gardens, travel, interiors. Top with reading glasses or a tiny trinket dish if your aim is decorating.
3. Bedside Table
This is a given. While my side of the bed has my Kindle (which is my main source of reading if there are no pictures involved) there’s often a couple of extra hard covers for Sunday mornings propped up in bed with a cuppa.
You can take this one step further and rotate the stack seasonally. Keep a novel, a short story collection, and a journal. Let your pile reflect your pace.
4. Window Ledges & Mantels
If you’re lucky enough to have deep window ledges or a mantel peice like me, a single book laid open to a favourite page or a seasonal books be a nod to time of year without screaming, “I created a themed look.” I often use books as seasonal décor: orange and brown spines in Autumn, green or books with floral covers during Spring. An old yachting book in Summer. You don’t need many to create a mental image of the season in your mind.
5. Guest Room
One thing I love to do is to a little collection in our guest room. Both my children and their partners love to read, so I provide books that might excite them: a novel, a magazine, a book of poetry. It feels generous and thoughtful—like a conversation waiting to be had.
6. Bathroom Shelf
Controversial, but hear me out: a slim volume of essays or poems by the bathtub adds a little luxury. Choose something unhurried. I, sadly, have no bath and reading in the shower has never been a thing, but when we did, I had stack of books on a milking stool and topped by a candle. It felt very indulgent.
If you want to create an effortless look, like you read the books every day, even if you don’t, here are a few styling tips for a collected look:
Play with height: Use books to raise a small vase or frame in a vignette. (my favourite way)
Face out the prettiest covers: A plate rack or shallow shelf doesn’t have to be for plates, a single book looks great displayed front on, sort of like your own personal bookshop look.
Let them lean: Not every book needs to stand tall. A gentle lean against a bookend or lamp feels casual.
Embrace the imperfect: Torn dust jackets, pencilled margins, and bookmarks left behind are part of the charm.
Use series for symmetry: A row of vintage Penguin paperbacks or Time-Life nature books can create structure in a more eclectic room.
A home filled with books feels lived in. Thoughtful. Personal. Whether they’re arranged or haphazard, pristine or well-loved, books bring something no other object can—a sense that life is always unfolding, one page at a time.
Yes Iove a few books in most rooms of the house. Such a pleasure to read tucked up in bed or the loungeroom.