Telling A Story By Merchandising Your Bookshelves

Most people use bookshelves not only to hold books but also to display memorabilia, family photos and other decorative items such as artisan metal wall art. One way that you might combine mementos and books is to display them together in a contemporary fashion that is not only highly decorative but that also weaves a story.

Tell the Story of Your Family History on Your Shelves
Family photos, including vintage photos of ancestors, as well as other treasured family mementos can be combined with books to tell the story of your family’s history. Go for books that feature your family’s country of origin, or books about the type of lifestyle your ancestors had. Books regarding your family tree or family history are also great to bring in to this type of collection.

Reminisce About a Favorite Vacation
Vacation photos and wall art metal souvenirs are also a great subject for a story bookshelf. For example if you recently went on a beach vacation, displaying sea shells that were gathered, and family photos that were taken, along with books about the beach or sea contemporary metal wall hangings can make a very decorative and meaningful display. Or, try creating a scrapbook page from vacation mementos, framing it in a 12 by 12 inch frame to add to the shelf. Not only will you enjoy reliving the memories of your vacation, but it will also add a beautiful touch to the room.

Bookshelves with a Sports and Games Theme
Another fabulous topic for a bookshelf is sports. If you have a favorite sport or sports team, try combining photographs, autographed memorabilia, and other sports-related items with a book or two featuring the sport or team. For those who participate in sports, adding personal sporting awards or other types of mementos can add a very personalized focus to the display. Your favorite games can also be implemented to a great advantage to produce an eye-catching display, perhaps by focusing on a beautiful vintage game board or game pieces, a photograph of your family’s game night, and a couple of books on the history of the game, or the official rule book of the game.

Telling a Story Only with Books
Although bringing in other items to your bookshelves besides books can bring a lot of visual interest to a display, it is also feasible to tell a story merely by the titles of the books on your shelf. Feature a favorite hobby by displaying multiple books on the subject, or your spotlight your favorite author by using an entire shelf just for his or her works. This type of display will give you an opportunity to display that which you love, while creating a decorative shelf that others will also enjoy.

Creative Means for Displaying Books
In lieu of lining books up vertically in a row on the shelf, find other means and visually interesting ways to display them. Stacking half of the shelf vertically, then placing a heavy object or bookend on the shelf, followed by a stack or two of horizontally stacked books can look very interesting. Stacking a couple of books on top of one another and then placing a related accent on top, such as a seashell on top of books about the beach, is a way to tell a story while adding interest and visual appeal.