Jeremiah Brent, the newest cast member of Netflix’s “Queer Eye,” shows how he styles the shelves in the home he shares with his husband, Nate Berkus.
In a public library, styling a bookshelf is easy: Just fill it with books. At home, a bookcase needs to do a lot more than hold books. bookcase
So how do the pros do it?
Start by thinking of your shelves as a kind of three-dimensional wallpaper that adds visual interest to a room. The things you choose to display should express your personality.
“It’s like a little cabinet of curiosities,” said Jeremiah Brent, an interior designer and the newest cast member of Netflix’s “Queer Eye.” Your bookshelves, he added, offer “an opportunity for people to look in and see where you’ve been and where you’re going.”
In the Manhattan home he shares with his husband, Nate Berkus — a much-photographed space featured in Mr. Brent’s new book, “The Space That Keeps You,” and often seen on Instagram, as well — the bookshelves in the den are always changing. But they’re usually filled with stacks of favorite design books, photos of loved ones and pieces of art made by their children, Poppy and Oskar.
“It’s about having fun and playing around with different ways to layer things in and tell your story,” Mr. Brent said. Here’s how he does it.
Artfully arranged shelves can add visual interest to a room. “It’s about having fun,” said the interior designer Jeremiah Brent.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some basic rules →
DO: Use unexpected objects. “Make sure everything doesn’t feel formulaic,” Brent said. His guests may expect to find chic objects on his shelves, but “currently there’s pottery that our children are making, which are multicolored and look like they’re melting.”
DON’T: Edit too much. “It drives me crazy when people place just one object on a shelf,” Brent said. “That doesn’t feel like it’s expressing anything.”
DO: Add photos of loved ones. “It’s nice to have pictures of the babies when they were babies,” Brent said. “It takes you back.” (No one will dock you style points.)
DON’T: Stack books with the spines facing in. “That stresses me out, because how do you know what you’re grabbing?” Brent said. “It’s always interesting to walk into a home and see what people read.”
DO: Change things frequently. “Our shelves are always evolving, because so are we,” Brent said. “The kids bring something home, my husband moves things around or I move things around. That’s how it should be.”
DON’T: Stagger the placement of your shelves. “I have a really hard time when shelves are staggered,” he said. “I like chaos inside, but the actual bookshelves should all be lined up.”
Want more decorating ideas from the pros? Check out this helpful advice:
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