5 Easy Ways Use Old Vintage Books in Home Decor

Fast forward about 13 years later…and yep! I’m still facing those pages outward!

(Except the kids books…I’m not that crazy about my neutrals!!! Ha! Besides, their books are on the bookshelves in their room, so it’s totally fine.)

If you follow me on Instagram, you are used to seeing me decorate with books all the time! In fact, they are a staple in almost every room and definitely for every season.

So, why old vintage books for decor?

Well, to me, books add so much interest and character to a space. They help tell the story of a space that is well-loved and well-lived in.

Books bring a sense of a room being curated over time, rather than picked up at a big box furniture store.

There are so many ways to use old, used, and thrifted books in your home décor. Today, we are going to chat about five of my favorite ways to decorate with old books and see how many of these styling ideas you already use!

Before we launch into styling, let’s talk about where all these books came from!

Where can I buy old vintage books to use in home decorating?

Every time I go to any thrift store, I always hit up the book section.

Since I am using these books for décor, I am less concerned with the book content as I am the actual color, style, and patina of the book. If I work on a particular color palette for a space, like the light blue I did in the girls room, I browse the shelves for color.

Sometimes, I look for books that have a particular size for layering or stacking. Other times, I pay attention to the title. For example, I have vintage books that I like to pull out with my summer décor, each title referring to the sea or ocean.

Here is a list of things I keep in mind when hunting for used books to decorate my home with:

• Color
• Interesting titles
• Seasonal elements (like a seasonal color or title)
• Extra texture of especially old pages
• Size (I look for both large, small, and everything in between! Different sizes are perfect for different home decor uses!)

Almost all of my décor books have come from thrift stores! I do have some special ones that I’ve picked up at antique stores or vintage shops, and I have several amazing leather ones from my friend Jamie from @booksbycolor_jaysworld.

I’ll link some amazing vintage options for you at the end of this post! It is very rare that I pay very much at all for an old décor book, though investing in some of the larger ones, like a thick dictionary or French books can be well worth the extra!

So Let’s Get to Styling!

5 Easy Ways Use Old Vintage Books in Home Decor

How to Decorate with Old, Deconstructed Books

There may be a few book-loving friends that would object to this. But hear me out…I have taken many a book that would have ended up in the landfill and repurposed it to be fabulous décor! I have also salvaged discarded paperback books and turned them into works of art that I’ve been decorating with for years!

To deconstruct a book, you will simply work the spine completely off, pulling the covers with it. Even a newer book has a great look when deconstructed, as you get some of the glue residue remaining, and leaving a texture and patina that makes it look really old…and really loved. Fun trick, huh?

Sometimes I tie my deconstructed books together with twine to make a cute book bundle. Some, I leave as individuals. It is a versatile, nearly fail-proof DIY that literally costs you the price of a cheap paperback at the thrift store! And it’s also a great way to recycle an old book that is maybe too tattered to read or one that you may end up tossing!

Warning: It’s Addictive!!!

Use Old Vintage Books to Tell a Story in Your Décor

I did this with my vintage coastal books last year. ( And yes, I even have seasonal books for décor!). With only about 5 or 6 well-chosen old books, I helped set the tone for a casual, vintage coastal look in our family room.

In this case, I left the neutral and light blue spines facing out so that the titles could be easily seen…and help tell the story of a little seaside cottage. Now we aren’t in an actual cottage and the beach is a couple miles away, but these books helped create that look and tell that story.

I also use old music books to decorate in this way. At Christmas, for example, I put a couple of vintage copies of Handel’s Messiah on the top of the stack. Subtle, but I loved that it helped create that look of a vintage Christmas.

I am currently on the hunt for some vintage, neutral-ish books for spring, like a great set of Beatrix Potter books! We have the children’s ones, but they are more new looking. (Hint: If anyone comes across a great vintage set, message me!!!)

Use Old Books to Give Dimension to Your Vignette

Lean them, stack them, open them, close them, stand them up, lay them down!

You get the idea!!!

Anytime I create a vignette, I look for a variety of height and texture. A pair of matching lanterns, sitting next to one another, doesn’t really work. They are the same height, same color, same everything.

BUT, add a few vintage books with great character and patina underneath the lanterns? All of a sudden, you have an instant vignette that looks like you spent a ton of time on it!

I also like to lean a few books against a pot or cloche to add a little extra texture. Like we talked about in the cloche styling post, you can even rest a cloche on top of a larger book as a base!

Do your candlesticks look too short next to your artwork? Add a book stack underneath!

Does your plant/planter not fill the space adequately? Lean some books to the side to fill the horizontal space!

Have a console table that is lacking character? Add some large, vintage books and a set of corbels. Incredible character and I promise you’ll use them forever!

Use Vintage Books in Your Tablescapes

Who said books are only for shelves and coffee tables?

I styled this entire tablescape around a book theme! I used books to add height and texture to my simple centerpieces. And I used old pages to create a special look for each place setting.

It was a simple craft to do with an old book, but made a nice statement!

Another time, I used some old music book pages as my placemats. I think I paid $2 at the flea market for that old music book, and I’ll have placemats for years to come out of that book!

For $2, I was pretty happy for these disposable placemats and a fun table theme!

Use Thrifted Books to Camouflage An Undesired View or Fill a Desired Space

Say what?

Well, supposed you have a TV cord or entertainment center wires that are hanging down. A well-positioned stack of books could be the perfect trick to hide those cords!

We have our entertainment cords hidden in the wall in our current home; that was a huge must-do when we were renovating. But at our old house, I had book stacks everywhere to hid those cords!

Decorating with books is also a great way to fill a desired spot in your home. A favorite basket, dough bowl, or tray could be on display but need a little filler.

Old vintage books are a perfect way to visually fill your piece without taking away from its charm or “stealing the spotlight”, so to speak!

Basically, you can see that I use books…old, new, tired, tattered, vintage, and antique…everywhere! While you can spend thousands on a rare antique book, you don’t need to spend more than a dollar at the thrift store to get you started on adding books to your décor.

Or take a look around your home…you might be surprised what books you have around that you could actually use, rather than collecting dust on a top shelf!

Are you ready to start decorating?

Admittedly, I’m a little crazy about using old books in my vintage-style decor. However, I know all the times when I’ve been trying to figure out how to decorate a space and just adding a few vintage books has been the key to getting the look I want.

You can add so much character, texture, color, pattern, and interest to your decor with books. At the same time, using old vintage books can be a really budget-friendly option for decorating as well!

Keep your eyes open at thrift stores, yard sales, antique malls, flea markets, and anywhere else that you may come across old books. You might even be surprised with what you have stashed in the back corner of a bookshelf somewhere that can become valuable decor for you.

(Then again…it may be time to declutter some of those spots and drop off a bag of books to a thrift store yourself, if they aren’t meeting your functional or aesthetic needs!)

Regardless, I hope you’re inspired to think a little differently about your decor and try experimenting with old vintage books during this coming season! Most of all, I hope you have FUN with your decor!

I hope this inspires you to try something different in your décor this week. The exciting thing is that there is no right or wrong. You aren’t going to waste money or resources to play around with these décor ideas!

Let me know what you decide to do with old books in your décor!

Blessings,

I’d love for you to follow me on social media! You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!