Bookshelf Chic

Hi, everyone, I’m Susi, a writer for Design Shuffle, your one stop shop for interior design ideas online. I am so happy to be guest blogging for Primed4Design this week. When they asked me to do the Design Tip of the Week about bookshelves with style I immediately looked at my own jumbled bookshelves and realized they need a style overhaul. So here are the bookshelves with loads of style I pulled to inspire my own bookshelf do-over. Hope you find them inspiring as well. Enjoy!

Lonny Mag via

Stylish bookshelves are filled with more than just books. Filling shelves with books, objects and collections makes each shelf a unique vignette.

Happy Mundane via

Shelving books in blocks of color is a popular styling trick for bookshelves. Love the yellow bookshelves that add a pop of color all on their own.

Flickr via

Painted or papered back of the shelves adds an unexpected splash of color or pattern to bookshelves. This is an easy DIY project for new or existing bookshelves that makes them feel custom.

Lonny Mag via

Lighting on bookshelves can make even standard built-ins or freestanding shelves feel more stylish. Turning some books so the cover faces out or adding art to the shelves adds visual interest.

The Glamourai via

Arranging books in blocks and stacks can add style to bookshelves. Think about blocks of color or stripes as you mix up books and accessories. We think a dual purpose dining room/library is one of the most functional dining room design ideas we've seen in a while.

Chic Tip via

Dark shelves add drama and draw the eye to the objects on them. Painting built-ins black or another rich color would change the look and feel of the shelves, and room, completely.

Lonny Mag via

Find unique and stylish shelves for books and objects that become a focal point in a room. Look for vintage and antique bookshelves at flea markets, antique shops and online.

Architectural Digest via

A glass front bookcase makes for stylish storage for books and objects. This stylish example is from the new furniture collection from Dwell Studio. Think I'm going to add this one to my interior design wish list. Susi is a seasoned writer for Design Shuffle which is a popular resource for design ideas online. Head on over there and get some ideas from Los Angeles interior designers, Chicago interior designers and more

A new resource to inspire you from Etsy!

Leave it to Etsy to come up with yet another reason to visit their website. Today on Etsy's blog they have this wonderful post called "Get the Look" that shows you a room for a little decor inspiration and then tells you where you can get some of the pieces in that room. Todays room was warehouse chic! Check it out here.

Different Outdoor Looks

The warm weather just hit Washington, DC and all I could think about today was what patio set are we going to buy. To make this very difficult decision here were some looks already packaged by our mainstream design chains.

An urban oasis from West Elm.


Your very own spa in your backyard from Restoration Hardware.


The cozy cottage outdoor hideaway from Crate and Barrel.


Now which look to pick?

Design Tip of the Week (4.18.11) ~ Let the Sunshine In

Happy Monday! I know...those 2 words don't belong together, but we try to stay positive. :)

Here is link to a previous Design Tip of the Week all about how to use the color yellow in your home, enjoy!

Design Tip of the Week (3.28.11): More is better

A series of paneled paintings can really add impact in comparison to just one. Here are some great examples of simple pieces that when placed in a series just stand out and pop.

Cherry Blossom painting by Nathalie Van on Etsy


Earthy Abstract Panel paintings from Paint All Night Studios on Etsy


Tree Branches painting also by Nathalie Van on Etsy

Design Tip of the Week ~ Let the Sun Shine

Here is a little rewind post for you today on the best ways to use the color yellow ~ Enjoy!

~ Happy President's Day ~

{photo via visitingdc.com}

Hope you all are enjoying your day off! We thought in honor of the First president George Washington ~ here is a link to peruse some of the great treasure's that are in his home (gorgeous antique chairs, maps, etc) at Mt. Vernon in Virginia.

Design Tip of the Week (2.14.11): Design of love

Some wonderful elements to bring to your home that celebrate the love in your life.

The Bird Nest Monogram Wall Decal from Tweet Heart Wall Art to celebrate your families surname.


A custom silhouette from Nella Designs to pay tribute to the special moment in your life.


Create a tribute to your growing family with the personalized family tree wall hanging from Elm Studios Online.


Honor the furry member of your crew with this amazing custom pop art portrait from Laura KG's Etsy store.

Design Tip of the Week ~ Stylish Stools

Whatever your function for stools in your home may be ~ be it extra seating, a footrest, to stack books on, or a record collection keeper ~ we found some very stylish stools that will complete a room:



{Capelli Stool from Herman Miller}





{The New Seagrass Stool from Pottery Barn}




{Becca Stool from Modern Bamboo}

Design Tip of the Week (1.24.11): Make Your BED!

With these amazing linens designers you can transform a dull bedroom into something spectacular. Make the bed the focal point by picking a look and color scheme that will bring some style and individuality to your bedroom. Two things to take note of when creating your dream bed. Layering and finishing touches take the look to the next level. Shams and a contrasting top coverlet alone will do wonders!

Here are some amazing designers to check out. Note that good linens are not cheap, but they can be mixed with some more reasonably priced pieces to lower the final cost. We threw some of those wallet friendly picks too!

A bed worth breaking the bank for....

Serena and Lily's Catalina Collection


Bella Notte's Seaglass Menagerie Bed (sold by Cottage Chic)


BlissLiving Home"s Shangri-la Collection


A bed that LOOKS like you broke the bank, but didn't...

Simply Vera by Vera Wang's Ombre Stripe Collection for Kohls


Marimekko Samovaari Surf Collection for Crate & Barrel

Design Tip of the Week (1.17.11) ~ Decorating Inspiration

{photo via Lonny Mag}
I love getting design and decorating inspiration online from various photography.

Lonny Mag has a GREAT slideshow section here full of photos to go through and pull inspiration from. They have a collection of photos for just about every room in your home, like the work space photo above.

This room really caught my eye because it's colorful, warm and personalized ~ it's somewhere I would love to work, be it on the computer, or painting or writing, it's a room I could see myself feeling inspired.

If you have a room that you have no idea how to decorate, this slideshow is great inspiration. But if you don't know where to start, check out our Primed4Design decorating services site here, we are here to help!

Design Tip of the Week (1.10.11): The Key to Decorating

I have been seeing keys lately incorporated into home decorating accessories and I must say that I love that they are so trendy right now. Vintage keys are so interesting both in their design and what they symbolize. A key means access to something to locked away, its so wonderfully intriguing! Here are some fun key designs that you can bring into your decorating. And be sure to check out Wednesday's post for a DIY project using vintage keys.

Decorate your table or dresser with them, like these Garden Key Plates from West Elm.


Use over sized keys as wall art, like these by John Richard from Lighting New York.


Find paintings with keys as the muse, such as Art Zodiac's Deep Blue Skeleton Key on Old Book Pages available through Etsy.


Stick it on your wall! Love the key wall decal from Grey Wolf Graphics on Etsy.

Design Tip of the Week (1.3.10): New Year's Resolution

Organizing is a biggie on the New Year's resolution list. There truly is nothing better than a good declutter to start the new year off right. So to get you inspired on ways to organize, here are some organizing tips for all those areas of your life that may be spilling over or could just use a little tidying up.

Label it! Get some mason jars or metal pails to organize your office supplies or crafts for the kids and use a fun label to pretty it up. Like these chalkboard labels from the Vinyl Chalkboard store on Etsy.


Mount it! Use extra wall space to organize. There are so many systems out there with many different components that you can use to customize your organization needs. Meet your home's new command center, the Daily System from Pottery Barn.


Hide it! Yes, I am not ashamed to hide things. Multipurpose furniture is a great way to hide things like blankets, magazines, pillows and so forth. We use stuff, its how we get comfy, so your house can look clutter free when you have company. Love this giraffe patterned storage ottoman from CSN.


Box it! It doesn't get anymore hidden than putting it in a box. Once that lid is on, nobody needs to know whats going on in there. I have all my office supplies in fun decorative photo boxes. They stack, they look cute, they keep the clutter contained. Try these fun boxes from the Container Store.


Match it! Taking things that you have semi organized and putting them into the same containers or books are a great way to make your things look coordinated. For example, I have many different photo albums and in 2011 I am reorganizing all these photos into matching photo albums so they can display nicely on a shelf in the living room. You can get the same effect with boxes (as mentioned above)or baskets. Here are some magazine files from See Jane Work that can clean up your favorite periodicals into a chic matching storing system.


Quarantine it! This is the mother of all organizers a full sized cubby hole piece of furniture. Several types of these are out there from Ikea to Pottery Barn, just begging to store all your stuff (whether its books, baskets, or bins). If you have the space, you could probably store all your clutter in this piece alone. Here is the Cubby Organizer from Pottery Barn.

Design Tip of the Week (12.13.10): Love French Style? Oui!

Whether your seeking the opulence of traditional French decor or a more quaint comfort of French provincial living, here are some ideas on how to bring Paris or the French countryside to your doorstep.


{Image from French Country Decor Guide}


{Image from In-house Designs}


{Image from Interior Blogsite}


{Image from New House of Art}


{Image from Interior Design Reviews}

Here are some French inspired accents from Ballard Designs to get you started.
Antionette Bench

Bergere Chair and Ottoman

Avignon Table Set

The Camille Toile Bedding

Preserved Boxed Topiaries

Paris Places Print