A painted bookshelf is one of the easiest ways to transform your living room. Whether you’re working with custom built-in joinery, wall-to-wall shelving or a freestanding bookcase, adding colour instantly turns a practical storage piece into a design feature.
Painted bookshelves are especially popular in living rooms because they add personality, create visual depth and help tie colour schemes together.
If you’re looking for painted living room bookshelf ideas, we’re sharing design advice on how to choose colours, select finishes and style your shelves so they look curated rather than cluttered.
Related article: How to: Style a bookshelf
Related article: How to create a calm, focused workspace at home
Why painted bookshelves work so well in living rooms
Living room bookshelves are rarely just for books anymore. They often double as a place to display artwork, ceramics, plants and personal pieces that make a house feel like home.
Painting your bookshelves allows them to feel intentional rather than purely functional. It can also help built-in shelves blend seamlessly into the architecture of the room or, alternatively, make them the focal point of the space.
While most of the bookshelves in this article feature a solid colour, there are other creative ways to paint bookshelves. For example, painting the back of bookshelves in a contrasting colour can add depth and help objects stand out.
Whether you have existing cabinetry that’s looking tired or you’re styling on a budget and want to elevate flatpack pieces, painted bookshelves are a simple way to create a designer look. Keep scrolling for all our tips.
How to choose the right colour for a painted living room bookshelf
Now that you’re (hopefully!) convinced painted bookshelves are a good idea, it’s time to choose the right colour.
You would have heard us talk a lot about the connection between colour and emotion, and how the right shade can completely transform the feel of a room.
Let’s take a look at the most popular bookshelf colours. From light neutrals to dark and moody tones, and even bold pops of colour, because after all, you’re allowed to have a little fun with it!
Neutral bookshelf colours
Soft neutrals are a safe and timeless option for painted living room bookshelves. Colours like warm white, soft grey, taupe or beige create a calm backdrop that allows styling pieces to shine.
Neutral painted bookshelves also work well in smaller living rooms where darker colours could feel heavy.
Dark and dramatic bookshelves
If you want your bookshelves to feel bold and sophisticated, dark colours bring the drama!
Deep greens, navy blue, charcoal or even black painted bookshelves add depth and stand out beautifully.
Dark painted shelves work particularly well in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, library-style living rooms and homes with plenty of natural light.
Tonal or colour-matched shelves
Another growing trend is colour-drenching bookshelves. This is when the shelving is painted the same colour as the walls (and ceiling), creating a beautiful enveloping feel.
This creates a seamless, custom-built look that makes shelving feel like part of the architecture. It’s particularly effective with built-in living room bookshelves.
What paint finish works best for bookshelves?
Choosing the right paint finish for bookshelves is just as important as the colour.
We recommend a satin or semi-gloss finish for shelving because it is more durable and easier to wipe clean than flat paint.
If your shelves will hold heavy books or decorative pieces, a tougher finish will help prevent scuffs and marks over time.
Matte finishes can work beautifully but may require a little more care.
What style of bookshelves work best in a living room?
When planning the design of your living room shelves, one of the best tips is to include a mix of open shelves and closed cabinetry.
Open shelves allow you to display books and decorative objects — all the beautiful things you want on display. Then for all the not so beautiful things, cabinets are ideal. They provide the perfect storage spot for things like paperwork, electronics, cables and unsightly (but annoyingly necessary!) kids toys.
A combination of both also helps reduce the amount of dust that collects on everything. Plus, if you’re having a messy day, you can simply close the cabinet doors and the room instantly looks tidy again. We’re ALL for that idea!
This approach is commonly used in custom built-in bookshelves and living room wall units because it balances practicality with style. However, you can find plenty of standalone, store bought bookshelves with a mix of both shelving styles. They might just require a bit of a DIY paint job to give them that one-of-a-kind feeling. For more info on that topic, keep on reading.
How to style living room bookshelves
One of the biggest questions people ask us is how to style bookshelves so they look good without feeling overcrowded.
We go in depth into this topic in our bookshelf styling series here: Part 1 and Part 2. But here are the basics when it comes to bookshelf styling tips, tricks and ideas.
1. Start with books
It may sound obvious, but books should still form the foundation of your bookshelf styling.
Stack some horizontally, place others vertically and leave small gaps between sections so the shelves feel relaxed rather than packed.
2. Add in a mix of decorative objects
It’s no secret how much we adore decor pieces. In amongst your books, we suggest adding in a mix of objects such as ceramics, framed photos, small sculptures or travel souvenirs.
Using objects with different heights, shapes and textures helps create visual interest. You can read all about our fave home decor items here.
3. Bring in greenery
Plants are one of the easiest ways to soften bookshelves.
Trailing plants, small potted greenery or even dried arrangements can bring life and colour to your shelving. If your living room bookshelf doesn’t get a lot of natural light, you may even want to try adding in a few realistic looking artificial indoor plants (yes, they do exist, we promise!).
4. Leave space
One of the secrets to beautifully styled shelves is negative space. Leaving some areas empty prevents shelves from looking cluttered and helps highlight your favourite pieces.
How to DIY your own painted living room bookshelf.
If you already have shelves in your living room (or perhaps you’ve thrifted some!), painting them can be a surprisingly simple weekend project. It’s one of the easiest ways to create custom-looking bookshelves on a budget.
Freestanding bookcases from places like IKEA, Facebook Marketplace or OP shops (or even council pick up!) can be painted to suit your space in whatever shade matches your interior aesthetic.
For the best tips on how to tackle your own DIY painted bookshelf project, we can’t go past this article written by a multi-award-winning painter and decorator. It answers all the key painting questions so it’s definitely worth a read if you’re keen to take on a DIY project.
What style of bookshelf is best? Built-in bookshelves or a freestanding bookcase?
If you’re renovating or designing a living room from scratch, you may also consider custom built-in bookshelves. Custom joinery can be designed to fit your space perfectly, often incorporating cabinetry, lighting and shelving in one cohesive unit.
If custom joinery isn’t in your budget, freestanding bookshelves can still look fantastic, especially when painted and styled thoughtfully.
For renters or anyone who likes to change things up, freestanding shelves offer more flexibility and are a great way to experiment with colour.
At the end of the day, living room bookshelves should reflect your personality. And with the right colour, finish and styling approach, they can easily become one of the most beautiful features in your living room.
We hope this article has given you some ideas and inspiration to add a painted living room bookshelf in your home. For even more design ideas delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to Style Curator.
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