When it comes to décor, sometimes the most fabulous finishing touches are as simple as incorporating everyday objects you already own. A great example is books – there’s nothing like the simple sophistication of well-read décor, so get out your reading glasses because here are some ways to let literature complete your look:

1. Beautify your library

Be honest – how many leather-bound books have you read lately? If you’re like me, your book collection is probably a medley of hard cover tomes mixed with paperback beach reads – no shame in that! But don’t toss aside those paperback books – instead, recover them in a paper that’s more suited to your taste. It’s an easy and fun way to let your bookcase reflect your personality and style and gives your new accent pieces amazing versatility.


2. Color coordinate your shelves


I tend to like pops of color in my home, so if you’re like me, a great way to make your book collection pop is to organize your shelves by the color of their covers. If you don’t have a lot of similarly colored books, use the previous tip and recover them to complete your color scheme. 


3. Get stacked


Stacking is a less conventional way to showcase your books and makes great use of smaller spaces like short shelving or coffee tables. For the best effect, either stick to books of the same size or taper the sizing from large on the bottom to small on the top – this will draw the eye and prevent your stacks from looking cluttered or unkempt. 


4. Accent your collection with chic bookends


My friends recently gave me these gorgeous antique bookends, and they’re a perfect example of how a fabulous accessory can make even the simplest items look stylish. Here are some other winners:

Jonathan Adler Mod Owl Sculptures


Turquoise Foo Dogs


Dr. Livingston Monogrammed Bookends


Malachite Composite Bookends


Steer Horn Bookends

There is no shortage of fab bookends on the market – just take a look around your favorite décor store and you’ll be sure to find something that fits your taste.

With your household book collection, you have such a wealth of versatile design accents so be sure to put them to good use!

How do you incorporate your library into your interior design? Tell me about it and upload pictures to let me take a look!

Related Stories:
Get Stoned: Malachite
Eco-Chic: My New Vintage Wood Floors
How To Decorate a Room Over Time
Redecorate a Room in Five Steps

Photo Sources: Twig and Thistle, Design Sponge, Sunset, Creamy Life, Material Girls, Mimi and Meg 

Organic, glamorous and colorful- stones are one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to design. I love it all- from lapis, to tiger’s eye to agate; you can’t really go wrong when it comes to gems. Malachite (interpreted above in a stunning rug by one of my favorite designers, Tony Duquette) is my absolute favorite. 

The bold appeal of this stone has been reinterpreted in design all across the board- you can find it in fabrics, wallpaper, and china, and of course the real rock is used frequently in jewelry and other home accessories. 

Here are a few examples of rooms that make a big malachite statement:

Tony Duquette

Kelly Wearstler

While the rooms above are over-the-top (in the best way), there are also simple ways to bring malachite into your home and wardrobe. Try a pair of bold, vintage malachite lamps, malachite coasters for your tabletop or a statement cocktail ring. I found some crush-worthy items for you below. 

Clockwise from top: More is More by Tony Duquette; Vintage lamps- 1stdibs; Cocktail Ring- Buck House; Large Vintage Plates- 1stdibs; End Table- Lamshop; Vintage Rolex- 1stdibs; Vintage Dish- Rummage; Placemats- Dransfield & Ross; Cutout Bronze and Malachite Ring- Pamela Love; Cuff- Max & Chloe; Soap Rock-Scents & Sprays Candles 

What do you think of malachite- gorgeous and glam or too much for you? Let me know in the comments below. 

Related Stories: 
Eco-Chic: My New Vintage Wood Floors
How To Decorate a Room Over Time
Redecorate a Room in Five Steps
tuTORIal: DIY Yarn Letters 

Photo Credit: Roubinirug.com, Design 2 Share, Travel for Design, Coco + Kelley, Made by Girl 

From wardrobe to décor, my love affair with vintage runs deep. While I’ve always collected (aka hoarded) amazing flea market and estate sale finds, I’ve recently discovered a new obsession: vintage flooring.

We recently installed eco-chic, reclaimed wood floors from The Vintage Wood Floor Company in our new home, and I’m so happy with how they turned out. Here’s a glimpse (I’ll be blogging lots more about our new home, so stay tuned):





These vintage floors have character and a history all their own, having originally been part of an old farmhouse. They have scratches, personal carvings and other flaws that create a perfectly worn-in look. A major plus if you happen to have kids, dogs, pigs, goats and chickens running around! You're not only helping the environment by using reclaimed wood, but you’re also creating a vintage chic look… which will make you the envy of all décor mavens.

Have you ever considered vintage or reclaimed wood flooring in your home? Tell me what you think of my new floors in the comments below.

Related Stories:
How To Decorate a Room Over Time
Redecorate a Room in Five Steps

When I posted my recent interior decorating blog, reader Allison left a comment asking me how to decorate a room over time. It’s a great question!
 
I am a firm believer that a room should not be finished in one fell swoop. A truly unique room grows over time as you add to it. That said, we all want our rooms to look as chic as possible from the get go. Here are some tips for designing a room over time:
 
To keep a room feeling fresh while you accumulate accents and objets d’art, try rearranging the furniture. If you have your furniture lined up around the perimeter of the room, bring it to center and create small groupings.
 
Decorate with flowers. A vase of fresh flowers adds a beautiful pop of color to any room, and it’s a relatively inexpensive way to accessorize a room while you save for a more permanent centerpiece or focal point.
 
While it’s lovely to display original art, it’s not at all necessary for tying a room together. Find a print or poster of one of your favorite paintings or photographs and buy a wooden frame for it at a store like Wal Mart, Target, or Ikea. You can even try lacquering the frames in a high gloss for a more modern or regency look. Or, for a more antique look, try painting the frames white or off white and then try sanding them in areas. You can also print out and frame a favorite family picture or a great still life. I’m loving the pictures I’ve been taking on my iPhone with the cross process, or instagram app, which give photos a retro finish. Or try a family shot printed in black and white, or even sepia. When you’re hanging your photos, cluster them in groupings on the wall.
 
Make a point of buying one thing for the room you’re decorating each time you travel. Your purchases can be as small as a beautiful coaster or as large as an antique mirror. Over time, the objects in your room will remind you of all the places you’ve been and the fond memories you’ve made.
 
What’s your most recent addition to a room in your home? How did it change the room?

More in Dwell:

Redecorate a Room in Five Steps

Interior decorating is a vast subject, and there are countless ways to approach any design project. Some people start with a color they love; others design an entire room around a small object or a swatch of fabric (more on that in a second!). If you're a design newbie, or even if you have a lot of experience, it's helpful to create a framework that will guide you through the process. That said, don't let your process feel restrictive. Ultimately this is about channeling your creative vision.

The swatch of fabric that inspired my living room

How I Designed My Living Room

My whole living room was inspired by one fabric swatch. I knew the layout that would fit the room, so I'd already mapped out where the sofas, sectional, chairs, and ottomans would go, but I was at a loss for what direction I wanted to go in, as far as color and style went.
 
I took a trip to the Pacific Design Center here in LA, and just spent an afternoon looking at fabrics to see what inspired me. After four hours there, I felt hopeless. I decided to go into one more show room, and that's when magic happened! I saw one fabric swatch that literally took my breath away. I knew instantly that I wanted it, so I took it home and sat in the middle of my empty living room with it for about twenty minutes. From that, a "Room was Born!"

My finished living room

Your Turn!

Sometimes you just have to search until you find that one inspiring element that unlocks your creative vision. If you're feeling a little lost, study up on design – YoungHouseLove.com, HGTV.com and ApartmentTherapy.com can help you get a handle on the basics. Once phrases like "étagère" and "accent lighting" start rolling off your tongue, you'll know you're ready to get to work! And don’t think you have to invest in pricey pieces to create a beautiful room. You can create a totally chic space by mixing great finds from estate sales and flea markets with brand new pieces from stores like IKEA and Target. Remember, you can upgrade everything over time.

I made this mood board for a living room with a grey, yellow, and dark rose palette with organic pops of wood, stone, and shell. I used Pinterest.com – try it; it’s addictive!

Step 1: Start with a Mood Board. This is an extremely useful tool that will help identify, visualize and refine your design vision. In fact, a mood board, or vision board as I sometimes like to call it, should be the first step in any design process, from planning a party to curating your wardrobe. The beauty of a mood board is that it provides you with a space where you can lay out all your favorite design ideas without making any final decisions. So don't be afraid to let it all out here - this is where you can mix styles, colors and patterns with abandon! Once you have it all in front of you, you will be able to hone in on what you respond to most, until a theme emerges.
 
Start your mood board by clipping pictures from your favorite design magazines. I love Elle Décor, Vogue Living, House & Garden, House Beautiful, Town & Country, and Architectural Digest. Also, be sure to include fabrics you have in mind, as well as color swatches, patterns, prints, and photos of objects, homes, museums, or buildings that inspire you. As you’re working, look at design books for inspiration. Some of my favorites are Parisian Interiors by Barbara Stoeltie, and a book by the same title, Parisian Interiors, by the editors of Elle Décor, HUE by Kelly Wearstler, More is More by Tony Duquette, High Style by Woodson & Rummerfield, A Life of Design by David Hicks, and An Affair with a House or Point of View by Bunny Williams. All of these designers also have websites (click on their names to view each of their sites), so if you don’t feel like dropping cash on a big ol' coffee table book, just browse the web!

A mood board works best when you do a couple of drafts. Your first one will probably be a little schizophrenic! Leave it for a day, then come back to it and reassess: what colors and patterns do you love? What can go and what absolutely has to stay? Is there anything that looked brilliant yesterday but leaves you cold today? By the time you're done with your second mood board, you should have a clear (or at least, clearer) idea of the colors, patterns, prints, and styles you respond to. For an in-depth exploration of mood boards for all types of projects, check out my recent blog here.

For the bedroom in my house, I chose a blue-grey palette for a subdued, yet elegant feel

Step 2: Pick your palette, print or pattern. Hopefully your mood board has helped you identify the colors and patterns you're responding to most. Sometimes an existing print will help you determine your palette, as with my living room, or sometimes you'll work off a palette that you really love. Generally, you want one to two primary colors and two to three secondary colors. Once you decide on these, choosing a color for your walls and a pattern and print for your drapes will be easier. Don't be afraid to mix and match patterns and prints, as long as you keep a couple of rules in mind: patterns stand out best against a solid backdrop, and mixing solids, florals, and geometric patterns works as long as there is a common element that unifies them, as in color, line, or scale.

Here’s a sumptuous color palette – completely different from what I chose for my calming bedroom!

When it comes to choosing colors, remember that color strongly influences mood. As a general rule, cool colors are ideal for rooms in which you plan to relax, and warm colors are better for rooms where you plan to entertain or do a lot of activity. For rooms in which you need to work or concentrate for long periods of time (like your home office), cool or neutral colors work well. Of course, these are just guidelines. There are no hard and fast rules! Once your mood board is done and you've chosen colors, patterns, and prints, the next step is to translate your concept into a room that flows nicely.

The staircase plays a major role in the floor plan for this foyer!

This photo of a room designed by Kelly Wearstler shows how you could block out a living room, placing furniture so that the room flows, with spaces within spaces for different areas of activity.

Step 3: Block out the room and create a floor plan. The first active portion of your design process should be blocking out the room, or figuring out where furniture would go. This is a step that people often forget, but it's not as daunting as it seems. If it's done ahead of time, it will really move the design process along and give you a clear idea of the pieces you need to make the room come together. This process will help you determine the key pieces you need for the room.

The salmon couch and zebra print rug make major statements and add a hint or pop of color in this living room

Step 4: Choose key pieces. With your mood board and blocking in mind, it's time to go shopping for key pieces. These are the larger pieces in a room: think sofas, ottomans, coffee tables, club chairs, consoles, or bureaus. When shopping for key pieces, don't be afraid to mix styles. Mixing modern and vintage is one of my favorite things to do - there is a whole style dedicated to this, which I like to call “modage.” For example, if you're going for a modern or more contemporary room, it's nice to incorporate a few antique or mid-century modern pieces. French country and coastal chic are a couple of other styles I love. Hopefully, what your mood board has allowed you to visualize is that contemporary styles and influences from past eras can live together harmoniously (and chicly). In fact, different styles often balance each other. As you add accents and smaller objects, your room will take on a style all its own!

A rug designed to look like my favorite stone, malachite

This room beautifully incorporates malachite elements – it’s pretty over the top, but photos like this are great for inspiration

Step 5: Accents, objets d'art, and tchotchkis, oh my! Once you've got your key pieces in place, the real fun begins. I'm a girl who loves details (okay, I'm a little OCD), so I'm all about the finishing touches. Think of your room as an ensemble - it's not complete until you accessorize! You probably already have framed photos, art, dishes, or other sentimental items that you can display in your new room. This is the stuff that makes the room uniquely yours. Create groupings of your favorite objects on surfaces like the mantle or coffee table and experiment with stone accents like malachite or agate.
  
Finally, remember that adding detail to a room takes time. I never believe in knocking out all your small pieces in one shopping spree. Add over time, so your room starts to tell the story of you! Some rooms take years to completely finish, but when complete, they contain small objects from every trip you've ever taken, or various flea market excursions you've gone on.
 
Enjoy the Process!

Keep in mind that your taste will evolve, so any redesign should be approached as an open-ended project. You'll pick up trinkets and photos during your travels, and gradually your home will be filled with items that both fit your taste and remind you of past adventures.

Unless you are designing for a specific purpose, like selling your home or hosting an event, you don't have to perfect a room on the first try. Have fun, be bold, and let your creativity shine!
 
Do you have any design dilemmas or questions about your own home? Share them in the comments below, and I'll choose a few to answer in a future blog!

As with clothing, my interior design style is a blend of old classics and new faves. Antique shopping is to my home as vintage shopping is to my wardrobe, and in my household, it’s a family affair! We love to go antiquing together, and sometimes our excursions turn into road trips. It’s such a thrill to find treasures that complete your personal vision of home - an elegant home transcends trends, and designing the house of your dreams is a constant project that shifts according to your evolving tastes. In DWELL, I’ll share my tips for creating a space that will comfort and inspire you.