How to Decorate With Books on Side Tables

Select several attractive books that have a personal meaning to you. Choose favorite childhood stories, books on your interests, books that fit a theme or simply books with appealing illustrations.

Arrange a small row of books standing up with their spines facing the viewer. Secure in place with a set of ornate bookends. Choose fat volumes with gilt-tooled binding and text detail on the spine. This arrangement looks even better if the books are different sizes.

Select several glossy, illustrated books and arrange asymmetrically on a low side table. Open one or more of the books at a particularly striking picture.

Prop up a single book on a plate stand. Have the book open at an elaborate illustration. Positioning the table below a floor lamp or spotlight shows the illustration at its best. Plate stands come in a huge variety of styles and several sizes and usually fit a normal-sized book. Alternatively, use a reading stand.

Place a complementing or contrasting object on a small stack of books on a similar theme. For example, place a miniature ship or compass atop a small pile of nautical books.