Country Living
Fall Nesting Tip #15: Bring in the books!
Books are an easy, beautiful way to add warmth and personality to every room, including kitchens and dining areas. Surrounding yourself with books encourages you to live in each space rather than treating rooms as purely decorative. A room without books can feel stiff; stacks of books make a home feel cozy, welcoming, and well-used.
I love being able to settle into a chair in any corner and reach for a stack of books. Besides the comfort they bring, books give a room a lived-in, intellectual charm.
Country Living
Books in the kitchen are one of my favorite design choices. In my previous kitchen I had a bookcase built into the island, and it quickly became one of the room’s most used and admired features. It’s a simple way to make the kitchen feel more inviting and personal.
my old kitchen
In my current kitchen I’ve started with a cabinet for books, and I plan to add more as I continue personalizing the space. Books are versatile—display them in cabinets, on open shelves, or in little stacks on countertops and tables to make the room feel more lived-in and approachable.
my new kitchen
Mary Jane McCarty, Country Living
Another charming idea is to turn a seldom-used dining room into a library-dining hybrid. Since dining rooms often see little daily use, lining the walls with books adds character and utility, creating a cozy spot for conversation and reading.
Books naturally invite you to slow down with a mug of hot chocolate and spend an afternoon reading. They encourage lingering and make a home feel comfortable and lived-in.
Whether placed in built-in bookcases, freestanding cabinets, or casually stacked on tables and floors, books are an ideal fall decorating accessory. If you don’t have a large collection, thrift stores and secondhand shops are great places to find attractive hardbacks—start collecting and mix them into your décor.
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To catch up on all the Fall Nesting tips and related posts, visit the seasonal decorating section on the original site.
PS. There may be sweepstakes and promotions mentioned on other sites—entering gives you a chance to win prizes that could help expand your book collection. If you don’t enter, you won’t win.
Lastly, I have a BIG and I mean BIG surprise to tell you all about on Friday!
Keep adding and reading the procrastinator posts too — there’s lots of fun content, and we’ll wrap things up on Friday.