Renovation

Bookshelf Paint Ideas and Inspiration

Make your bookshelf as exciting as the volumes it stores with a simple coat of paint

September 7, 2017

Whether it’s filled with hardcover volumes or used as a spot to display collections or artwork, a bookshelf is always the most interesting spot in a room. But why let its contents get all the attention? Your bookcase should be just as captivating as the items it displays. Luckily, transforming your staid storage unit is as easy as a few coats of paint. Both freestanding and built-in bookshelves can benefit. Painting built-in storage to match the wall color can give the space a cohesive and intimate feel. For the living room of a Los Angeles home, design firm Commune painted the walls and bookshelves in a pale green, giving the space a serene but stylish vibe.

There’s no need to stick to one color. Paint the frame and interiors in different shades or in contrasting colors for an impactful look. Designer Alison Martin used two shades of green in the Virginia library of Elizabeth Locke, while in his own Kansas City, Missouri, home, David Jimenez paired chocolate-brown walls and bookcases with bright white trim. Bring your art display to the next level by using a shade that highlights nearby pieces. Burgundy paint picks up shades in a portrait attributed to Thomas Gainsborough in a Washington, D.C., home designed by Stephen Shadley, and the black bookcases in Daphne Guinness’s Daniel Romualdez—decorated apartment are the perfect complement to the David LaChapelle photograph.

High-gloss finishes work particularly well on bookcases, as designer Vicente Wolf proved when he hired an automotive painter to spray the shelves of a Manhattan library with a metallic teal. Jeffrey Bilhuber went for a glossy black in the library of a New York townhouse, allowing the books and objects on display to take center stage. Having trouble picking the perfect paint to showcase your paperbacks? We’ve gathered gorgeous painted bookshelves from the AD archives to inspire your makeover.

Nikolas Koenig

1/14

The pale green living room of a Los Angeles home was refurbished by the design firm Commune to reflect its 1940s William Haines design.
Photo: Joshua McHugh

2/14

In the library of a Kansas City, Missouri, home, a daybed accesses two seating areas. The brown bookshelves are framed with white trim.

Durston Saylor

3/14

In a Manhattan apartment by Hein + Cozzi, the study's existing millwork was refreshed with a peacock shade; the sofa is by Avery Boardman, and the tea set is by Hermès.
Gordon Beall

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A portrait attributed to Thomas Gainsborough dominates a wall in the burgundy library of a Washington, D.C., home designed by Stephen Shadley.

Michel Arnaud

5/14

Lauren Sara worked with architects Jeanne Scandura and Tony Crane to renovate her Colonial Revival house outside of Philadelphia. In the library, white bookshelves line the walls.
Thomas Loof

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In the library of perfumer Frédéric Malle's New York apartment, white bookcases compliment the bold turquoise wall color and red carpet.

Joshua McHugh

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The walls and built-in bookcases in the Virginia library of jewelry designer Elizabeth Locke are painted in vibrant shades of green.
Thomas Loof

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In the library of Daphne Guinness's New York apartment, which was decorated by Daniel Romualdez, black bookcases line the walls. At right is a portrait of Guinness by David LaChapelle.

Simon Upton

9/14

Slim gray bookcases frame two seating areas in the library of a New York apartment decorated by Penny Drue Baird.
Francesco Lagnese

10/14

At a Northern California home designed by Suzanne Rheinstein, a landscape painting overlooks the library, which features a 19th-century wing chair from Lucca covered in a Lee Jofa corduroy; the walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Stratton Blue.

Pieter Estersohn

11/14

In the library of a New York City apartment, designer Vicente Wolf hired an automotive painter to spray the built-in shelves with a metallic teal, giving the room a gloss reminiscent of the Finish Fetish movement of the ’60s and ’70s.
William Waldron

12/14

Glossy paint covers the walls and bookcase in a Manhattan library designed by Jeffrey Bilhuber. A Louise Lawler photograph is mounted between the windows; the armchair and ottoman are covered in a Christopher Hyland tiger-stripe velvet.

Eric Piasecki

13/14

In J. Randall Powers's Houston library, green bookcases hold the designer's large collection of books. A Paul Ferrante ceiling fixture is suspended above a Cubist painting by Michel Patrix and a Biedermeier settee from Karl Kemp Antiques; the obelisks are from John Rosselli Antiques, the plaster table is by John Dickinson, and the armchairs are upholstered in a Threads by Lee Jofa fabric.
John M. Hall

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In his Hudson Valley residence, the late hairdresser Kenneth Battelle kept up a personal tradition of red libraries with a Chinese red version. Related: AD’s Guide to Decorating with Color

Elizabeth Stamp is a freelance lifestyle and design writer and editor based in Los Angeles. For AD, she reports on everything from cutting-edge architecture to far-flung destinations to the homes of the royal family. She previously worked on staff at Architectural Digest and ELLE DECOR and has contributed to *CNN... Read more