Designer Marie Flanigan's Shelf Styling Hacks

Using luxury wallcovering in built-ins is a simple way to elevate a room's shelves. 

According to our favorite Houston-based HGTV star and award-winning interior designer Marie Flanigan, shelf styling is one of the most common home decorating struggles. She has an entire blog post dedicated to her tried and true styling tips here. But, first, let's start with the wallcovering.

A gorgeous grasscloth wallcovering adds a layer of texture that completes the look of a custom bookcase. Highlighting Marie's shelf-styling tips, we're going to show you 4 rooms she designed designed with the perfect built-in shelves and Phillip Jeffries grasscloth wallcoverings.  

MARIE'S #1 TIP: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
The most common place to install built-in bookshelves is on each side of a fireplace. Not only are the shelves beautiful, but they are quite functional as well. Open shelving allows for unique styling opportunities while a closed cabinet keeps the clutter hidden. Below, Marie uses a lustrous Phillip Jeffries grasscloth to line the walls of the built-ins. The rich brown grasscloth wallcovering adds a layer of warmth and texture that elevates the neutral tones of the space. Lustrous and strong, our arrowroot grasscloth wallcoverings are handwoven using twice as much fiber for consistent coloring and the look of raw silk in a natural grass. They are both durable and beautiful in a built-in bookcase. Shop Phillip Jeffries Extra Fine Arrowroot in Fog, 3568, here.

MARIE'S #2 TIP: BRING THE PERSONALITY
Built-in bookshelves are the perfect opportunity to let a homeowner's personality shine. From unique objects to design books and family photos, using built-in shelves in a home can bring a lot of joy to a space. Below, Marie lines the custom geometric built-in bookshelves with Phillip Jeffries Extra Fine Arrowroot in Wheat, 073.  The neutral color is the perfect backdrop to this homeowner's melange of accessories.

MARIE'S TIP #3: BALANCE IT OUT
Symetrical bookshelves are a nice way to anchor a room and draw your eye to something like the television or a piece of art. Marie recommends balancing the visual weight of objects in built-in bookcases. Below she uses multiple shapes, colors and textures to create a balance between the two built-in bookcases in a master bedroom. She lines both sides with a versatile grey grasscloth wallcovering, Phillip Jeffries Soho Hemp in Flatiron, that really makes the white woodwork pop. A refined style, our authentic uptown hemp gets a downtown makeover in this edgy and innovative handwoven grasscloth wallcovering collection. 

MARIE'S TIP #4: LISTEN TO COCO
As in Coco Chanel and remove one thing before you leave the house. The same applies to built-in shelves. Try not to clutter the shelves and if necessary, remove objects.

MARIE'S TIP #5: TAKE YOUR TIME
Most importantly, Marie recommends taking your time when styling built-in shelves. It's okay to switch around the objects and move elements around until an arrangement feels just right. For a classic and versatile look, try white built-in cabinets lined with natural grasscloth wallcovering. This creates the perfect base to fine-tune your decorating. Below, Marie uses Extra Fine Arrowroot in Wheat in this cozy living room. She lines all three sides of each shelf with natural grasscloth wallcovering for a truly custom look. 

SHOP PJ GRASSCLOTH
For a luxurious and custom built-in look, add a Phillip Jeffries grasscloth wallcovering today and start styling. We are your source for natural grasscloth wallcoverings and have been since 1976. Handcrafted by artisans using only the finest materials and mills in Japan for expert lamination, we offer exceptional quality and the widest selection of colors, styles, and textures. Our range of naturals includes an assortment of hemps, arrowroots, jutes, and grasses, most of them in stock and ready to ship.