Let's Get STACKED - How to stack your books for Shelf Decor

Mmmmmkkk...Let's talk stacks...book stacks that is.

After the giddy joy of opening your box from Elements has passed...now what? There are so many ways to stack and display your decorative books. We are going to break down the standard methods for you. We even named them to make life a little easier when giving suggestions to clients.

Pose

If you suffer from OCD this stacking method is right up your alley. Purchase books with matching heights to get a uniform and perfect look.

Rundle

Take that perfection and lay it flat! One of my favorites because I love setting decorative items on top of books to add height. Also great for decorating coffee tables with larger books.

Gable

Snag books in graduated sizes and stack them from large to small. I create a number of ombre looks using the Gable stacking method to add visual appeal.

Ebb

If you have graduated sizes but want to push them against a wall or home accessory, Ebb does the trick. This also works well when stacking books next to another book stack that is standing up (Passel, Mezzo, Pose, Wane).

Wane

A great way to draw your eye down to a smaller object. When decorating shelves, you want your eye to travel throughout the shelf. When transitioning from large objects to small, I often use Wane to accomplish this.

Mezzo

I am fairly confident this is the stacking method I use the most! When I am creating book sets, I have to constantly remind myself to change it up to other methods. I mean...just look...

Passel

The ultimate "unintentional" look. You may have searched through 100's of book sets and chose the perfect one to match your color scheme...but you want people to think it was simply effortless. What? This old thing?!

We will feature some more intricate stacking methods soon but these are the standard looks that will be timeless.

P.S. Do you like the names? If you don't...it won't hurt my feelings but I might cry a little. There was a time when I had 100+ sticky notes of random words trying to come with names for each stacking method. These sticky notes were posted on the wall between the kitchen and living room for weeks. I am not exaggerating. If you watch Homeland...it was my Carrie Mathison moment.