Unique Book Aesthetic as your Bookshelf Décor

Hello! Are you looking to use your books as décor but don’t like the color of the book? Even flipping the books didn’t work because the cover color still shows, and buying new books seems silly because you want to utilize the ones you already have. Well, you’re in luck! I’m showing you how to achieve this unique book aesthetic as your bookshelf décor! Not only do you get to choose the color of the book cover, but it comes at a fraction of the cost!

I’ve also included some crucial tips and tricks and things to note at the end of this post, so be sure to read the full tutorial! So, without further ado, let’s jump into how I changed the color of my books in a few simple steps!

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Collect Books

First, you’ll want to collect some books! My husband and I are not huge readers (although I would like to read more… Just haven’t found the right book I guess!).

We have a large enough collection of books to use as décor. Books we’ve collected over the years that we don’t care for the covers because of the color and how it clashes with the color palette I’m using to decorate with.

Perhaps you can use those college books that you spent good money on! I know I plan on doing this project again, I guess it’s time to take out those old books from storage and finally get a use out of them!!

Get Some Spray Paint

Next, you’ll want to get some spray paint! I used smokey beige, khaki camouflage, army green camouflage, Tate green, and white.

If you want more information on color theory, I have a must-read guide here on the elements of design and how they impact decorating. Color theory is a main category that I refer to in this post, so be sure to check it out!

Set Up the Area

First, you’ll want to find a well-ventilated area with room to spray paint. I chose to do this project outside and set up some cardboard.

Next, you’ll want to stand the book on its edges to be able to spray paint both sides. The image above is for reference!

Spray Paint

Now for the fun part! Spray paint your books!

Things to Note

Okay, this is the crucial part of the post because there are a few things to note before you start this project.

First, I would not recommend doing this to books you anticipate reading. This is purely for decoration purposes, and I explain why below.

I note this project is only for decoration because one of the books scratched easily, which brings me to my next point.

Only one of the seven books got scratched after spray painting them. There must have been a coating on the outside of the book, preventing the spray paint from adhering.

Again, these books are purely decoration, so for me, it’s not a big deal as the spine of the book would be the only part showing. But, if that’s something you want to avoid but still want to give your books a new color, then try wiping the book down beforehand. I know it’s laughable, but maybe try sanding it to help the spray paint adhere.

I plan on doing this project again because I’m super happy with the color, so I will experiment a little and see if I can find a solution. I’ll update this post once that happens, but in the meantime, plan on it being purely decoration.

Okay, and the last big ticket tip you need to know is I would not recommend painting them with acrylic paint!! Unless you have a super high-end paintbrush or some supernatural ability to paint, you will leave brush strokes. When I do this project again, I will experiment with sponges to see if I can get a flat look, but in the meantime, spray painting is the way to go!