Backward Books Are the Designer-Favorite Trick to More Cohesive Shelves

Homeowners and designers alike are showing off the pages of books (rather than the spines) to create a clean, uniform look.

Just when you thought books were the timeless exception to trends, enter a new design concept taking shelves by storm. Homeowners and designers alike are putting book pages on display to create a clean, minimalist look.

This design trick is something furniture and home accessories stores rely on to give customers the impression the space has been lived in, says Juan Nicholas Guacheta, director of sales at Txtur, a custom, Virginia-made furniture brand. “Beyond the impression of a learned inhabitant, what the eye sees is a lovely, clean, and textural focal wall of sorts,” Guacheta says. “Perhaps unintended, this technique has become a trendy design hack.”

And since this look is all about showcasing the neutral pages, curation doesn’t matter, which means you can pick up boxes of books from rummage sales and secondhand shops on the cheap.

What to Know About the Design Trend

While this design idea might seem like a one-off trend, Guacheta says it fits right in with Scandinavian design. “Minimal, orderly, neutral, and organic—it’s no wonder why this aesthetic at large and the fore-edge-facing book trend have been a success,” he says.

One of the benefits of showing off your book pages is that it can also help fill empty shelves in a budget-friendly way. Because curation isn’t important once you’ve turned your books 180 degrees to display the pages instead of spines, you can pick up boxes of books from garage sales, consignment shops, or even your local library’s next community sale.

The result? A textural display that’s all about minimalist cohesion.

Related: 31 Built-In Bookshelf Ideas for Every Room in Your Home

But Is It Practical?

Here’s where things get tricky. If you’re looking for a practical way to display your books, this likely isn’t it. Just like the rainbow library trend, there are some literary design tricks that are more about aesthetics than content (sorry, bibliophiles).

“A bookcase that cannot be navigated is less utilitarian than one that can be,” says Guacheta. “A shelf of bleached paper is more lovely to some than an eclectic assortment of colors, scales, and fonts, but it is categorically less genuine.”

If you’re going for a true library feel that shows off your literature rather than simply the pages or you prefer the look of a more collected display, this design idea might not be for you. But if uniformity and cohesion are appealing, it’s worth flipping your books around and giving it a try.

Which Spaces Are Prime for Book-Page Display?

There are certain parts of the home where backward books can be pulled off more practically. “Perhaps the upper shelves of open kitchen cabinets—a place that is clearly out of reach and is a platform for decorative staging rather than storage,” Guacheta suggests. “You can keep your true cookbooks stacked on the counter or at arm’s reach while deploying some decorative books further up.”

Guacheta says nurseries and guest bedrooms also make ideal conditions for displaying your book pages. Here, he says it’s all about the mix. “Keep a few titles exposed and within reach, but feel free to create rows of fore-edge books on a shelf or atop a dresser,” Guacheta adds.

Finally, you can even add a little textural interest to your entryway by employing this technique. Mix a few fore-edge-facing book stacks on your console table to help balance the scale of other display items, suggests Guacheta. This can help create a more dynamic and lived-in feel within your foyer area.

When to Avoid Flipping Your Books

What you’re essentially doing when you flip around your books is turning them into props. While this might work for some people and some places, it’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all solution. Guacheta says it’s better to leave this practice to a role that punctuates a space rather than defines it. “A living room, a den, one’s office—these are places that are better aesthetically served with an honest collection of books,” he explains.

Does This Design Trend Have Staying Power?

While the power of a cohesive, monochrome look can’t be denied, there’s intrinsic character that comes with a collection of curated tomes. While there might not be staying power with this trend if practicality is what you’re after, if you’re more inclined to a highly cohesive, orderly, and monochromatic look, there’s no reason why it can’t be at home in your space for years to come.

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