There is hardly anything as effortlessly cool and elegant as a well-decorated. bookshelf. Often overlooked, a permanent fixture of our homes, bookshelves have always carried the most important part of our personalities – the books that we read.
After social media took over our lives, books became more of a decorative item rather than a constant and endless source of knowledge. But the last few years have seen a resurgence of literacy in mainstream media and fashion. From brands to celebrities, everyone has endorsed reading.
How is print resurging?
Miu Miu, Gen Z’s favourite fashion house, now runs a book club. Chanel has Literary Rendezvous, and Dior has Jonathan Anderson’s reimagined Book Totes with the covers of literary classics. Fashion has fallen in love with literature. And so has the it-girl.
Dua Lipa runs a book club. Her beau, Callum Turner, impressed her with their shared taste in books. Emily Ratajowski wrote a book. During Paris Fashion Week F/W 2026, runway models were spotted backstage reading before getting ready to walk for Isabel Marant.
(Image Courtesy: Service95)
Booktok has blown up. The year started with multiple book adaptations from People We Meet On Vacation to Wuthering Heights. More books are being adapted into movies and TV shows than ever before. Basically, literature is at an all-time high, and so is print.
With the rise of AI, the human thirst for literacy has risen. According to James Daunt, CEO of Waterstone’s, a leading British bookstore chain, sales have been up 5% in 2025. According to the Economic Times, fiction sales rose 30.7% in 2024, and Gen Z now accounts for 37% of India’s print book volumes.
This obsession with literacy is now naturally bleeding into our home decor. With the rise of sales in print media, bookshelves have now become the focal point of our living areas and decor aesthetic.
How to decorate your bookshelves?
A shelf full of books adds an instant appeal to any living area, whether they cover floor to ceiling or are perched in a small shelf above your study areas or are placed in a nook inside your wall.
But alongside your books, diaries and print magazines, there are some decor pieces and artefacts that can be used to add charm to your bookcase. Bookends to magazine holders are some obvious ones to add. For a more sensorial heavy decor, use scented candles or potpourri.
Add a string of lights or a mini lamp to spotlight your books in the evenings. Apart from that, you can add plants, photo frames, decorative plates, crystal motifs, essence sticks, dolls and a lot more.
Decor items to add to elevate your bookshelves
Rabyana Designs Chipper Book Ends
One of the most obvious design pieces to add to your bookcase is an eye-catching bookend. Ade to hold your hardbound covers, this one by Rabyana designs makes a sparkling gold-finished aluminium sculpture and walnut-finished wood to match your well-worn book spines.
Price: 7,550
Shop here: Chipper Book End
Ikka Dukka Honey & Oud Diffuser
Mature, heavy and earthy, Oud and honey make for a scent combination that fits right between War and Peace, and 1984. If your bookshelf is filled with classic novels, go for this balanced and earthy scent combination that is enhanced by notes of citrus and tobacco. ,
Price: 6738
Shop here https://ikkadukka.com/products/honey-oud-reed-diffuser?_pos=1&_psq=honey+oud&_ss=e&_v=1.0
Swarovski Enchanted Rose Crystal Figurine
A fit for fairytale lovers, if your bookshelf is filled with endless romance novels, then this crystal figurine is for you. Inspired by Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the enchanted rose in a jar is a timeless motif of romance.
Price : 17,900
Shop here: https://www.swarovski.com/en-IN/p-5230478/Enchanted-Rose
Lladro Missing You Candle
This candle comes with a natural oak wood lid topped with an angel in Matte white porcelain. Perfect to be nestled between your romance and fantasy novels.
Price: 7,300
Shop here: https://www.lladro.com/en_in/missing-you-candle-gardens-of-valencia-scent-en-in-01040108.html
Glass Forest Mireya Table Lamp
The best way to make your bookcase stand out even in the evenings is to add a tiny table lamp just like this one by Glass Forest. Made with blown glass and teak wood, the compact design and elegant shape makes it an ideal choice.
Price: 11,500
Shop here: https://www.lladro.com/en_in/missing-you-candle-gardens-of-valencia-scent-en-in-01040108.html
