Inside: Tips for styling a rustic bookshelf to get the modern farmhouse decor vibe! Plus, details on this incredible, inexpensive farmhouse bookcase!
If you know me, you know I’m someone who loves to rescue old things and turn them into pretty things. But guys, when I saw this line of rustic storage furniture on Wayfair.ca, I barely blinked before pulling the trigger. It was one of those times when I didn’t even realize I had been wanting a rustic living room bookshelf – but I saw it and it was love at first metal label holder. And I didn’t have to rescue a thing 😉
(Huge thanks to Wayfair.ca for sponsoring this blog post. See our disclosure policy here.)
You’ll recall that just before Froggy’s arrival, our planked nook looked like this. (You can see our full home tour with this post starting here!)
My grand plan was to move this white and oak shelf into the dining room to act as a mini-butler’s pantry and china cabinet overflow. But here’s the thing. It is just too rickety. It makes me nervous putting heavy things on it and with a Baby in the house now, I just didn’t want to deal with the anxiety.
BUUUUUUUUUT – that left me with a giant blank spot in the living room against our planked nook wall. Enter the fabulous rustic farmhouse-style bookshelf.
This particular one we purchased is no longer available, but this page has some similar options that vary in price point. And the tips I have would work for any of them! (affiliate link)
Can you believe it?! It’s as if this shelf was MADE for this little nook. 
Truly, I was lusting for its credenza counterpart, but my nook wall is 56″ long and the credenza is a whopping 58.75″ long and would have looked strange in that spot and I couldn’t find another place in the house for the longer piece. 
So I went instead for the cube shape, label holder adorned, multi-functional, shelf that measures 53″ long by 4-feet high and fits perfectly.
I chose to upgrade the finish to the Scribed Oak thinking it went a little better with our bleach wood floors and some of the lighter wood tones I’ve been incorporating throughout the house of late.
How to Style a Modern Rustic Bookshelf
- Pick a colour scheme and stick to it – here I used natural tones, whites, blues and greys. This way, no matter what you use on the shelf, it’ll feel like it goes. Keeping the tones similar is what allowed me to mix my patterns without it seeming too jarring.
- Mix up your ‘directions’ – place books horizontally and vertically to give the eye space to rest.
- Mix your finishes – I like to use a few ceramics, clear glass, natural fibres, and living fibres on all my display shelves.
- Reflective surfaces make everything feel more grand – mirrors, reflective lamps and candles when used sparingly are an excellent way to boost the style on any display shelf.
As you can see, the current plan is to have it house our ‘adult’ things – books, baskets, pictures and mementos. 
I have no doubt that even if I try and try, I will not be able to stop the toys from creeping into every room – so I might as well embrace it and find space for them now, right?
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This post is sponsored by Wayfair.ca and uses affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
