Books have always been a beautiful and useful addition to any home. If you are a reader, then you love to have your books around you. If you are a decorator, then you know that it is nice to stack them to make levels for displaying collectibles. Lately, I have noticed that decorators have been painting them so that they will fit into a design scheme. Here are some examples from the famous Pinterest. First, we see some repurposed encyclopedias. Stack them to make a table or arrange them on a book shelf to add instant “gravity” to a room.
In the next picture, the bottom book has been painted and aged with tissue paper. The other books are truly vintage finds.
The project below is unusual. A crafter painted old bricks to look like books.
Next, we see an actual stairway and the stair risers have been painted to look like books.
![I like her attitude and philosophy about decorating. "Progress over perfection." There are several good ideas in here. I'll be pinning a couple, including this metallic doily book cover. [50 Budget Decorating Tips]](https://i0.wp.com/media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/5c/d8/2f/5cd82f4064f462ae642ebc749bdc5bce.jpg)
found on livelovely.com
Many years ago, when I was just a little girl, my mother and I were tasked with cleaning out some shelves in my grandfather’s store room. For years, beginning in the late 1800’s, he and his brother had collected books on many subjects. Some were on healthy practices of the day and many were about world travel and historical events of the day. There were literally so many that there was nothing to do at the time but to throw them into the trash. Sadly, many were covered in leather. The shelves were needed to hold boxes of shoes for my grandfather’s general store. There was money to be made from the shoes and the books were simply in the way. Now, far too late, I realize that more than likely there were books there far more valuable than a pair of shoes. How I wish we could do it over and save those hundreds of antique volumes that met an unceremonious death. This of course begs the question if it is wise to paint the cover of a book rather than to keep it in original condition and pass it along to someone else to read.
I have thought about that and decided that if you aren’t going to read a book, you might as well get some enjoyment out of it by using it in your home in another form. I made a book wreath from an outdated college textbook:
Joanna Gaines from “the television show, “Fixer Upper,” recently made a post about painting books to add a pop of color to her daughter’s room. She said that the children enjoyed doing the project.
She found the self-adhesive decorations for the spines at a craft store.
Then, she displayed them as only she can:
Henry David Thoreau said, “Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.”
Of course, I would suggest that you look at the copyright page to determine if a book is a first edition before you decide to paint it or cut it for a project!
Create and be happy!
deborahwoodmurphy 