When it comes to interiors, social media has a lot to answer for: it's spawned everything from a collective obsession with pastel rooms decked out in varying shades of sorbet to the mania for rose gold pineapples that reached its zenith some time in 2016 (despite this, it's still going strong in various corners of the Internet...)
One trend that we’ll always have time for, though, is the shelfie.
Whether there's something inherently aesthetically pleasing about perfectly curated storage or whether we're just inherently nosy (if we're being realistic, it's probably the latter, because what could be more telling than the contents of someone else's bookshelf?), we're not sure.
What we do know is that once you've started scrolling through snaps of other people's shelves, it's actually quite hard to stop. Over on Instagram, the #shelfie tag has over one million posts; a recent study from eBay found that millennials are actually driving sales in the publishing industry by buying books to show off on their digital platforms (a well-stocked Kindle might save on space and cost, but it doesn't make for a particularly appealing Instagram post...). And, you know, to actually read the books, too (we hope).
As well as providing us with new reading recommendations, the ubiquity of the shelfie has another fortunate side effect: they've inspired us to upgrade our own storage and turn our shelves into talking points.
That's where Pinterest comes in: always an indispensable source for interiors, the picture sharing site is a nirvana for shelfie enthusiasts, particularly those of a minimalist, Scandi-esque persuasion. Requiring minimal effort but creating maximum impact, these are the organisation and presentation hacks we're borrowing from our favourite posts...
Interiors porn Book shelves Pinterest - Grazia
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A colour-coordinated book shelf will always be aesthetically pleasing...
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... but a monochromatic book shelf is next level (try it against a bold colour backdrop, too).
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Mix up your book storage by alternating spines in with spines out.
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Consider giving a basic wooden shelf a DIY white gloss for a clean, more minimalist finish (it'll help the shelves feel less cluttered, too).
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Marble shelving with gold brackets: that's two interiors trends in one.
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Play around with shapes: this hexagonal wall mount is a talking point that doubles up as storage.
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A ladder shelf is a staple of all our favourite Pinterest interiors boards: choose a free-standing style and you'll have more flexibility about where to place it, too.
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Shelving doesn't have to be uniform: mix up proportions with different lengths and a trailing houseplant.
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A more rustic wood finish looks great with an eclectic mix of textures.
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This colour gradient backdrop is an eye-catching way to upgrade shelving (though it certainly works best with a few curated pieces on show, rather than general clutter...)
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Style a brass etagere with a few decorative pieces in similar metallic shades.
Start off simple with a colour-coordinated book collection, before mixing up your library with metallic accent pieces and experimenting with shapes and textures.
Consider your shelfie well and truly upgraded...