Rattan Chippendale Bookshelf

Last summer, I got so tired of looking at an empty wall in my living room that I decided it was finally time to figure out how to fill the awkward space. After thinking about what I wanted to do for a while, I realized that a bookshelf would add some much-needed height to the space — and also be a beautiful way to show off some of my favorite books and things.

When I started looking around for bookshelves, I ruled out anything white — I already have a lot of white in the space given my desk and buffet under my television are white. Yet, I knew I wanted a neutral piece so I could fill it with colorful books and they would really pop. While I contemplated a gold shelf with glass shelves, once I saw this rattan chippendale bookshelf from Kouboo, I knew it was the perfect piece. It added a ton of visual interest with the chippendale pattern, was a beautiful neutral rattan, and, frankly, was unlike anything I’d ever seen before!

While it was certainly an investment piece, it is so well made and is something I know I can have for years to come in many different homes. There was no assembly required, and it shipped (for free!) in an extremely well-packaged box. I’ve been a huge fan of it since the day I unboxed it! And then, the fun began — styling!

I originally was going to wait to publish this blogpost when my bookshelf was “finished” — but after having it for nearly a year, I think it will always be somewhat of a work in progress as I add new books and pieces of interest. (For instance, I am still finishing my second pink stack of books on the bottom shelf — I just haven’t found all the right books for that space yet!)

I knew I wanted to display coffee table books in a fun, color-blocked way, so over the last year, I’ve been curating new and old favorites to fit that vision — including my Nancy Drew books from my childhood bedroom that were my prized possessions in late elementary school. I absolutely love that I get to give them a new lease on life as an adult.

I’ve linked everything that I can that’s shown here on the shelf below — I love browsing antique shops and second hand stores for decor, and that’s where I found some of my favorite things I have here. Excited to see how this evolves over time! x