In just two seconds, you can refresh your decor and make your home look a little classier. Two seconds. That's about half the amount of time it took you to read this sentence (unless you are super fast reader).
Ready for the quick, two second decorating fix?
Before
After
Did you see it? It's so fast and easy that you may have missed it. Don't blink or you'll miss it again – Simply take the dust jackets off of your hardback books.
I am positive that my librarian mother-in-law will shudder at what I just asked you to do, but I think removing dust jackets from your books makes a tremendous difference. Books used in your decor, whether they be on a bookshelf or used in a tablescape, look classier and more worldly without the glossy, graphically demanding jacket that is used to grab your attention at a bookstore.
When used in your home, books should not demand attention but should blend into your decor and compliment their surroundings.
Removing the dust jackets can also help a series of books to look uniform.
Before
After
I really like the way these decorating books look on this shelf. I wanted the primary focus of this table to be the Spanish Moss in the urn, and the dust jackets took away from that focus. The uniformity of the bare books is just what this table needed.
Isn't that a quick, simple, and free change? Spend a few seconds to remove the dust jackets from your books. You'll be so glad that you did!
Lindsay is a full-time wife, mother, and crafty-gal-turned-home-decor-obsessed blogger. She writes Living With Lindsay about thriftily decorating her home around everyday challenges, such as her 3-year-old son, an overly "helpful" husband, and two crazy dogs.
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I almost always take the jackets off of books, too! They have so much more character that way. Dust jackets usually just look like you were trying to keep the book all perfect but then the cover got torn and and dirty and it isn't nice any more. I'd rather see a beat up leather (or otherwise) hard bound book than a torn piece of paper!
Great advice! Love the before and after too!
Love it! I was planning on looking for old books at the thrift store because I wanted them without the dust jackets. Funny, it never ocurred to me to remove the jackets off the ones I already own! BRILLIANT! Can you guess what I will be doing tonight?
It's all in the details! And I love the cost . . . $0!
I followed my friend Lindsay's advice and the shelves over my desk look quite classy if I do say so myself!
I did this years ago, and I love the look. As an added bonus, I saved a little bit of space on my shelves and was able to fit in another book or so on each shelf.
I'm with you, removing the dust jackets are a must- thanks for the tips-
Love it, Lindsay! It really does make a difference, and a 2-second makeover sounds good to me!