Among the most difficult areas to stage well, be creative with and not overdue it are bookshelves. So here is a set of tips for shelf staging. Even though many shelves are small and barely noticeable it is exceedingly recommended to simply stage them instead of leaving them completely empty. In the sales process you are selling the house with its features and particularly built-in shelves become a part of the whole visual experience for the buyer. These tips for shelf staging are useful for any kind of shelves. Successful shelf staging incorporates books and creative décor items which showcase the shelves to their best advantage, enhancing the surrounding space to create an emotional connection. The key for staging is keeping it simple! Here are our tips for shelf staging: 
1. Start off with removing every item from the shelves. Repair scratches and refresh the paint on shelves if needed. If the surface allows polishing you can do this.
2. You don’t necessarily have to purchase the fanciest artistic items if you don’t want to. Work with what you have. Pull together your collections and keep the most neural items. Exclude items that identify certain place, date, religion, sex or race. As we have talked about before, all personal items have to go.
3. How many pieces to keep? The overall rule is Keep it Simple, Less is More. From your remaining neutral collection, choose the ones that carry on with the color scheme of the room itself to give the space a sense of unity. Try to keep a clean look by choosing a one-color or tone-on-tone scheme. Mix up shapes.
4. Hardback books are preferable instead of paperback books. Tip: If you cannot match your books with the color of the room, wrap them in paper like you used to do back in school. This way you can easily get the color that you want. 
5. Displays items on the shelves in odd numbers and in general every other shelf. Do not stage every shelf when you’re putting the house on the market, this is too much and overwhelming. The ones at eye level are the most impactful and therefore the most important to stage. Wallpaper and prints on the back wall of shelves create a unique look and can be an easy way to create a focal point and add some fun. Tip: If you are facing the problem of not having enough décor items to stage a large bookcase for instance, you can hang a piece of artwork in front of a shelf for visual interest.
Hope you find our tips for shelf staging useful. Have a fun time staging your shelves and please let me know of any other tips that you might want to share!
By: Emilia Lepisto
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