Judging A Book By Its Cover

Reading to our son at bedtime quickly became our favorite part of our the day. When it comes to picking out stories, boy do we have options. After he was born, my sister hosted a Sip-And-See, inviting all of our family and friends. The event's theme was "Story Time", and the invite requested that the attendees replace a card or gift with their favorite book. They were asked to include a little message on the inside and sign who it was from. He was hooked up with over 50 books and to our amazement, NOT one the same! Not even by Dr. Seuss.

Luca and his tower of babble!

Of course after receiving all those books I wish I had designed more storage for books, other than the three shelves in the reading nook.

There is a ton of great storage ideas for all those books. Here are a handful of D.I.Y. and D.B.O. (done -by-others).

When I placed some of the newly gifted books on the shelves of his nursery, I was concerned that all the primary colors were going to ruin the serene aesthetic I had achieved in this room. Instead, this small area became it's own little every-changing piece of wall art. I noticed the popularity of the same colors repeated in type, imagery and overall in the the cover design. Plus it brought an essence of "child" to the space.

Having these books dedicated to my son is a special gift, and when the givers come to visit it's nice to have them read to him the book they gifted. A couple of his new favorites, Olu's Dream and Chocolate Me, were given by a dear college friend turned literary artist, Shane Evans.

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BEYOND A BOOK - Books as decor

Now how about taking things a step further by not just having storage for books, but turning books into works of art themselves? I love the cover designs of an individual book, but sometimes the vibrant colors of children's books can be jarring or uncooperative for a specific room's color palette. So for those who want a truly tailored look, check out the stylings of Juniper Books, a company out of Oregon that creates curated book covers. These individual cover designs can be arranged to create one large overall image, a small custom set, or one individual book – so much more than the brown paper bag we used to cover our math books.

Custom book cover design by Juniper Books. This uniform look keeps the room aesthetic light and sophisticated.

Juniper Books, Elephant Book Set - $90

Juniper Books, Jane Austen Sets - $199.00

Juniper Books, Wizard of Oz Set - $150.00

D.I.Y. Custom Covers

This idea of covering books to create more than a protective shell, like we did back in grade school, has me thinking what a fun summer project this would be for kids and parents alike. Like Juniper Books, you could create your own custom covers to compliment your child's room decor or just have fun creating individual cover designs at a fraction of the cost. There are lots of HOW TO'S on the internet, but here are a few looks we thought you might enjoy.

Found on Artist Helping Children. Simple go-by for creating a custom book cover.

Found on Brit & Co., Brown paper bag gets a fancy upgrade with a metallic pen

Found on Sweet & Lovely Things, maps make an excellent resource and inherently cool design. Perfect subtle element in a room with a travel, car or exploring theme.

Found on Martha Stewart, scrapbooking paper offers an endless variety of themes, patterns and colors.