Reese Witherspoon’s “Three-Color Rule” Is the Foolproof Way to Style a Bookcase

There are seemingly endless ways to style a bookcase, and there’s no wrong way of doing it. But if you’ve been bored with your current bookcase arrangement, then Reese Witherspoon may give you a burst of inspiration. In a recent Instagram post about Reese’s Book Club pick for March, the actress posed in front of a bookcase that has been carefully curated in a specific color palette, and now it’s more of a decorative display rather than just another bookcase.

The books behind Reese are all shown without their dustcovers in one of three colors: blue, white, or a buttery cream. They’re mixed together in a random assortment, but because they follow the same color scheme, the bookcase still looks super cohesive and organized.

You’ve probably seen monochromatic bookshelf styling time and time again — even ones where the pages of books are displayed facing out, rather than the spines. But adding a few more colors to the lineup could tie an entire design together, or pop when paired with a neutral paint. Try narrowing it down to just three main hues like Reese did to help the setup seem more intentional.

Of course, this bookcase styling may not be the most practical if you actually use your shelves for books you’ve read or are reading, likely with a huge range of spine colors. But if you’re staging shelves in an office or home library (think Zoom backgrounds, people!), this color palette method could be such a fun way to arrange books for a sophisticated look.

The thrift store is a great place to source books for a project like this while sticking to a budget. But did you know that Pottery Barn also sells packs of books in specific colors? They’re reclaimed and curated into sets of 10 to 12 to make styling even easier.

Whichever three spine colors you choose, go about your bookcase styling in a fresh, new, Reese Witherspoon-inspired way and make your shelves the stars of the show!