Lagrange curated this wall of shelving in a vintage-style Gold Coast home.

1. Undress your books

“Take off any paper jackets. The leather or fabric of a book is so much more beautiful and original.”

2. Make it personal

“Display items that are important to you — things you brought back from your travels, like shells or statues. This will spark conversation when you have people over.”

3. Save space for art

“Anchor your shelving with a large painting. If you don’t have the setup for that, place little easels with smaller paintings on the shelves, or lean your art directly against the wall.”

4. Don’t get too matchy

“Instead of five similar vases from Pottery Barn, pop in some of Grandma’s. A lived-in look is ultimately the most stylish.”

5. Play with scale

“Your books don’t have to be in strictly vertical arrangements. Lean some, stack some, put heavy books next to thin books. That’s the visual interest. That’s the magic.”