Smart decorating with Book Decor

Remember school picture day? We all have a grade school photo with the backdrop of shelves of leather-bound books. (The other two choices were likely some garden scene, and the classic gray or blue.) Ah, the memories. My point? Books can make you - and your rooms - look smart. According to Bookdecor.com, "Designer books are an affordable and elegant way to add warmth and beauty to libraries, studies, or an empty corner table."

Marci Christensen's California-based company Book Decor sells "books by the foot" and "books by the yard" to adorn your empty bookcase. The books are leather-bound and feature antique gilt accents. They're all looks though; many of them are not printed in English, since, according to the site, the US stopped printing leather-bounds quite some time ago.

The company's books are frequently featured in showcase homes and movie sets. But now you can get smart, too. Books from the "Less than Perfect" line run about $9 each, while "Hand Picked" books go for about $28 each. You can even rent books for 25% of their listed prices for home staging, or impressing visiting parents/ your bookish-but-hot Friday night date.

For pricing information and to order, go to Bookdecor.com