Looking over the houses we have featured recently, there is one detail that so many have in common. Color, yes, but more specifically, color used on built-in bookcases and shelving – turning them into vibrant feature walls that give rooms personality and depth.

While we have seen plenty of color drenching over walls, it's proving an impactful way to transform a bookshelf into something a little more special. These corners are chances to channel our creativity and get adventurous with bold, inspiring colors that become the perfect backdrop to collections and decor. From rooms wrapped in color to alcoves fitted with bold shelving, this is how designers are using this bookshelf trend.

For rooms with walls drenched in moody tones, colorful shelving provides a vibrant contrast. In the room pictured above, Tamsin Saunders, founder of Home & Found, used a bold red to bring a playful edge to the scheme. 'The house needed color,' Tamsin explains. 'All the walls and all the furniture were shades of gray, and it was feeling very sad and unloved. Color is such an important part of a home – it is the biggest determinant in how a room feels.'

'This small study, on the north side of the house, was white and empty save for a large eighteenth-century mahogany linen press which dominated the room,' she continues. 'I wanted it to feel snug and cozy – the kind of room you would want to hunker down in. I painted the walls a soft plum to absorb the weight and solidity of the armoire and the bespoke joinery (shelves and desk) red to blend with and in response to that.'

While each color works hard to bring comfort and coziness, the shelving brings a real enticement to the space. Paired with the moody plum walls and mustard fireplace, it's the perfect balance of characterful and fresh.

Color-drenched shelving isn't just a way to create a section or 'pop' of color; it's an opportunity to transform a blank wall into a vibrant statement that anchors the room.

This pink and green built-in bookcase becomes the focus of the living room. 'The client is an author, so she wanted to create a dedicated space to house all her books alongside a spot for her piano,' explains Jo Beresford and Anna Butler, founders of Beresford Butler. 'We started by showing her a beautiful Designers Guild fabric to cover the piano stool, and the color palette started from there. Rather than painting the entire room green, we wanted the interior inserts of the shelving to be painted in Farrow & Ball's to beautifully frame and show off her collection of books and artifacts.'

'A bold, colorful bookshelf is a brilliant way to use color when you want to add impact and personality but feel slightly nervous about committing to a full room,' Jo and Anna say. 'It also looks really smart and can elevate some quite simple, inexpensive shelving. Highlighting architectural features can be just as impactful; we love introducing two contrasting colors if possible because it creates wonderful depth.'

While color-drenching is impactful, it can also create balance. In this library, the deep green shelves feel harmonious, rather than overwhelming. 'In this room, because the walls are lined with bookcases, the dose of color isn’t small, but it is effective,' explains Elizabeth Macfarlane, co-founder of Macfarlane Van Der Huel. 'It delivers real impact – instant mood. At the same time, counter-intuitively, color drenching the bookcases has a calming effect in this room.'

'Books are wonderfully colorful, but en masse against white shelving, their spines can feel busy – colors, images and typefaces competing for attention,' Elizabeth says. 'The green here creates visual balance, a place for the eye to rest and makes the collection feel composed rather than cluttered.'

'We wanted to create a room in the spirit of a traditional gentleman’s library and began with a desk with a lovely green tooled leather top. The particular shade of olive we chose for the joinery is from COAT paints. It’s called East for Trees and has just the right nostalgic masculine feel – evoking the green baize of card and billiards tables and the green of cloth-bound books.'

'Color drenching the joinery here does more than add color; it draws attention to the decorative detail,' Elizabeth adds. 'The paneled cupboards, the cornice, the library lights and the papered ceiling. It also draws attention to a very personal collection of books and objects. The result is a room not only with color, but architectural presence and personality.'

Bold bookcases aren't just about introducing color into your scheme; they are a way to create a visual statement and change the mood of a room. 'Be brave and bold,' advises Tamsin. 'Don't wimp out with painting only tiny sections of ‘color' – think of the whole room as your canvas – gentle tonal shifts even in stronger colors will look a lot softer and gentler than big jumps from one color to another.'

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