Are decorative books from sets actually blank inside?

Often, yes. Some are filled with placeholder text or copyright-free public-domain text (so they look like real books if cracked open). The high-end aesthetic sets are almost always blank, the publisher saves on printing and passes the savings to cover quality.

Can I make my own decorative books from old hardcovers?

Yes, and it's a great budget hack. Buy used hardcovers in the colors you want, peel off the dust jackets, and the cloth-bound covers underneath are usually beautiful. Some people paint or recover with linen for total control.

How many decorative books do I need per shelf?

Most styled shelves use 5-12 books total per shelf, mixed with 1-3 decorative objects. Less can look stark; more starts to look cluttered.

Do designers actually use decorative book sets?

Professional stagers absolutely use them, they're standard in real-estate staging for a clean, neutral look that doesn't reflect any specific household's personality. Interior designers working in real lived-in homes tend to mix aesthetic-only with the client's actual books.

What's the single biggest decorative-book mistake?

Too-uniform sets in too-bright colors. A shelf of 24 identically-sized hot pink decorative books reads as a costume, not a home. Vary spine widths, vary heights slightly, stay in muted tones.

Decorative Books: Aesthetic vs. Functional, How to Choose