The best ways to display vinyl around your home to enhance your decor

Knowing a few stylish ways to display vinyl is an easy way to add personality to your home. No two record collections are the same, and nothing is more personal than the music you've curated over the years. Not only does vinyl sound great, but record album covers are much like pieces of artwork, which makes them the ideal home-furnishing accessory. 

A single album-cover artwork can inspire a whole room scheme or simply add character to a small corner of your living space, for example. Choosing the best album covers to display at home is also a sure-fire way to stamp your personality on your interior.  

Be it as a gallery wall, on floating shelves, on picture ledges, or in a dedicated vinyl storage unit, there are a number of ways to showcase your record collection at home. If you're looking to grow your vinyl library and have invested in one of the best records players, then adding this decor touch is the logical next step. In our eyes, anyway.  

Best ways to display vinyl around your home 

1. Use slim picture ledges to display vinyl on walls

The easiest way to show off your collection is to display vinyl on walls. Fitting slim picture ledges to the wall not only works well for picture frames and books, but it can work well for records, too. 

'The corner of this living room was an awkward corner to style as it’s not very wide,' explains stylist Lisa Dawson 'I used some slim picture ledges to fill the width and made a feature of the vinyl. The record player now sits beneath it.' 

What's particularly good about using slim picture ledges is that it not only showcases the album cover artwork but it makes the records easy to access - exactly what you want from vinyl storage. You can also change which covers you choose to display week by week so you never get bored of the scheme. 

2. Mount an album cover on the wall 

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Blondie's Parallel Lines and The Clash's London Calling are just a few eye-catching album covers that are iconic pieces of artwork in their own right. Rather than hidden away collecting dust, their front covers deserve to be displayed as much as the albums deserve to be played.

Then there's the more obscure LP album covers that - if showcased effectively around your home - will provide an intriguing talking point whenever you have guests. It's not just the artwork that can look stylish on display on your gallery wall either - colored vinyl can look great mounted on the wall, as can the limited-edition poster artwork that sometimes comes inside the LP sleeve as part of the package. 

Shown here is Katy J Pearson's Return album cover displayed on the wall. It not only adds character to the wall, but it defines the record playing corner. Mounting a single album cover on the wall works particularly well in compact spaces to highlight the area.  

3. Curate a gallery wall of album covers

Got a plain white wall in need of some love? Record shelves are ideal for mounting your album covers on the wall. LabendHome on Etsy is just one of the online companies that sell record shelves that are soberly finished in natural pine wood - as pictured above. Measuring 13.75 inches in height by 2.75 in width, they come with wall mounts to easily install them. Amazon also has a good range of record shelf options. 

You can fit them in a straight line for a harmonious feel, or mix it up and mount them at various heights. The great thing about using these record shelves is that it makes your vinyl easily accessible should you want to play it. But once the records are placed inside the shelf grooves they are suitably secure. They work equally well alone on an individual shelf too - as pictured below. 

4. Display your records on an open Ikea Kallax shelf

We love an IKEA vinyl storage hack as much as the next person, especially when it can be used as a display, too. If you've been watching the incredible 50-year-old footage of The Beatles recording songs at Abbey Road in Get Back on Disney+ and seen the hard work that goes into creating a record. you'll agree how magical owning a physical LP can be. You'll also want to take care of your vinyl to ensure it has the best storage it deserves and lasts longer.  

It's a good idea to keep your vinyl library close to hand - as opposed to packing it away and making it hard to access. This Kallax shelving unit from Ikea does a particularly good job at making your records easily accessible and neatly displayed. Ideal for compact spaces, the unit's dimensions are just the right width and depth to hold a stash of records with ample space to breathe. 

Best vinyl subscription services for 2022 

If you want to grow your LP collection, a vinyl subscription service can be a great way to open you up to a variety of new music. Here are a few of our favorite services available now: 

1. Vinyl Me Please is an online record store, which also has a club you can join to get an exclusive record delivered to your door every month. It costs from $33 a month and you can choose by genre – from classics including Soul, Blues, and Jazz, to Essentials, which includes must-haves across genres and eras. Then there’s the Hip Hop category from old school to SoundCloud and also the Country classics category. You get a deluxe edition vinyl with listening notes too. The club is also flexible to your tastes as if you don’t like something you can change your track or swap for a different one.  

2. Victrola offers a vinyl subscription service that you can enjoy solo or give as a gift - from $49 a month. You need to choose your plan – either 3, 6, or a 12-month subscription – and also between either Platinum, Gold, or Silver subscription. You then need to choose between the 10 different genres – including classical, pop, hip-hop, and more. Based on your preferences, Victrola staff will then hand-select two titles to ship directly to your door.   

3. Vinyl Box has a subscription service whereby it sends you themed boxes with up to two or three surprise albums included inside. With each box, you’ll receive exclusive art cards and VinylBox sleeve notes. You can choose between a range of box types such as ‘Sunday Mornings’, ‘Back to the 80s’, ‘Rap Royalty’, ‘Journey to the Blues’, and more. Prices start from $42 for a box with two albums inside.    

What's the best way to clean vinyl records? 

The hissing and crackling sound you hear when playing vinyl indicates that your LP and/or needle need cleaning. ‘Clean your vinyl regularly,’ says Winston Eade at record player brand Lenco. ‘You’ll need to get your hands on a specific vinyl cleaning brush made from thin carbon fibers as it does a great job at getting the dirt and debris out of the groove of your vinyl.

‘You can also use a specific record cleaner fluid to use alongside the brush. If you notice no sign of improvement you may need to clean the needle too using a dedicated vinyl cleaning kit.’

Can vinyl be stored flat? 

It's important to keep your vinyl upright and not to pack it against other records too tightly. Vinyl records should never be stored flat or horizontally in a stack as this puts too much pressure on the records, which can lead to damage. 

Be careful not to lean your records awkwardly against each other either as the vinyl can warp over time. You can find ways to store your vinyl in our feature: These vinyl storage ideas will add character to your interior.