5 Tips how to organize your bookshelves

Last weekend I finally got round to organizing my bookcase. It was so packed with books that it looked cluttered, even though I had organized it on subject. On top of that I had a pile of books on the floor that started to annoy me. So I took the bold decision of emptying it out completely and editing my extensive book selection and choosing not to display all of them any longer. All of my literature is now in boxes, ready to store in the basement. My professional books that I still need for work are stored in my console, easy to reach. And my latest cookbooks, travel guides, and design books, together with my favourite literature are neatly organized and displayed in my bookcase.

When organizing, you have to stick with a few simple rules in order to make it look more accessible and uncluttered. One of the most common tips is to sort it by colour, but that doesn’t work for me because then I won’t be able to find my books anymore. I prefer to organize them on subject. But I did however implement 5 other design tips:

1. Organize your books in different ways: upright, piled, justified to the left, right or center.
2. Don’t just put in books but also objects like souvenirs, art, candles, vases, sculptures and photo frames. Style the accessories either on the shelf, or on a pile of books.
3. Try displaying a book like a photo to draw attention or better yet, to cover up something behind it you don’t like. Pick one with a nice cover or open it up to a page and use a plate standard to display.
4. Leave space between your books.
5. Use different shapes of objects. As you can see I added round and square accessories, as well as oval vases to diversify in shape and make it more interesting to look at.

Keeping it tidy and organized is yet another challenge but for now I’m happy with the way it is!

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