Bookshelves are functional furniture designed to organise and store books and other reading materials. Furthermore, shelves can accommodate other decorative pieces like miniature sculptures and potted plants. Nonetheless, it’s essential to style your bookshelf to make the most of it.
Here are some tips for organising your bookshelf.
Sort your books by category
Developing a placement system before stacking your books on the shelves is important. You can group them by category: fiction, non-fiction, and biographies. Furthermore, you group the books by authors. A clear organisation system will make it easier to find books while creating a visually appealing arrangement.
Display your favourite books
Place your favourite books in a prominent location on your bookshelf. This will make it easier to find them and add a personal touch to your shelf. Furthermore, books can be a great conversation starter.
Mix up the orientation
Instead of lining up all your books uniformly, you can mix up the orientation. You can stack some books horizontally and place others vertically at an adjacent position. Alternating the orientation of the books creates an attractive visual appeal and adds style to the arrangement.
Add bookends
Bookends are an excellent way to break up a row of books and add visual interest. Furthermore, they can serve as decorative pieces. Most bookends are made from wood, metal or plastic. Moreover, they come in several styles ranging from traditional to modern. Nonetheless, they add an extra touch to your bookshelf design.
Add decorative objects
Books aren’t the only things that can go up on your bookshelf. You can add decorative objects, such as sculptures, vases, potted plants or framed photos to break up the visual monotony. Furthermore, decorative pieces add some personality to your shelves.
Use baskets or boxes
If you have many small items you want to keep on your bookshelf, consider using baskets or boxes to corral them. Putting stationery, knick-knacks, or other small items in boxes will keep your shelves neat and organised.
Play with colour
A bold attempt that you could make is organising your books by colour. The result will create a visually stunning display, especially if you have a lot of books in the same colour family. You can also use the different colours to create a visual mosaic.
Add lighting
Adding sectional lighting to your shelf can draw attention and enhance the visual appeal. Small table lamps, battery-operated LED lights, and string lights are good lighting options that can create a warm and inviting look.
Create a theme
Consider creating a themed display if you own an extensive collection of books on a specific topic or genre. You can dedicate an entire shelf to your favourite travel books or a collection of cookbooks arranged by cuisine. This is a definite conversation starter.
Change things often
Switch up your bookshelf display every so often and keep things fresh. This will prevent your shelves from becoming stagnant. You can change the placement of books or decorative items; it’s all up to you.
Mix up the height
Place all your books at different heights; try to mix things up. Alternating the height of each book creates a dynamic and exciting display.
Leave some breathing room
Don’t overcrowd your bookshelf. Leave some breathing room between books and objects to create a sense of balance and prevent your shelves from looking cluttered.
All in all, bookshelves are versatile pieces of furniture. Therefore, feel free to get creative with organising them.
Also read: Wondering Where To Store Your Photo Books? Start Here
