neatnikdc. And you can have shelves where you alternate chunks of black and white so it looks like stripes. If you didnt arrange your books the way you do arrange them, what sort of arrangement would you choose? This could be a lot of fun to see what books are shelved by one another while also really allowing you to think about how a book makes you feel before you put it in its new home. Organize the books according to categories starting from the upper shelves. Weird-shaped books can be annoying, as they dont sit nicely on a bookshelf. 'You can also grow your book collection by searching for antique or vintage books. Turns out, all it took to change things around was $20, some expert opinions, and one Sunday afternoon spent rearranging things. You can easily find a series of books on the same subject. For people who are very familiar with whats on their shelf, this option can be more intuitive than alphabetizing. When you browse World War II books by their subject groupings, those which share the same groupings are arranged alphabetically. Were all familiar with Penguin Books with the orange trim or, in other collections, a similar black trim. Remove all clothing, hair accessories, or other random items that dont belong, Moore says, suggesting to move on to books next (well get to that). The fact of the matter is, however it is you choose to organize your bookshelves, it has to be a system that works for you and one that will not only help you find the books youre looking for, but also fit the space you have available. Place everything in a single basket next to your desk. Just remember not to stack them too high or youll have a heck of a time getting to the books on the bottom. BA1 1UA. This is actually a con for most of the options Ive found to organize bookshelves with a lot of booksyou can spend hours getting them just how you want them, but as soon as you have a new handful to add, you have to shift and move a ton more books. The horizontal books can be used as platforms to highlight accessories (layers, people!). I didnt want it to look like a hotel or a room stilted for an Instagram photo, and I also didnt want to purchase any other knick-knacks. What do you think? By Elena Nicolaou Mar 3, 2021 Save Article (Image credit: Rosie Hilder) While some, such as Hester, believe books should be stood up rather than stacked in piles, "because you can easily take the book of your choice without having to move other books", others believe that stacks of books do have a place in a stylish home. Highlight the books you love by using a bookstand. Tackle those hard-to-reach spots with a powerful cleaner and a good cloth. Simon & Schuster. Below, find tips sourced from interior designers and professional organizers that'll help you make your library, reading nook, or DIY bookshelf both beautiful and functional. These rows and rows of books wedged together can be tiring to the eye. Try flipping 3-4 books horizontally and place a small accessory on top, Stix suggested. It is a good idea to have a visual break from the books by displaying ornaments here and there. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Most public libraries organize their books alphabetically by author when shelving fiction, as do bookstores that dont categorize by genre (and certainly, you can combine the methodssee below!). Thank you for signing up to Realhomes. But if you plan on procuring more books, youll need to leave space on your shelves for it. But to create a sense of visual balance, consider separating your hardcover and paperbacks. Thank you for signing up! See How could I switch things around so the space was more functional, prettier, and easier to manage? Classic divisions might be: Non-fiction, fiction, anthologies, cookbooks. It is perhaps the book lovers most difficult conundrum: how does one organize your bookshelves and all of those wonderful stacks of books that youve hoarded over the years? Collectibles and books on the same shelf don't look good. By color? This is where organizing by genre, category, or mood can be super fun, as well as super specific. 'Unless a person owns hundreds of books, its rare to see a numbering system in use in a home,' says Murray. #bookstagram #rainbowshelves #bookish #booksharks #bookstagram #avidreader #whattoreadnext #bookstagrammer #shelfie #happysaturday #whattoreadnext #bookshelves #booksbooksbooks #bookhoarder #booklover, A post shared by Monique (@monique_reads) on May 23, 2020 at 3:45pm PDT. Maybe all of your books that make you cry are together, while those that make you swoon settle in with one another. There was a long period of time when being frustrated by a design element in my house meant I would start from scratchbuy all new furniture that I couldnt afford or spend time hunting for meaningless knickknacks and decor. But in the alternating method, some books are on their spines while others are shelved the wide way, with the back cover against the shelf or books below it. That way, you can always restore them back to their best look. I really wanted to go over my step by step. 6. * * *. Organize your books and choose what you want to display. If the answer is no, then get rid of it! You don't have to organize your books at all. 'It will look more sophisticated with items facing straight out from the shelf. Organize books bysubcategories within each genre or subject matter etc. Use some of your heavier collectibles as book stops. Organizing your bookshelves like this can be great in small spaces or when you have a small collection of books, though it can be easily adapted for larger collections and spaces, too. At the end of the day, there's no right or wrong way to organize your books. Another option is to organize books by genre within those categories, too, so all of your middle grade fantasy are together, while all of your adult romances are together. Decide on an organization style and then add framed images, knickknacks, and mementos from your travel to keep the shelf visually interesting. A big benefit of this system is also one of its drawbacks: you have room to grow as you're organizing, since you'll start with A authors and end with Z. It might be tempting to angle your decorative items toward the center of the roombut it might be worth keeping everything straight instead. So now that we have gone through how to purge your book collection and bookshelves, lets talk about organizing. 'Store taller books to the left and shorter books to the right to create space above the shorter books. Will your books be shelved by hue of color, such that deep reads are together, lighter reds are together, darker pinks are together, and so forth? * * Free ebook available to NEW subscribers only. Now is the time to color coordinate the books. Perhaps you want to mix and match how to organize your bookshelves. How I Organize My Bookshelves Office Bookshelves My office has floor to ceiling built-in bookshelves that we had put in by our neighbor/carpenter. Her work has been published in Travel+ Leisure, Tatler Asia, Forbes, Robb Report Singapore, and various other international publications. I knew that I would need to add things to the shelves that werent photos or books, but part of me worried that anything I tried would look too stilted or coldlike a hotel room instead of a lived-in space. I nerd out over books, I'm constantly dreaming of ways we can all live the literary life we want, and my obsession is watching people discover how books can change their lives! (And do it all on a budget!) Odds are good that you know the colors of all of your books (when youve held it and photographed it andoh yeah, read it enough times, you tend to remember these things) so with this system, its still relatively easy to find what youre looking for. Display fragile things on higher shelves. If you havent read it in over two to three years, chances are youre not going to. You can arrange your books by whatever genres you have, such as: If youre an uber-nerd (Hi! It can be hard to continue shifting and shelving new books as they come in. You can only add items connected with books, like bookmarks. I have a lot of books. Once you know how many books you own and youve started to think about which ones you want to keep, the next step is sorting your books. Got a tip, kitchen tour, or other story our readers should see? This is what I use, and I like it because I always know exactly where all of my books are. Like any good millennial, I love using house plants as decor. Add visual interest to your shelves by adding items that will be focal points at imaginary meeting points of the thirds. The 12 Most Anticipated YA Books to Read in March; Quizzes . "Baskets of all shapes, sizes, and textures can be used on bookshelves to take up space and provide texture and interest," she says. and alphabetize by title. Organizing your books by how much you like them will likely result in one of two things (or both): you'll either always have your favorite books at your fingertips or you'll be reorganizing. and alphabetize by title. Make undulating waves of books arranged by height according to a pattern. The Library System Method This means alphabetizing by the author's last name, followed by alphabetizing each title of that author's. Okay, full disclosure: I totally used to organize my books this way. As with any organizational method, there are pros and cons to this choice. 'You can use the stacks as bookends or even style the top with a picture frame or Tchotchke. She places travel books about a specific place next to items from that place. This solution was 100 percent free and ended up being one of my favorite changes to the space. Sign up for our Book Deals newsletter and get up to 80% off books you actually want to read. Friends, family, or strangers who want to find something in your bookshelves will know how to do it. She recommends placing any travel souvenirs together for reminders of trips.Michiel Perry of Black Southern Belle takes it a step further. Vertical shelving is what were all used to but its not the most practical when youre trying to make use of every inch of shelf space. 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