There are a lot of creative, even exciting ways to organize books. Books are an interesting category of items in home décor and organizing because an individual’s relationship to books is so personal. Some people like books out of sight completely or at least in a private part of the house since the books we own give so much information about us. For the majority of bibliophiles like me, books are front and center and need to be thoughtfully presented. Here are some practical and some aspirational ideas.
Organize by Genre: If you have a lot of books, the best way to organize them is to follow the lead of book stores and libraries and organize by genre. Group all of the fiction together, all of the travel, all of the biographies, all of the self-help, and so on. You could then organize alphabetically within each category, but that’s a level of order that is tough to maintain and usually not worth the trouble.
Organize by Color: I love how books organized by color look on pristine white shelves, but it really only works if you have a lot of books with colorful spines. A rainbow library is more of a décor element in a home than a practical way to find a book.
One book in, one book out: Every time you bring a new book into the home, consider getting rid of an old one. Every decade of life comes with changes in interests and hobbies. Lots of books that appealed at age 30 are no longer relevant at age 60. This is especially true for travel and hobby-related books. This year I realized I am never going to prune my own trees, so I finally parted with the book on pruning.
Find unusual spaces for bookshelves: An extra-wide hallway could be amazing with bookshelves down one side. Hallways bridge the private and public spaces: guests might see the books on the way to the bathroom, but otherwise it would be a somewhat private library. Another cool idea is to use space under a staircase to install bookshelves.
Use tables to stack books: a coffee table is the obvious choice, but an entry table in a foyer stacked with books could be more interesting. Stacking coffee table books on the floor can look great if you have beautiful books and wood or tile floors—this just looks messy with paperbacks or carpet.
Go horizontal: I love the look of designer Stephan Burks’ Horizon bookcase, which houses books on narrow, horizontal shelves that are white on the outside and various colors on the insides—picture every book laying on its side in a brightly colored “box” framed with white. It’s arresting and beautiful but I still prefer normal bookshelves with each book standing on end.
Dust jackets: Yes, you should remove a book’s dust jacket while you are reading the book to preserve it. I’ve even purchased mylar and covered some of my favorite or valuable books’ dust jackets. Maybe I have too much time on my hands.
Categories: If you find you have run out of shelves, consider moving a whole category to another space in the house. All Cookbooks could find a shelf or cupboard in the kitchen or all Spiritual Books could go into a cubby in the bedroom, for example. Cookbooks are often so bedraggled you might want them in a pantry or place they are less on view but still easily accessible.
Love and Literature: Merging libraries with a new partner would give me the heebie-jeebies. If I did cohabitate with a fellow bibliophile, I think I would insist on his and hers bookshelves. How many break-up movies have we seen where the couple’s books are so mixed up they can’t tease out whose is whose. Nightmare!!
Time to move: A library is most often thoroughly purged when we move from one home to another. Books are heavy and take up a lot of expensive moving boxes. I would encourage you not to wait for a move. Keep your library fresh and exciting. It should be a place you like to visit as you would a group of great friends.