Everywhere on bookstagram, blogs and in between, you will see beautiful photos of bookshelves. From colour coding, sorting alphabetically, or arranging them like a library, a nice bookshelf can be every bookworm's dream. Seriously though, how aesthetically pleasing. So today I'm going to talk a bit about my bookshelf, what I think works and what I wished I could do, as well as some organizational tips that have worked for me!
I do love the look of a colour-coded shelf. It looks like a beautiful bookish rainbow, and it draws the eye's attention. I've tried to do this with my shelf, however most of my book covers are dark, grey colours. (I like the heavy themes), so that wouldn't work. My bookshelf used to be a mess, there was no organization and books were piled on top of each other. So one day I decided to at least put them all in a neat sequence. Here's what it looks like now:
I had to get rid of a lot of books in order to make them all fit. I only have one shelf, and so fitting together books was sometimes like a jigsaw puzzle. I now organized it by favourite books, the ones I would be most likely to re-read at the top for easy access, and then the ones that I probably would be less inclined to pick up again at the bottom. Most thicker, hardcovers went at the bottom as well.
I also noticed that I didn't organize books in a series together before, and so I made sure that all books by the same author were put together. Finally, I put up different travel relics and nic-nacs that I have collected over the years, as well as some pictures. I think it just makes everything less bare.
I think my favourite part of my bookshelf, (besides the books) is this really neat jewellery tree that sits on top. It's so great to be able to see all of your jewellery, as well as it makes for less tangling. Plus, it just looks pretty whimsical :)
I did consider alphabetical organization, but I was way too lazy and it would take way too long. All I was really looking for in my bookshelf was just for everything to have a place. Right now, everything fits perfectly and there is little to no wiggle room for another book. That's why it's been a while since I've actually bought a physical copy. Plus, I get very overprotective over books and I am not willing to get rid of any more, so this will have to do for now.
I think that the main tip I would have for a bookshelf is to work with the space you have. If you're bookshelf isn't big enough, then you might want to consider doing a cleanse, OR if you can't bare the thought, perhaps moving books you're less inclined to re-read to storage boxes.
I would also highly recommend adding little elements to your shelves such as pictures. It just makes everything seem more cozy and fills the space. I think it looks really cute.
Lastly, do what makes you happy! Don't think that you must have a gorgeous rainbow shelf to be like all the others, if you don't think that it will work, don't do it, and vice versa. No two bookshelves are exactly the same, and if you're happy with it, then that's all that matters.
What are some of your bookshelf tips?
Emily @ Paperback Princess
