Guest Post By Ashley Cottrell
Ashley is a freelance writer and content marketing coordinator for Siege Media. Throughout her writing career, she's covered a variety of topics and industries, including lifestyle, health, travel, and personal finance. When not working, you'll find her jogging on the beach or trying a new vegetarian recipe.
Lining up your books on the shelf isn't the only way to organize them. Whether you’re an avid reader or simply enjoy collecting books, you can transform any room using book decor. Incorporating books in your interior design is a great way to show off your personality and to put old (as well as unused) ones to good use! Using ideas on decorating with books from 1stDibs, here are some tips that will inspire your book-decorating endeavor.
Refresh Old Books
Rare and vintage books add a sense of history to the atmosphere. They do, however, require proper care and ventilation to help preserve them. Instead of tucking old books in an old storage box or closet, here are a few ideas for decorating with them.
Bind together a set of books. Tie your Stephen King series or favorite trilogies, loosely, with twine rope. This will create an instant rustic-style design piece for a table or shelf.
Remove the dust jackets. Consider ditching the dust jackets on your books if they look outdated. Bare hardcovers can create a more timeless look.
Combine with sentimental objects. Do you have heirlooms, photographs, or family collectibles on a shelf? Pair them with old books for a personal vignette!
Declutter Using Shelves
Having the right bookcase or amount of shelves is an easy way to add books to your interior decor. Here are some tips on what to best select for your book collections.
Use cube shelves to organize. Arrange your cube shelves in a symmetrical way so that each section features a different color or genre of books.
Store classics in a display cabinet. If you’re going for a sophisticated look, a display cabinet can serve as a book storage for older editions.
Put up floating shelves. For a more contemporary look, floating shelves are clean and simple. This can be the perfect option if you have small children in the house that may try to climb bookcases or rip book pages while playing.
Consider a corner bookcase. If you have a small room or office with limited space, a nice corner bookcase can make all the difference.
No Shelves, No Problem
As mentioned earlier, maybe you have small kids or pets and would rather do without shelves. Books aren’t limited to bookcases! You can use tables, corners, and other forms of storage to place them. Consider laying books in various rooms of the house for your guests to discover. By showing off your love of literature, you’ll not only update your interior design, but also create a relaxing atmosphere for visitors to enjoy. Check out some of these creative ways to incorporate books around the home without shelves.
Add a book basket. Easily move a collection of books anywhere in the house inside a wire basket. This can slide beneath a desk, in a corner, or beside a couch!
Adorn your end tables. You can place a couple of books on each end table or nightstand in your bedroom and guest rooms.
Showcase an Object. Stack three to four books atop one another to make a platform for a prized trophy or sculpture.
Tips on Book Organization and Arrangement
You don’t want to overcrowd your bookcase by tossing every book and piles of miscellaneous items on it. Instead, you must be intentional when arranging them. Here are some extra tips to consider during the arrangement process.
Group by size. Place the larger, heavier books on the bottom shelves. This way, you can sort each shelf by height to make them more evenly spaced.
Color coordination. Go for the color scheme of the room or for different shelves for aesthetics. You can aim to create a rainbow pattern or assemble books of the same color hues on different shelves.
Diversify with other items. Intersperse your book-filled shelf or table by adding other types of display pieces. You can use plants, vases, bookends, picture frames, small sculptures, and more. Get creative! A good rule of thumb is to leave some open space here and there to prevent the shelves from becoming too cluttered.
Check out this infographic below for inspiration on how to decorate and organize books in your home:
Happy Book Organizing!
Ashley + The Organizing Company Team
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March 30th, 2021
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