How to Arrange Items in a Bookcase Attractively

A bookcase can be a dominant design feature in a room and is often the first item of furniture that people inspect upon entering. It is thus important that the bookcases in your house are attractively arranged and presented.

Arrange by Size

• However you decide to subsequently arrange your books, it is critical that books are organized by height. Otherwise they will look uneven and messy. Paperbacks should go next to paperbacks, large artistic or photographic books with other large photographic books and so on. This will provide a sense of order to the bookcase and also make the books easier to find, remove and replace.

Arrange by Color

• Although librarians might find this sacrilegious, organizing books by the color of the spines can make for a very striking visual effect. The spine colors should not clash with each other; try to make soft progressions from yellows to reds or greens to blues. Alternatively you can make clean breaks from a color to blocks of whites or blacks.

Arrange by Publisher or Series

• Most publishers these days go to a lot of effort to make their books look attractive, and you will find that placing all the books from a single publisher together will often have a striking visual impact. Most book series are also printed in a common style whereby each book is designed to be placed next to each other in order. Sometimes these designs go together to form a single picture or design. This is a very easy and cheap way of introducing a new artistic work into your room.

Bookends

• If your books don't completely fill up your shelves, you can bookend them to keep them upright and fill unused space. Bookends come in many different shapes, sizes and styles; choose a pair that fits in with your decor.