A bookshelf is considered to be a prime treasure for any bibliophile that speaks tonnes about their personality, intellectual learnings, and ideals which few may be privy to. Gone are those days when you used to arrange books in cupboards or vintage pieces. With an amalgamation of true modernism and décor, you now need to learn how to decorate bookshelf according to Gen Z. You might not adhere to a class-conscious standard right now but a bookshelf for any book lover is considered to be their holy shrine. Almost every household nowadays has a small treasured library whereas a lot of people are still struggling to find ideas for bookshelves and end up leaving their books all around their room.
Based on your home’s flow and style or your unique knack, you can easily give your existing bookshelf a complete makeover or build yourself a new one as well. From free standing book-trees to book seat storage there’s no limit to the wonderful ways of storing and organising your books. So, therefore read on to find out more about top décor ideas and how you can arrange and maintain your books.
Top 5 Bookshelf Decoration Ideas To Give It A Stylish Makeover
There’s nothing more stylish than a great bookshelf moment! Go ahead and try these décor inspirations below featuring unique book storage solutions for your home.
1. The Concept Of Book Stairs
The concept of book stairs comes from the fact that most people don’t know what to do with the space available below their stairs. If you’re one among them who have a huge stairway right in their living room making its way up to your second floor then this trick is for you. Either make a custom bookshelf with the help of your carpenter below the stairway or build a similar book stair as shown in this picture below. In this way, you can make use of the space that already exists in your home and be more organised or you can bring in an all total new perspective by making a 2D wooden stairway fixed to your living room wall to keep your favourite books.
2. Book-Trees!
Instead of splurging your money on a high-end bookshelf or negotiating with your carpenter, go simply stacked! Pick a wall that you think will be suitable to serve as a reading nook and stack your books as a pile against the wall. This is one of the best bookshelf ideas for small rooms. In case you choose your bedroom, make sure you stack the pile of books close to your bed and this can also serve as a makeshift bedside table. This bookshelf decor idea is considered to be by far the trendiest of all according to House Beautiful. Another trick you can possibly adopt is if your bedside table is open then stack your books underneath to produce a simple low-ground vibe.
3. The English-Style Bookshelf
Now that Kareena Kapoor Khan is on Instagram, the bookshelf that serves as a background in some of her selfies is actually an inspiration from the English-style shelves. In case your room doesn’t receive a lot of light, you can make it cosy by adopting this classy décor ambience. Keep your books upright or you can even play with their positioning by stacking them in alternate layers. Keep one pile lying horizontally and the other vertically. You can even decorate them by facing the page-side outward.
4. Varying Heights
This is one of the most popular bookshelf décor ideas where you can play with the vertical length. In case your study table has three or four rows placed in different heights, use your indoor plant, showpieces and books on various levels to stop your bookshelf from looking too monotonous. Remember that you can always saturate with vibrant colours but don’t overdo the décor to make it look less effortless and sloppy.
5. Accent Bookshelf
Do you have an extra wall with extra books and nowhere to keep them? Build a thin floating shelf and stack them beautifully on top of or against each other. Accent bookshelves act as one of the best living room bookshelf ideas and this is the way to go if you want modern layouts on your wall. There are other ways of utilising your existing walls at home, for instance, you can frame a bookshelf around a connecting door between your bedroom and living space as well.Â
How To Organise & Arrange Your Bookshelf Smartly?
Organising a bookshelf can be really tricky if you have a major OCD about the way your books must look. The 5 tips listed below will give you a much clearer idea of how to arrange bookshelf.
1. Declutter Before You Arrange
The first step towards arranging and organising your bookshelf would be to declutter. With time and age, you adopt a lot of new learning styles and ideas which will definitely affect the taste of your books. If you loved reading Chetan Bhagat at the age of 15, it might be highly possible now at the age of 21 you are moving towards the classics of Jane Austen. So decide clearly on which books you want to keep and which you want to get rid of. This will help in maintaining uniformity and aid you in getting rid of the unnecessary.
2. Separate The Hardcovers From Paperbacks
Divide your paperbacks and hardcovers and arrange them on your shelf accordingly. If you’re a visual person then this is for you. For a cleaner and streamlined look on your shelf, make sure you keep the paperbacks together and the hardcovers on the middle or top-shelf. If you’re a massive book-lover and have innumerable paperbacks and hardcovers, then arrange them in alternate rows. For instance, if one row houses hardcovers, the other can contain your paperbacks.
3. Arrange Books By Colour Or Genre
If you’re into the idea of statement bookshelves then learn how to organise bookshelf according to the colour. You can get super creative with this and try to create a rainbow look or even an ombre. Just like sometimes you colour-coordinate your wardrobe, do it with your bookshelf too and see the results yourself. Another trick is by arranging books according to the genre. Group all your memoirs together or stack all your mysteries in one place. Organising books according to its genre makes it easier for you to pick a book as per your mood whenever you feel like. You’ll be knowing exactly what to look out for when you want a little romance or want to satisfy your curiosity about crime thrillers.
4. Organise Your Books In An Alphabetical Manner
In case your house is a mini library and you remember books and author names more than any genres or plotlines, then this arrangement will satisfy you the most. It’s ideal if you have a huge collection of books and the next time your friend comes home and borrows a book, you’ll exactly know where to find it. Apart from the alphabetical manner, you can also try sorting your books according to how they made you feel. If you tend to have strong emotional responses towards books, then this is an awesome way to categorise and distinguish what you’ve read.Â
5. Arrange By Height & Size
For an unclean and uncluttered feel, the goal here is to create straight even lines by using the height of the books to your advantage. Keep in mind that no staggered mountaintop rows or stacking of books is allowed. Arrange them by height and size or you can even separate them by author, contemporary or classic ones.
With all these above ideas for bookshelves and tricks up your sleeves on arranging and organising books, don’t forget to give it a complete makeover and tag us with your pictures of bookshelves on Instagram!