4 Inventive Ways to Display Your Favorite Books
By Guest Blogger Lizzie Weakley
Great books deserve to be on display. Whether you own twenty books or a hundred, try these tips to make your collection really shine.
Sort Your Books by Color
One quick way to revolutionize your bookshelf is to re-sort your books by color. Sure, alphabetical is easier to work with, but it’s only necessary if you work in a library.
Start by grouping your books based on their color schemes. Then, decide if you want to arrange your books in a rainbow. You could also alternate colors on each shelf to create bold visual stripes. Try using black or gray books as section dividers, and don’t forget to pay attention to the color of the text on the spine.
Find Unique Shelving Methods
The shelves that you use have a huge impact on your book display. Ordinary bookshelves are useful, but they aren’t always visually fun. Look for shelving ideas that are unique, elegant, and interesting.
Try using floating shelf brackets to make it look like your books are hovering in the air. To get the greatest impact, place the shelf below a light source; the shadow underneath your book will make them pop out from the wall.
Face Your Books a Different Way
The traditional way to store books is to line them up spines-out. This protects the interior pages and lets you quickly tell which book is which.
There’s nothing wrong with this method, but you can spruce things up a little by selectively rotating your favorite titles. Stack some of your books horizontally instead of vertically. Find books with great covers, and face these ones outward. If you create an artful mix of vertical, horizontal, and outward-facing books, your bookshelf will be significantly more visually interesting.
Add Decorative Items to Your Bookshelf
By now, your book collection should look like it came out of a magazine. Add the finishing touch by selecting a few decorative items to mix in with your book collection. Try statues, vases, figurines, or even clever bookends. Look for items that go with the colors in your room, or choose something that complements the cover of your favorite book.
Mix up where your decorative items are placed on each shelf. On one shelf, place an item at the end; on another shelf, put the item in the middle. Rearrange your display until it looks picture-perfect.
As you’re crafting a book display, remember that your favorite titles should be the center of attention. The books that you’ve read say a lot about you; create a display that shows off your personality.
