Written by Joseph Holevinski, Converge multimedia journalism intern and Senior at Gwinnett School of Math, Science & Technology (GSMST)
Whether you are a book lover or the occasional novel reader, you probably have a bookshelf in your home or office. Bookshelves can really elevate a space, and if done correctly, can add cohesion and an aesthetic to a room. Not all bookshelves are made the same and the same goes for books, but in a few easy steps you can really upgrade your bookkeeping game.
The first step is obviously organizing your books. It doesn’t really matter how many books you have; an organized set of books can be really aesthetically pleasing. You must first decide how you would like to organize your books. One option is grouping them based on the books’ data.
For example, books can be grouped in series if you have multiple books in the same series, by the authors name like it is done in libraries, or alphabetically. These methods are great if you have a lot of books, and you would like to have certain books be easily accessible. One downside to this method is that there might not be a cohesive theme or color palate to the books.
A second option is organization by observable characteristics. For example, books can be displayed in height or color order. Ordering height would give the books a nice sloping appearance but might have the same downside as the first option where the colors of the books aren’t matching. Organization by color creates the most cohesive and aesthetically appealing look despite it being less practical.
Alternatively, if you would like both the organization of the first option and the aesthetic of the second option, it can always be achieved by buying or making custom book sleeves. It is actually quite easy to do. Just cut the desired paper into rectangles that are the height of the book and the width is equal to three times the width of the book plus the width of the spine. Then the paper can just be wrapped around the book and the flaps folded inside the covers.
The second step in bookshelf updating is deciding how the books will sit on the shelf. Books can either stand up vertically, or if you want to add in some flare, add in some stacks of books on their sides with the spines facing outwards. An additional option would be to add in some objects to add to the aesthetic like plants, pictures or other decorative objects. All of these tips combined can make a stunning bookshelf that can really tie a room together.
