The Art of Organizing an Open-Face Bookshelf

I know this is the tutorial that no one really asked for, but I’m hoping it will turn into one you never knew you wanted! One of the biggest challenges I run into when decorating a room is making sure that it doesn’t look or feel cluttered. To avoid this, it’s important to make sure even the smallest details are thought of. I love books, as both a source of knowledge + creativity and as a decorative element. However, they can be one of the hardest things to store without your library exploding off the shelves and making your space seemed crowded. Keep reading for my tips on how to tackle organizing an open-face bookshelf – taking it from hot mess to a beautiful decorative piece in your home/apartment/room!

• 

• 

Group into Categories

A great place to start is by laying out all of the books you need to store in front of you. What types of books do you have? Can you identify similarities between them? Put all of your cookbooks in one pile, your novels in another, your non-fiction in another, and so on. Once you have your different piles you can begin sorting using other filters (color, height, thickness, etc.) to help you decide how to order them on the shelf. Here’s a look at the categories I identified in my collection…

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Now, the shelf I’m working with is unique because it has multiple cubbies to separate out different categories. You might be working with a single level/long shelf, or a skinny corner shelf. No matter the size/layout, this process will work the same!

Organize by Height

While I’m all for the rainbow bookshelf trend and other fun methods of sorting, one of the easiest ways to make your books look nice on the shelf is to organize by height. Within each category/cubicle, I ordered my books from tallest to shortest and “left justified” them against the shelf wall. This makes them look cleaner and allows your eyes to move easily across the titles from left to right.

• 

• 

Bookend with Decor

With my shelf design, there were several open spaces left in each cubby. To keep the books from falling over and to add a bit more personal flair, I filled the gaps with candles, pencil cups, and other relevant pieces of decor. As you can see below, a pretty purple candle fit nicely next to my fashion and beauty books, and a collectible Hartford Yard Goats hat and Celtics shot glass worked perfectly on the sports and entertainment shelf. It’s little details like this that make the bookshelf more of a statement piece in the room rather than a regular old library.

• 

• 

• 

Think Big Picture

Last, but not least, take a step back and look at the shelf as a whole. Does anything look out of place? Do you like the groupings and arrangement of the books? Fix what you don’t love and make any necessary adjustments. Most people will be looking at it this way (from afar), so the big picture should be just as satisfying as the details

• 

• 

It may be a colorful jumble, but I love my little library. I often go over and pull out cookbooks to help me meal plan, or flip through my kate spade Things We Love coffee table book for inspiration. Keeping the shelf clean and organized makes me happy, and I love that it plays a big role in my living room decor.

If I’ve inspired you to rearrange your current bookshelf situation during spring cleaning or even to create a new library, I’d love to see pictures! Send them to me via DM on Instagram.