7 Tips For Getting the Beautiful, Organized Bookshelf of Your Dreams

Updated on Aug 18, 2019 at 6:40 PM

Books are magical. Not only can they be portals to other worlds, they can also educate us, make us laugh, and put a smile on our face when nothing else can. We love nothing more than curling up on a comfy sofa and diving into our favorite new read.

But if you love to keep a large collection of books, you may be wondering what the best way to store and display them all is. Some people prefer only keeping the classics on show, some want them scattered in every spare corner around their house, and some want them all in one place. The good news is that there's no one right way to do it, but it can be overwhelming with so many options. We personally love the Instagram trend of arranging your books by color. It looks so beautiful and neat.

We know the age-old saying of "don't judge a book by its cover," and normally we would always agree, but in this case, it's kind of important that we throw that rule out the window, because, well, the covers matter. To learn exactly how to get your dream rainbow book shelf, keep reading.

Organize the Books Before They Go on the Shelf

To save time and your arms, organize your books into colored piles before putting them on your shelves or around your house. That way you can clearly see what you have and what the books look liked stacked together before you put them in their final place.

Take Off the Dust Jackets

One of the simplest tricks is to take off all your books' dust jackets. Some of the most beautiful spines are hidden under garish paper covers. When you remove the jackets, you'll find that most spines are also self-colored, which works perfectly for your color-coded theme.

It’s All About the Spines

The best way to organize your books is by spine. Your book spines will be the only thing that's on show, so you want to be on the lookout for beautiful spines with bold colors that you can highlight.

Put Hues of the Same Color Together For a Chic Look

It can be hard to find exactly the same shades of each color for multiple books, so you have to give yourself a little bit of wiggle room when it comes to matching. A good tip is to group different hues of the same color together. For example, put blue, turquoise, and duck egg shades together. It gives a really nice effect on shelves, too.

Decide on the Color Order

Work out what way you would like to organize your colors. Will you have a mix of light and dark shades all together? Or will you keep them all separate and go for an ombré effect like above?

Will You Go Horizontal or Vertical?

Choosing what way to display your books really depends on where you're putting them. If you have a small space like your bedside table, stack them vertically. But if you have a large bookshelf, try all horizontal or mixing it up, meaning some books can lay flat on top of each other while others can stand straight in a row.

Buy Books to Match Your Color Theme

If you find yourself with an abundance of blue, green, and white books, but feel you're lacking in red and yellow spines, head down to your local thrift store and purchase some cheap books with the colors you need. You can also try Etsy, where you can buy color-coded bundles already arranged for you.