How do you Organise your Books?

I have a bit of a thing for interior decorating. I’m not that good at it, but I’ll happily spend hours reading magazines and scanning Pinterest, wishing I had the skill (and money) to create something impressive in my own house. And being an avid reader, my interest in decor dovetails neatly into the storage and display of books.

There was never any doubt that book storage would figure highly in my home. I grew up in a house full of books. They filled the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, crowded at the bottom of the stairs, and the top. In my bedroom, I had a special cupboard just for all my books. And while I don’t get sniffy visiting houses where I can’t see any books, I do feel like there’s something missing.

My first bookcase when I moved out was the reliable-but-wobbly Ikea “Billy”. I eventually replaced it with a much sturdier, almost-too-big-to-get-through-the-door bookcase that I still have today.

Eventually, I’d love to have wall to wall, floor to ceiling fitted shelves in at least one room, but this bookcase is pleasing and deep enough to stash them in double lines should I ever need to (and of course I do). My one effort towards doing something designer-y with them is to arrange them by colour.

One of the fun things about books is the variety of ways you can arrange them. You can be as obvious or subtle as you like. You can organise them alphabetically, by genre, by size, by year of publication or even the year when you bought them!

And this is where I get nosy. You’ve seen my shelves, now show me yours! I’d love to know how you organise your own books. Leave a comment or even post a picture!

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