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18 Bookshelf Organization Ideas for Stylish Bookworms

By
Kristin Hohenadel
Kristin Hohenadel
Kristin Hohenadel
Kristin Hohenadel has written on design for publications including the New York Times, Interior Design, Slate, Fast Company, and the international editions of Elle Decor.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Published on 07/24/23
bookshelf organization ideas

Fantastic Frank

Whether your physical book collection occupies a single shelf or a wall of floor-to-ceiling built-ins in your home library, keeping your bookshelves in order is an ongoing process. A well styled bookshelf will add warmth without looking cluttered, enhancing the functionality and style of your living room, dining room, bedroom, home library, home office, or any other room in the house where your books currently live.

Check out these bookshelf organization ideas in a range of sizes and styles that will help you to keep your books visible and accessible.

  • 01 of 18

    Organize by Color

    bookshelf organization by color

    A Beautiful Mess

    A Beautiful Mess chose to organize books by color in this living room library that is shaped like a giant house for a bright collection of books. While this approach is always controversial, there's no arguing that it makes a bold purely visual statement.

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  • 02 of 18

    Keep Them Low

    low bookshelf organization

    Erin Williamson Design

    Erin Williamson Design chose low-to-the-ground shelving to store books in an accessible spot in this family-friendly home library equipped with seating for readers of all ages. For a full-sized bookcase, keep books for younger readers on lower shelves and the grown-ups' books on higher shelves.

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  • 03 of 18

    Go Old School

    home library bookshelf organization

    Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Styling by Hilary Robertson / Photo by Amy Neunsinger

    Leanne Ford Interiors packed the wrap-around bookshelves in this wood-paneled home library with books, adding stacks around the base to organize the overlap. A library ladder makes reaching the top shelves a breeze. The library is decorated with warm vintage leather armchairs and multiple seating arrangements to give it a cozy and inviting feel that makes the space usable for the whole family.

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  • 04 of 18

    Keep Covers Visible

    kids room bookshelf organization

    Sissy + Marley Interior Design / Photo by Marco Ricca Studio

    Sissy + Marley Interior Design displayed picture books in a child's room by arranging them cover-first in wall-mounted shelving to keep them visible and accessible. The covers add color and function like wall decor.

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  • 05 of 18

    Store Them Behind Glass

    glass-front bookshelf organization

    Kara Mann

    Interior designer Kara Mann added tall, freestanding glass-front shelving along the back wall of this home library that keeps books protected from dust while keeping them on display. The interior designer mixed in some household objects to fill out the shelves and to keep the top level of book cubbies feeling light and airy. Books are casually stored for an effortless feel.

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  • 06 of 18

    Stack Them on a Tower

    freestanding bookshelf organization

    Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Christy Q. Photo

    Cathie Hong Interiors created a minimalist home library in the corner of a sunny California living room by pairing a tall, sculptural, freestanding book tower with a stylish armchair in front of the windows that provides a dedicated place to read with a minimum of fuss. The books are stacked in alternating directions on the right and left side shelves of the tower so that spines are facing out, pages in.

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  • 07 of 18

    Use Leaning Shelves

    leaning bookshelf organization

    Laquita Tate Interior Styling & Designs

    Laquita Tate Interior Styling & Designs stocked a pair of narrow leaning bookshelves with a casual mix of books decorated with art, objects, plants, and family photos for an effortless and eclectic feel. Books are both stored vertically and stacked horizontally for a dynamic and not overly styled feel.

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  • 08 of 18

    Go High and Wide

    dining room bookshelf organization

    Design by Marie Flanigan Interiors / Photo by Julie Soefer

    This dramatic slanted dining room bookshelf wall from Marie Flanigan Interiors is packed with reading material from floor to ceiling. The colorful collection is stacked in alternating styles, from all vertical to a mix of vertical and horizontal, to break up the effect of so many stacked shelves and to keep the eye moving by creating a sense of dynamism.

    Tip

    When styling books on a shelf, display them in a mix of horizontal and vertical stacks for a more dynamic look. This trick works just as well for a small shelf containing an edited selection of titles as it does for a floor-to-ceiling bookcase stocked with a lifetime collection.

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  • 09 of 18

    Try L-Shaped Shelving

    bookshelf headboard organization

    Fantastic Frank

    Fantastic Frank added L-shaped shelving that serves as book storage, a place to display art, and a de facto headboard for the daybed in this bright room. Lower cubby-like shelves can be used for books in progress or the stack you bought but haven't finished readying. Top shelves can be used for coffee table books, with alternating horizontal and vertical stacks of the rest of your book collection on the long shelf above the daybed.

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  • 10 of 18

    Stack Them Horizontally

    living room bookshelf organization

    NEAT Method

    Coffee table books are sorted by color, stacked horizontally, and topped with decorative objects in low-slung bookshelves in this living room from NEAT Method.

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  • 11 of 18

    Show Some Spine

    under-stair bookshelves organization

    Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Reid Rolls

    This under-stair bookcase from Leanne Ford Interiors has custom-built shelving that is used here to house a collection of art books stacked horizontally with their colorful spines facing out. The cubby-style bookshelves also house a small home bar. Plus, cubbies really lend themselves well to organizing books by topic.

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  • 12 of 18

    Hang a Single Shelf

    floating bookshelf organization

    Emily Henderson Design / Photo By Kaitlin Green

    Emily Henderson Design added a long single open bookshelf above a long desktop workspace in this home office that keeps reference books organized in one place. On either end, a plant and a stack of wooden boxes act as bookends to keeps the shelf tidy and books in place.

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  • 13 of 18

    Take a Minimalist Approach

    minimalist bookshelf organization

    Sissy + Marley Interior Design / Photo by Marco Ricca Studio

    Sissy + Marley Interior Design styled the airy white floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in this minimalist NYC apartment with spare stacks of photography and art books in shades of black, white, and red.

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  • 14 of 18

    Stack According to Weight

    home office bookshelf organization

    A Beautiful Mess

    These home office bookshelves from A Beautiful Mess were made using Billy bookcases from IKEA. The shelves have storage bins at the bottom for hidden storage, another row of shelving for stacked magazines, followed by two rows stacked with books, a row of cubbies for decor objects, and two final rows of bookshelves at the top for lightweight paperbacks. Stacking books according to weight and size is practical from an accessibility standpoint, while helping to distribute visual weight for an airier and less cluttered look.

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  • 15 of 18

    Go Wide

    wall-mounted bookshelf organization

    Forbes + Masters

    Forbes + Masters hung a pair of long and linear wooden bookshelves on the side wall of the living room for a modern feel. The bookshelves aren't fully stacked, leaving room to add to the collection. In the meantime, the bottom shelf functions as a place to leave art books open for drive-by browsing.

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  • 16 of 18

    Double-Stack Books

    living room bookshelf organization

    Ryann Miller for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

    In this living room from Ryann Miller for Emily Henderson Design, wall-mounted shelves are filled with vertically stacked books that look neat and organized. Run-off books are stacked horizontally on top of existing vertical stacks, a perfectly acceptable strategy that utilizes the empty vertical space. Just be sure that you cull your collection if you start double-stacking the whole shelf, which is impractical for accessing books, can make it look cluttered, and makes it harder to dust and clean.

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  • 17 of 18

    Focus on the Middle

    bookshelf styling and organization

    K Shan Design

    K Shan Design created a light and airy feel by styling books and decor objects in the middle of these clean, white shelves, leaving empty space on either end so that the display has room to breathe.

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  • 18 of 18

    Fill In With Decor Objects

    bookshelf organization styling ideas

    NEAT Method

    If the bulk of your book collection lives on a device, but your living room has a pair of large built-in bookshelves, use decorative objects and small pieces of art or sculpture to fill them in. In this living room from NEAT Method, coffee table books in groups of two or three are spread throughout the shelving and styled with neutral-toned decor objects to fill in and balance the display.

    How to Decorate Shelves for a Stunning Display, According to Designers

How do you make a bookshelf look organized even if it's actually not?

You can give the impression that your books are organized by stacking them in neat vertical rows. Paperbacks of the same size will look neat stacked in a row, but you can make books of varying heights look more organized by stacking the tallest spines in the middle of the shelf, tapering down on either end to create a peak in the middle.

How do you organize a bookshelf when you have a ton of books?

If you have a ton of books, you can organize them in a number of ways according to how often you plan to access them and your preferences. You can organize books by color; subject matter; or alphabetically, to name a few options. Experiment with organizing books in a mix of both horizontal and vertical stacks that will help you accommodate varying book sizes while allowing yourself to style books into vignettes that are both functional and pleasing to the eye.

How do you make a bookshelf look good?

If your idea of a good-looking bookshelf is one where books are stacked neatly like soldiers, then focus on packing them tightly and straightening (and dusting) them regularly. But if your idea of a good-looking bookshelf is one that looks like it’s been there forever, try stacking it more loosely with a motley assortment of alluring titles that are casually toppled to the left or right for an effortless feel.

You can make any bookshelf look more interesting and dynamic by mixing in decorative objects on top of horizontal book stacks or adding plants in gaps on shelves, or by hanging framed artwork or small mirrors from the front of the shelves.