Design Tip Tuesday: Arranging Bookshelves

This morning I breezed through an enormous number of bookshelf images on Flickr looking for examples of nicely arranged examples thereof. It rapidly became clear that a lot of people don’t bother. So, while we’re finalizing our New Year’s resolutions, why not consider organizing the books?

There is a simple art to doing this. Follow these steps and your shelves will look beautiful and give your room a finished look.

Nicely arranged shelves shouldn’t be symmetrical. Organizing things, whether books, or art objects asymmetrically will create a sense of movement. The minimalist example, above, illustrates this nicely. The stainless elements are arranged in different areas instead of grouped together, or arranged evenly.

If you don’t have a lot of books, arrange some on their sides, others standing up. You can stack a few books and top them with a vase or other objet d’ art. The formal arrangement, above, isn’t symmetrical and there aren’t a lot of books. But overall, it looks balanced.

Balance really is important. I arranged these bookshelves so that the elements would be evenly distributed, but still fluid. My client bought several inexpensive art books to help fill in the space. (Borders and Barnes & Noble always have these for a good price.) Then we went “shopping” in her house for vases, and other things that would look great. When grouping things, like the little vases, an uneven number always looks better.

The photos above and below are great examples of bookshelves in small spaces. In the top example the shelves are doing double-duty and both storage and a side table. There are many ways in which your shelves can pull more weight, lighting being another example. I like the lamp.

Some might call these shelves messy. But you know it’s art directed messy. There are elements, such as the lamp, to break things up visually. The pyramid things on the middle shelves help here, too.

Books aren’t just for the den. I like this example of books in the dining room. I don’t most clients would think that’s a good idea. But this really works. The lower shelves are left open on both sides. A bar is set up on the right with art and a vase filled with whatever that is on the left. Again, things aren’t symmetrical, but the weight is even. The books give the room a casual feel that plays against the formality of the velvet fabrics. Well done.

This library (design by me!) creates some interest with the addition of small pieces placed in front of the books. Some books are on their sides. On the left you can see a shelf bare of books, but filled with art and sculpture. Again, break things up. Create some voids among the literature.

On the other hand, when you’ve got a huge collection like this, finding a book overtakes art. I hope they use the Dewey Decimal System.

To summarize: no symmetry; make sure things are balanced; add voids among the books for artwork, vases and sculptures; group things in odd numbers: lay some books on their sides; add small elements in front of books. Finally, step back and make sure it looks right. You’ll be able to tell. Play around with it and have fun.

Photo credits from top to bottom:
1. Ms. Unknown
2. Roger Davies
3. Jennifer Mitchell
4. Simon Upton
5. William Waldron
6. Ted Yanwood
7. Jennifer Mitchell
8. William Waldron