I wanted the shelves to look as neat as possible as this is my thinking room which I like as uncluttered and restful as possible. So a system like alphabetical which leaves books all higgledly piggeldy to look at was not going to do it. Yet both my left and right brain wanted a say in the process.
So I went for categories:
Top shelf: magazine and unread books
Second: Embroidery and design
Third and fourth : Quilts
Fifth: Other textile products and general inspirational art books
And within categories by colour of the spine and within colour by height. Makes sense to me but what do you do with yours?
If, like me you love to browse other people's shelves, you can see all my books in closer pictures in this Picassa Album.
4 comments:
I actually settled on a very similar system just a a few months ago. Our books are grouped first by subject, then by color, although that's really just whites together, blending to yellow, then to darks. Somehow we're just not buying brightly hued books. Size is a tertiary consideration. All my magazines are in wood holders from IKEA on another bookcase in another room. So far it's working great.
I used to have my books organised by size so they'd look neater, but I found I'd spend ages scanning the shelves for the one book I needed (well, I do have a stupidly large number of books, especially craft books). So when I re-organised a year or so ago I put them into categories - felting, quiltings, embroidery etc etc. Now at least I can find things quickly even if the shelves are a bit higgeldy piggeldy.
I have different topics on different shelves, then by height. I'm fine with the colours being "all over", its the height that drives me loopy. As the books get pulled out and used, they end up shoved in at the end of the shelf, so every once in a while i straighten the whole mess again. :-)
I like this way of ordering your shelves, it looks really pretty.
Big books can be a nuisance, I also have a few with I had to put with the spine down on my shelves. Annoying!
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