Organizing 101 : Bookshelves

What did you do this weekend?

I spent Saturday afternoon organizing the furniture & bookshelves in our new living room!

This is true "use what you have" decorating in this space!!
I only used things that we already owned, and so far so good! We have all of the major furniture pieces, except a rug. And I have a little something (actually 2 little somethings) that will be added to the bookshelf later on 2 of the middle shelves with only a small out-of-pocket expense!

I used to be unsure of how to decorate bookshelves so that they looked "pulled together" and not like a jumbled mess.

Once I figured it out though, I have "decorating-the-bookshelf-fear" no more! :)

Here are a few easy pointers to Organizing Your Bookshelves:

• *First, decide the overall "look" you are going for. Do you want shelves full of treasured books, with a very library-like feel? Or, do you want a more decorative approach with just your favorite books and added accessories too? Having a vision in mind will help you get your bookshelves organized just how you'd like them!

• *Next, it's time to de-clutter! Go through your books and decorative items and decide what could be donated. If you're pretty sure that you'll never read a certain book again, why keep it? Pass it on to someone else! Are your shelves loaded with knick-knacks? Why give yourself more to dust, not to mention a clutter-y look in your space? Choose only a few special things to display.

• *Get your bookshelves dusted so they are nice & clean & ready to hold your items!

• *Group books together by: size, color, paperback vs. hardback, subject, fiction vs. non-fiction, etc. Decide on a system that works for you! I personally choose to organize my books by subject (decorating books, fiction, business, Christian, yearbooks, cookbooks, etc). This is an easy way for my family to find what we're looking for! You do what would work best for YOUR family!

• *Start to place your books on the shelves. If you're going for a library look, then you can just fill them up! If you'd like some decorative items on your shelves too, then leave some spaces open for adding decorative accessories, such as: greenery, framed pictures, a decorative box, pieces from a collection, or seasonal items.

• *For a more interesting look, place some books standing up and stack other books on top of each other.

• *If you have sections to your bookshelves, like I do, you can make things easy by keeping things symmetrical. My two end bookshelves are arranged as mirror images. If you only have one bookshelf then just start by arranging the books so that they are pleasing to the eye.

• *When adding accessories be sure to think "zigzag"! For example, if on one shelf you have an accessory placed on the right, then on the next shelf down put an accessory on the middle, and then the next shelf place it on the left, then middle then right. If it's a shorter bookshelf then just do: left, right, left for example. You just don't want all of your accessories grouped in a line straight down. It looks better to "stagger" them.
  

• *Don't feel like each shelf needs an accessory either. Be selective!

• *Try things out, move items around, and have fun!!! The most important thing is that YOU like it! Now, go get that bookshelf organized!!!
  

:)

{I haven't decided what day of the week I'll be doing the "Organizing 101" series yet....so it may switch a couple of times till I find the perfect day!}

Have a great Monday :)!!