BOOKS

@mentallybooked

Every bookshelf on Instagram looks impossibly cute and organized. It seems like everyone only has books with aesthetic covers, and just looking at them makes you want to curl up, pick up a novel and live the light academia lifestyle of your Pinterest board. If your bookshelf doesn't look quite as nice as you would like it to right now, we have five tips for organizing your shelves (and even hiding some of your uglier books) to take your bookshelf from drab to fab. It'll be ready for its #shelfie in no time.  

Organize by color

@whatluciesreading

This is one of the most popular ways people organize their books on Bookstagram because there's *nothing* more satisfying to look at than a rainbow bookshelf. You can either have a full rainbow on each shelf, or you can start with your red covers at the top and work down to your violet ones. However, there are a few downsides. Books that are in the same series but aren't the same color can get separated, and cover colors that don't fit in the rainbow, like brown, black and white, won't have a clear home. But if this won't bother you, organizing by color is a surefire way to have a photogenic bookshelf.

Keep the heights consistent

@tillylovesbooks

Whether or not you're planning on arranging a rainbow bookshelf, pay attention to how tall each of your books is. You generally want to keep books of similar heights next to each other, and this also keeps titles from the same series together if that's something you like. Since hardcover books tend to be larger than paperbacks, it helps to keep these separated. You can put them on different shelves like in this pic here, or if you want to keep them on the same shelf, put one type of book in a bookstack. 

Stack your books horizontally

@sashaalsberg

Speaking of bookstacks, they're a super easy way to spruce up your bookshelf. They help to break up the rows of books for a more visually interesting result. For a clean look, stack novels that are from the same series or are the same color or height. This is when a stack of paperbacks can still look good next to rows of hardovers. You can also stack books in decreasing height like Sasha did here for a more eclectic look. 

Display your fave covers

@_thebookcase

We bet you have novels with the some of the most *gorgeous* covers, so why not show them off? Outward-facing titles, like bookstacks, break up rows and give your eyes a focal point. You can also hide things behind them. They're great for concealing books that you don't want to display for the sake of aesthetics (like your ratty copy of The Outsiders you read for school) or for hiding little knickknacks that you don't want lying around your room. Mix and match outward-facing books and bookstacks for a totally Bookstagram-worthy shelf. 

More than just books

@mrsboomreads

Last but not least, remember that bookshelves can hold more than just your books. In fact, they can look even better when you put other objects on them. Pretty much anything is fair game—baskets, pictures, candles or succulents. Funk Pop figurines are a Bookstagram favorite that are both bookish and cute. Who wouldn't want an *adorable* figurine of their fave Harry Potter character sitting next to their novels? It also means that you don't need a ton of books in order to make your shelves look full. These objects are great placeholders as you build your mini library, and you can look like a *total* bookworm with just a few titles.

Show us your #shelfie on Instagram and tag us @bestiebookclub!

Slider Image: @bibliostylesco

by Erin Jeon | 8/2/2021