How To Organise Your Bookshelf So It's Not Boring

This article is all about how to organise your bookshelf.

Did you know that decorating a bookshelf can be so much fun? It’s a great way to add character to your reading space, and create a reading room that you actually want to spend time in!

Reorganising your reading space can be a laborious task, but with a mug of coffee, a playlist of your choice and an evening with nothing to do, it’s not so bad and dare I say… fun?

I have trialled many bookshelf organisation structures in my time, and I have definitely found what works for me. But, each bookshelf inspiration is so unique that what works for me might not necessarily work for you! I will say I’m not always the biggest fan of bright colours, but some of the most beautiful shelves I’ve seen are super colourful.

As a huge bookworm, who has reorganised my own bookshelves a hundred times at this point, I am giving you all the cutest bookshelf ideas.

I’d love to see what you create, if you use any of these ideas, make sure to send them in!

This article is all about aesthetically pleasing bookshelves, bookcase decorating ideas and bookshelf organisation.

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12 Cute Ways to Organize Bookshelf

1. Authors by Alphabetical Order

By far, this is the most commonly used method for bookshelf organisation. It makes any reading space seem super put together, and easy to find. Also, by grouping books by author, it creates a clear visual for what authors you most like to read.

Although, this method of organisation can be relatively time consuming, and not super necessary for the average home library. If you have a lot of books, great- this method might just be for you. But if you are just starting out, I would skip this method- unless you want to be constantly reshifting things as your library grows.

That being said, if you don’t mind the time commitment and you love being organised, this can be a great way to arrange a bookcase.

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2. Alphabetical by Title

Similar to the alphabetical by author method, this one is for the super type A readers out there. You either love it or you hate it, but if you don’t mind re-shifting things every now and then, this method might be for you. Plus, it makes it really easy to find the book you are looking for (whereas, it can often take me a while to find things).

3. Organizing By Genre

I like this method best. Like most of these, it will require a certain amount of shifting and re-shifting as the home library grows, but it tend to mesh a few methods together in a way that just works. For example, most authors stick to the same genre so that means books by the same author can still be together (for the most part). Then books from the same series are also guaranteed to stay together, which makes a bookcase seem more cohesive.

From this, you have a certain amount of creative control over how the books are physically organised- horizontal/ vertical/ alphabetically arranged within each section/ mixed up with bookshelf decor. The options become pretty limitless.

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4. Vertical Stacking Bookshelf

Changing the direction you stack your books can make any stack of books aesthetic. Mixing up direction is also a pretty great method if you are looking for how to maximise bookshelf space.

You can even specifically purchase a vertical book tower that is super space efficient.

5. Colour Coded Bookshelf

When I was a teenager I was so jealous of these super beautiful colour coded bookshelves. I used to LOVE watching booktubers, and they would always present their content in front of these super stunning, colourful bookshelves. This is definitely one of my favourite creative bookshelf decor ideas.

However, when I tried it for myself it didn’t work for me personally. I realised that I would have to seperate authors and books from a series which I didn’t love doing. I also found it quite hard to find my books as they ended up blending together.

But, if you love bright colours, and want to add some charm to your reading space, this bookshelf decorating idea might be for you.

6. Books and Decor Bookshelf Ideas

I love this as a great blend between modern and old ideas together. It really adds so much charm and personality to a book space.

This can be achieved through lego, paintings, crochet pets, crystals and so much more.

On my bookshelf I have a ceramic pot for jewellery, a crochet pet my friend made for me, a resin bug I found at a thrift shop, and a moss ball. It’s pretty random, but it makes the space so pretty.

7. Books and Plants

I’ve seen so many people doing this. My problem is I would be worried about my books being damp! But if you remove the plants when you water them, this shouldn’t be a problem. Plus its a super cute bookshelf styling ideas. Any excuse for more plants is my motto.

You could use hanging plants, little potted plants or even dried flowers if you don’t want to worry about watering anything near your books.

I think plants work especially well if you are going for that slightly wild, cottage core home library look.

8. By Favourite Authors

Tier ranking authors is actually one of the more common ways to organise your bookshelf. This is basically where you put your absolute favourite authors front and centre, while the authors you aren’t quite as obsessed with get pushed further back.

I actually think this can be a really fun way to organise your books if you have a lot of favourites. You could have your favourite authors on the easiest-to-reach shelves, and then work your way down from there.

9. By TBR Status

aesthetic trendy modern bookshelf designs

If you have a TBR that seems to be growing faster than you can possibly read it, this might be the bookshelf organisation method for you.

You could separate your unread books from the books you’ve already read, making it super easy to see exactly what you have waiting for you. You could even take this a step further and create sections for your immediate TBR, someday TBR and books you’ve already read.

I actually think this would be particularly useful if you are someone who forgets what books you own. There is nothing worse than buying a book only to realise you already have it sitting somewhere on your bookshelf!

The downside is that this method can mean separating books from the same author or series, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But if your TBR is getting a little out of control, this could be a great way to make it feel more manageable.

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10. Chronology- Publication Date

This one is definitely for the history lovers and extremely organised readers out there.

Organising your books by their publication date means you can create a little timeline across your bookshelf, starting with your oldest books and working your way towards your newest. I think this could look especially beautiful if you have a lot of classic literature, as you can really see how different periods of literature sit alongside each other.

It might not be the most practical method if you are constantly buying new books, though. Every time you get something new, you might have to reshuffle half of your bookshelf to put it in the right place.

Still, if you love the historical side of books as much as the reading itself, this could be a really fun way to organise your home library.

11. Seasonally

This is probably one of my favourite ideas because I LOVE changing things around for the seasons.

You could have a little autumn section filled with gothic novels, cosy mysteries and spooky reads, before swapping these out for romances and lighter reads in the summer. You could even have a dedicated Christmas shelf during December!

Obviously, this works best if you have enough books to rotate around throughout the year. But even if you don’t, you could simply move a few seasonal favourites to the front of your bookshelf and add some seasonal decor around them.

Plus, it gives you an excuse to rediscover books you haven’t read in ages.

12. By Mood

If you are someone who chooses what to read based entirely on your mood, this could be a really useful way to organise your bookshelf.

Instead of organising your books by genre or author, you could create little sections based on how the books make you feel. Think cosy, romantic, spooky, sad, thought-provoking, funny or escapist.

I love the idea of having a shelf that is basically a physical representation of your reading moods. Sometimes you don’t know what genre you want to read, but you do know that you want something cosy or something that will completely destroy you emotionally.

This method also gives you so much creative freedom. You can make the categories as specific or as ridiculous as you like, which I think is exactly what a home library should be.

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This article was all about how to organise your bookshelf. I’d love to hear if you try any of them.

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How To Organise Your Bookshelf So It’s Not Boring