living with books

You know, even though it's like 90 balmy degrees here in Philly, it is still Spring!  It better be, since I haven't washed a single window screen at our house yet (a fun yearly Spring task).  Anyway, since it's still Spring, that means there is still time before the Summer Solstice (6/21) to tackle some spring cleaning and organizing.

My hilarious husband sometimes calls me his "little OCD".  That is not to make lite of a truly debilitating disease, he's just making fun of my bee buzzing around the house while he tries to watch The Waterboy for the 1,268th time.  Two things: 1. I am constantly rearranging things in our house and 2. I have a lot of books = I am constantly rearranging a lot of books.  Although the boy would dispute this statement, I have downsized my book collection only keeping my most favorite and treasured reads or books that are constantly referenced = big, heavy bags of books that go to Goodwill, regularly.

Things to contemplate:
:: rethink all the books that you keep stashed around the house.  I am lucky enough to have a great public library system, so I can try out a book and usually I find that I can copy or scan one or two things out of it instead of buying the entire book.  Saves money and space.
:: If you have allergies, try to keep books out of the bedroom.  They quickly collect dust and are hard to clean without damaging them.
:: display your most favorite and colorful books as accessories.  They can add visual interest to any room.
:: arrange books on shelves by color.  It can turn a cluttered looking bookshelf into a great focal point.

My first attempt in our living room...needs work.

S e e  a l s o:

Organzing Books by Spine Color with Victoria at sfgirlbybay.

 

And checkout flickr user santos' composition.

 

And lastly, Yvestown.

 

Comments

[Vanne]

I'm just starting to go through my books and purge my shelves of the ones I don't need. I'm very glad to have found that the local Friends of the Library are taking donations vor their annual fund-raiser sale. It's much easier to pass on books when you know it's for a good cause.

By the way, I love the way the shelves look organized by colour! :)

[Felicia]

oooh...i covet that cookbook!

[erinn]

maryam, so glad you found it useful. Happy book arranging!

[Maryam in Marrakesh]

Thanks for the great pics! We are going to build a tiny library in our new home in Marrakesh and I am thinking about book storage. I think I have a plan!