Happy Monday, My Lovelies! It's time for another Book Organizational Challenge post. In JANUARY the focus was on purging, selling, and donating books you no longer want to keep. For February, the focus will be on organizing books by room.
This might seem intuitive to you, and if it is I do apologize. I spoke to several friends of mine who read and have large book collections. What I discovered is that their bookshelves might be neat and tidy, but they are not organized, and certainly not organized by room. I have found that when I put books in rooms where I'm most likely to use them, I enjoy them more.
Let's look at examples from around our home.
If you own cookbooks, they should be in your kitchen where you use them. You are more likely to use them and pick them up for culinary inspiration if you find space for them in your kitchen. If you don't think you have room in your kitchen for cookbooks, I've seen some very creative solutions for this very problem on Pinterest. We had the same problem, and what we did was have a custom low bookcase made to fit behind our sofa for cookbooks (our living room is totally open to our kitchen, and the bookcase is in the kitchen).
You can see the sofa through the back of our bookcase.
Finlay kept photo bombing me while I was trying to take photos for this post. I had a small window of opportunity with the gray overcast skies we've had (pardon the pun).
I keep all of my home decor books in the family room so I can be inspired while thinking about fluffing the house. This is the least filled bookcase in our home!
I keep art books in the art studio. I like having them close by when I need a little creative inspiration.
On my nightstand, I keep current reads and a couple of short story collections. I like reading at night before I go to bed, and when I'm in between books and don't want to start another one, I can read a story and I feel like I've accomplished something! ;P
Okay so this isn't our nightstand, it's our chest of drawers, but it's on my side of the bed, and I like that it's larger if I want to look at magazines, my iPad, and books while in bed.
I keep books that I'll soon blog or bookstagram about (from TLC Book Tours and publishers) on my desk in the kitchen. That's where I sort our mail, and I don't want to lose or misplace one of those books. I put them away or donate them once I'm finished with my blog or Instagram posts.
You can get a sneak peek at what's to come on the blog and Instagram.
Last but not least, I keep all fiction upstairs in the library.
Finlay was very helpful during the production of this post....
That's basically how I organize books around our home. Our daughters have books in their rooms, but since Shanley has moved two states away, she'll eventually get the rest of her books. In the meantime, we're working on converting her old bedroom into a library, and the current library will serve as more of a blogging office for me. Stay tuned for more!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
It's always inspiring to see how other book lovers organize their books. I think every room in my house but the dining room has books, including the hallways and stair landing. I think they multiply in the dark. I even have books in some of the bathrooms! I have a loose organization system, but not quite as structured as yours. I wish I could keep a bookcase in my studio/garage, but the art books I do keep in there are in a plastic container because I fear they could be ruined otherwise. Can't wait to see your new library!
ReplyDeleteI think you have a great system for organization RJ. Your books look so pretty on the shelves with your photos and pretties. I absolutely agree cookbooks should be where you see them so your more likely to use and enjoy them. I had so many when we gave the kitchen a facelift I needed to do something. I purged! I kept a few of my favorites and donated most and a few to friends and family. Now my shelves are full of dishes I needed space for. I have a cabinet in the study, bookshelves in one of the guest rooms where I keep most of my books. New ones I keep on a bench next to my bed and after reading them I store on the shelves. Thanks for sharing, good inspiration and advise. I only wish my husband would let me organize his books!
ReplyDeleteFinlay .. so sweet to see today.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to a tour of the library.
The world is full of so many awesome books and some not so awesome books
ReplyDeleteOkay I loved the organization here, but what to do with a small house and only 1 bookcase/I just keep books really love!!
ReplyDeleteSo many pretty book spots and vignettes! You are so organized Ricki Jill, and I especially love the bookshelf behind your sofa in the kitchen filled with a lovely mix of books and MCK pieces~ Finlay is adorable!
ReplyDeleteJenna
We have a lot of the same cookbooks -- Rachel Khoo, Julia, of course, and one of my favorites, French Market Kitchen (which I will probably be cooking from this weekend!) Like you, I have books all over the house -- and there is a weird organization to them, though probably not everyone else would see it. I love seeing your shelves. It's like peeking into a person's soul!
ReplyDelete