If you’re one of society’s rare gems who still reads books, you may find your hobby taking up a considerable amount of space in your home. Instead of throwing them out once space gets scarce, here’s how you can preserve your beloved titles by doubling them up as creative displays.
Place them under low tables and benches
If you’ve run out of places to display your books, consider utilising the space beneath low tables and benches. This unique spot allows you to arrange books that may not fit elsewhere, or tuck away various books of different heights, thicknesses and colours into an artful mess. Besides having a five-star visual appeal, this unlikely bookshelf also makes for a great conversation piece.
Transform books into an end table
Let’s admit it—we don’t read all the books we buy. For hardcover novels or dictionaries that you hardly read, stack them up horizontally to create a unique, personalised end table. Lower stacks are sturdier and can be used as a low-slung coffee table for display beside the sofa. To protect your innovative display from spills, top the stack with a tray for extra protection.
Turn pages outwards for a uniform look
Mismatched books are difficult to display with their conflicting colours, sizes and thicknesses. A simple trick is to turn book spines towards the wall—a trick for purely aesthetic purposes, but one that can really tie a bookshelf together. With this hack, you can freely display your books without having to worry about it clashing with your furniture or looking messy.
Stack your books on ladders
Ladders are aesthetic and minimalist in their own right and are a fun way to incorporate subtle visuals to your space. Artfully place your books or a couple of magazines on a ladder to inject colour, height and texture without moving the focus away from other decor items. Another way to display those softcover magazines you have lying around is by hanging them over the ladder steps!
Arrange titles by colour
Some of us may find this kind of meticulous sorting tedious, but it may also very well be an extremely therapeutic process, promising visually outstanding results. For diehard bibliophiles with dozens of books crammed into a space, colour coding or combining books into groups of hues solves the problem of your bookshelves looking messy. It can also make looking for books a lot easier if you remember the shade of each cover but aren’t so good at memorising titles.
Display them under the stairs
Multipurpose staircases bring efficient decorating to a whole new level and help to save plenty of room. Books also make great ‘cover-ups’ when you place them in front of junk or knick-knacks that you want to keep out of sight. If you’d like, add on an old globe or some weathered books for a rustic vintage look!
Featured image courtesy of Story of Us
