Different Ways to Arrange Books on a Shelf

Sorted Books

• As an organization starting point, sort all of your books by size, theme or color and arrange them on a shelf accordingly. For instance, create an entire row of fiction books and another row of cookbooks. As another idea, group the books by color to create a rainbow effect. Stand books featuring similar-color covers, such as red or blue, next to each other with the spines facing out. Another way to sort books on shelf is in order of shortest to tallest.

Decorative Bookends

• Once you've arranged the books neatly on a wall shelf or a bookcase, complete the look with decorative bookends. Eye-catching or themed bookends will become a part of the the room's decor, as well as serve a useful purpose. Choose bookends featuring designs, such as tropical fish, footballs or wine bottles, that coordinate with the overall look of the room. As a whimsical touch, choose bookends made to resemble real fish bowls and fill them with small fish.

Add Knickknacks

• Incorporate interesting knickknacks into the book arrangement for a whimsical look. If you have extra room on the shelf, using it to store small collections and pictures is a savvy way of utilizing the storage space. To make the displays, stand books up in order of height on a shelf, allowing at least a foot of space at the end. Place a decorative item, such as an apothecary jar filled with sea glass or seashells, in the space. If you have a bookcase, make a slightly different arrangement on the shelf below, such as placing a picture frame in between a row of books for a varied look.

Stacked Books

• As a creative alternative to standing books upright on a bookshelf, stack them instead. Make a pile of books, with the spines facing out for convenience, in order from largest to smallest. Create piles of varying heights, and alternate the rows of stacked books with rows of standing books for an interesting look. A stacked bookshelf arrangement is ideal if you have piles of magazines to store along with the periodicals.