How to Curate [and Style] a Book Collection

I love collecting, and aside from sneakers I also collect books. Now, these books aren't necessarily centuries old first volumes of well-known classics, but they do represent a multitude of my interests, passions, and inspirations. I have so many [large] books that I have had to figure out how to effectively arrange them in my NYC apartment. Fortunately, I figured out a scheme that has worked well for my living space - and I centered the design plan around the following five rules:

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1.    Categorize by Category

When organizing your book collection, I would advise starting by grouping your collection according to category. If you have a group of fashion books, or books about a particular designer, stack those together. If you have a collection of books about black art, group those together in the same area. Not only is it an easy way to organize your books, but it also makes it easy for you and your guests to locate a specific [type of] book you would like to read.

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2.    Pay Attention to Size

Grouping your books by size is the most aesthetically pleasing. Stacking an 8” x 6” book on top of a 15” x 11” book (without a clear point of view as to why you are pairing the two) rarely works. When organizing a book collection, especially if you have large art/coffee table books, you should make sure to stack or place similar sized books near each other in their respective areas.

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3.    Group by Color Scheme

OK, this may depend on the size of your collection (and the style of your living space), but I highly advise people to group at least some of their book collection by color scheme. For instance, I have a side table styled in a color scheme of black, white and metallic accents. All of the table accessories are in different metallic tones (or corresponding neutrals), and the books placed on the table are all bound in black and/or white covers – it makes for a more cohesive look.

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4.    Exhibit in Creative Ways

Don’t just lean on traditional book shelves to display your book collection. Coffee tables, side tables, chairs and even floor space are great places to show groups of books. The key is being intentional about where you place each grouping of books and making sure each display is balanced. Not only does it create visual interest, but it utilizes what otherwise might be white or unused space.

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5.    Display What You Love

If you don’t love the book (or any other item) don’t waste valuable space displaying it, that simple.