Start fresh. Jim Noble of Noble Interior Design is an advocate of pulling all the books off the shelves and then arranging them by color and size. "Balance is the object here," he said. "Things should have the same visual weight." Do your arranging on the floor, then put books back on shelves, he said.
Edit. If you're arranging books in your living room or other high-profile space, consider weeding out the paperbacks and other less-attractive books and stashing them elsewhere, Noble said. If book jackets clash with your color scheme, remove them and display without, or add paper covers in the color of your choice, advised Marie Meko, interior designer with Gabberts Design Studio.
Stagger. For a pleasing look, don't fill the shelf space with books that are all lined up vertically, Noble said. He mixes in horizontally stacked books and other decorative objects. He loves miniatures, and his wife loves birds, for example, so they incorporate miniature furniture pieces and avian figurines into their book collection.
Lighten up. Meko likes to place framed photos, trophies, decorative objects with a bit of shine or small lamps alongside the books. "Something that gives them a little light, so it's not all dark books against dark wood," she said.
Share. If you have more books than you and your space can manage, consider giving some away. The Hennepin County Library accepts book donations, as do the Salvation Army and Goodwill. Other options: Recycle your books at freecycle (www.freecycle.org) or leave them for others to enjoy. One website, www.bookcrossing.com, encourages bookworms to leave a book in a public place, with a label, then track its travels via the site.
KIM PALMER
