Are the bookcases in your home or office jammed with books, pictures, papers and knick-knacks? Do you have to scan the entire bookcase to find one book? If so, this article is for you. 

It's not uncommon for bookshelves to become cluttered over time. People tend to use books and instead of replacing them in their space, they are simply left where they don’t belong. With the myriad of junk mail and unwanted magazines we get each day, it is no wonder we have so much paper clutter and no organization. Here are a few suggestions and guidelines for creating a bookshelf display that's more aesthetically pleasing.

Here are some ways to organize and ‘de-clutterize’ your bookshelf:

You might have unattractive paperbacks that you love and don’t want to get rid of. You don’t have to. Just store these in a lined basket with the title sides up so you can easily scan and select from them.

Start arranging your shelves with the larger books. You may start towards the center of the shelf, or you may start to one end. You may also want to arrange your books by subject, for example, fiction, non-fiction, novels, subject text books, etc. Or you may want to arrange by size. However you chose, make sure it is a system that works for you. However, don’t limit yourself to an upright arrangement. Lay some books horizontally and then you can slant some which will add dimension to your arrangement.

Jazz up your bookcase with decorative pieces. Bookends are functional and decorative and these can add that sophisticated look to your bookcase. Vases, framed photos and figurines can also make your bookcase visually appealing.

Don’t overstock your bookshelf. This takes away from its visual quality and sometimes this makes getting a book a chore. You also want to make sure that you do not crowd it with too many decorative pieces which would then defeat the purpose of having a bookcase.

If you remove the dust jackets from your hardcover books, ensure that you store them instead of discarding them. You never know when one of them might become a collectors’ item. Such a book without the dust jacket depreciates greatly in value.

Finally, sit back and look at your beautifully arranged bookcase.