Stumbled into a tiny used bookstore in Asheville last spring and their shelf setup changed how I arrange my own at home

They had books stacked horizontally on top of vertical rows with little knick-knacks tucked in between, and I swear it made the whole space feel warmer than any perfect row of spines ever did... has anyone else found a random shop layout that totally shifted how you organize?

2 comments

2 Comments

clairen851mo agoMost Upvoted

Nah, that just looks cluttered to me.

harperg761mo ago

@clairen85 I get why it looks cluttered to you, but that's exactly what made it work for me. My eye needed somewhere to rest between all those straight lines, and the horizontal stacks give me that little pause. The knick-knacks matter too, they break up the color blocks so the books feel personal instead of like a library. I tried it at home and now my shelf has a small framed photo tucked between two stacks, it makes me actually look at the books instead of just scanning past them. Your mileage may vary, but for me it turned a wall of stuff into a room I want to sit in.