How Floating Shelves Can Transform A Cluttered Book Collection Into Wall Art

As Walt Disney once said, "There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates' loot on Treasure Island and at the bottom of the Spanish Main." Avid readers know this is true, as books can transport us to new adventures beyond our wildest dreams. A YouGov poll of over 29,000 Americans discovered that 13% own at least 26 to 50 books. In the same survey, 25% of respondents said they owned at least 100 books. That's a lot of bookworms! As you hoard your books like Smaug with his treasure, you may quickly realize that you're overrun and don't have a stylish way to store them. While you could declutter titles from your book collection, you might not want to (who does?). Floating shelves, however, will transform your growing collection into beautiful and functional wall art. You'll attach the shelves to the wall and then stack your books on top so they look like they're floating. 

Floating shelves are indispensable for addressing clutter since they allow you to make use of vertical space, especially if you live in a small apartment or home or don't have room for yet another bookcase. These shelves are sold in various sizes and often in a multi-pack, such as the four-pack of Fentec Invisible Floating Bookshelves. Each shelf uses wall anchors and screws for support. After mounting the shelf (using a level and drill), you can slide your first book onto it with the cover below the shelf, letting it catch on its small lip. Stack more books on top to hide the back of the shelf from view.

You may be ready to explore this way to incorporate books as art in your home or just to organize your to-be-read stacks, but perhaps you're coming up blank with styling. If you intend to line them up in a row, consider keeping at least 7 inches between the books and shelves. You may want to hang one, fill it with books, and then measure the spacing for the accompanying shelves. Don't forget to also consider the weight limit before you pack on large volumes like a dictionary or the collected works of Shakespeare. Each shelf's weight limit varies by its size, often with limits of 15 pounds for a small shelf and 20 pounds for a larger one. Keep this in mind while arranging your books, or you might wake up to the sound of novels crashing down in the night — talk about "A Midsummer's Nightmare". 

While your reads can certainly stand out on their own, you can also add an artistic flair. Do you have a abundance of colorful books? Embrace your inner Rainbow Brite by setting up each stack of books organized by color. If that's too much of a departure from your style, try adding a small vase, framed picture, or clock to the top of the stack as an accent. For books with boring covers (or if you want to go with a neutral color scheme), try displaying them all coverless. Finally, don't forget the fairy lights, which can be a dreamy, cozy addition to any shelf. Or, if you're looking for another unique idea, check out how to display your books upside down.