These Are What Rainbow Shelves Really Are

The first time the Real Living team heard about “Rainbow Shelves,” we were like, “Are they partners to ‘Unicorn Shelves?’”

One peek at Pinterest immediately answered our question: A Rainbow Shelf is simply a bookshelf that is arranged by the color of the books’ spines. And yes, this organizing method is more about color harmony and decoration, rather than actual book organization and filing by title, author, or category.

READ: How To Organize Your Books Properly, According To a Librarian

Apparently, there is an actual method to organizing a Rainbow Shelf! Here are some tips:

1. Decide if you are going to organize the colors horizontally or vertically

This is apparently a very important step before you start, because you have to decide if the color gradations will be going up (say, Red at the top, then orange, then yellow at the bottom), or left to right (or right to left!).

2. Go for white (or black) bookshelves

If you’ve got a literal rainbow of colors going on in your shelves, it’s best to keep the bookshelf simple. Choose an all-white or all-black bookshelf, or if you want, something finished in pale wood, preferably without any ornamentation.

3. Organize your books first before putting them up on the shelves

Pile all your red-spined books together, all-yellow, all-green, and so forth, before putting them on your shelves. You can alternate with different heights for added visual interest.

4. Intersperse your books with decorative objects

You don’t have to pack your bookshelf end-to-end with your titles. Break up the books (and the colors) with objects like ceramic décor, interesting bookends, potted plants, or crystals. You can also stack the books alternatively with the shelved books for added interest and depth. 

READ: 5 Ways To Organize Your Books

SOURCE: tenpennydreams.com