STYLE Savvy: Pretty and Functional

Lisa Hess walks through the process of tackling an organizing project she'd put off for a long time.

Everybody has that project on their list: the one they keep meaning to get to. For me, it was the bookshelf in my mudroom. I'd been clipping pictures of pretty bookcases featuring tidy shelves with an artistic co-mingling of books and decorative items for months, wondering if I could pare back my collection (or re-configure it, at least) to accomplish some version of the same thing. 

Get ready, get set ...

Meanwhile, in preparation for this task, I'd been working on taming my book-buying habit by getting ebooks whenever possible (cheaper, no shelf space needed) and borrowing single-read books, such as novels, from the library. I got a bit more ruthless about donating books that I might read, keeping only the ones that truly interested me. Since I donate my “outgrown” books to our local library, I figured that chances are good that I'll be able to check out my own copy of the book should I someday regret giving it away. 

Dig in! 

A couple of weekends ago, I took advantage of a quiet Sunday afternoon to take the next step. As is often the case, things got worse before they got better, as I quickly found myself surrounded by piles of books requiring me to make decisions. 

When I was finished, I had a small pile of books to give away and I’d cleared out a few little niches where I could display a favorite photo or memento. In addition, I'd pressed a small decorative suitcase into service, storing one category of books inside it (and, to be honest, a handful of books behind it) to make the bottom shelf look a little fancier. I relocated a file bin, freeing up some bonus space and improving the overall look even more. My shelves didn't look like the ones in the magazines, but they looked a lot better than they had at the outset. 

Easy upkeep 

As I agonized over which books to keep and which to get rid of, I realized that some of the books had been taking up space for a long time, yet I hadn't cracked them open. My new spend-less-money-on-books (among other things) campaign was working, but library books have a due date; books I own do not — so they often sat neglected on my bookshelves, awaiting their turn in the rotation. 

So I set a new goal for myself, one that would balance what I own with what I borrow. Each day, I'll spend ten minutes on a book I already own. A few of these sessions will be sufficient to let me know which books are keepers and which are just taking up space, waiting to go in the donation bin.  

That night, I spent close to an hour on one of the non-fiction books I'd "discovered," reading chapters out of order based on what looked interesting. I might (or might not) finish the book and I might or might not keep it, but the reading was pleasurable.  

The next night, I read only material I needed for work. Oops. 

And then I got sick and did very little of anything non-essential for the better part of a week. 

The long haul 

But since every new day presents a new opportunity (and I was at least 50 minutes ahead anyway thanks to the enthusiasm of my first day), each day, I can pick up where I left off — or pick up a new book. The end goal is to keep my shelves filled with only books I love, minimizing clutter and making space for my new must-haves in the process. 

Meanwhile, I love the new look of my shelves, I have a new stack of donations for the library, and I’ve checked a slightly dusty to-do item off my list. 

Win-win-win. 

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Copyright 2024 Lisa Hess
Images: Canva