Bookshelves that will inspire you

Most readers and bibliophiles are very meticulous about their shelves. Their home library is a place of pride and they take care in the arrangement of books and their maintenance. On World Book Day we asked our social media followers to show off their shelves with the hashtag #ShareAShelfie and were blown away by pictures we received. The range and creativity of the different libraries were incredible and we hope by sharing them here, we can inspire other readers to build one of their own, or rearrange what they previously had.

Deepti Menon (@deepsmenon_7) shared this picture with us on Twitter with the words, "My favourite spot at home, the place where I let my imagination take flight! @TOI_Books".

She balances space beautifully with books arranged neatly on shelves and minimal display in the centre, highlighting medals and other important mementos. With the spotlights on the items displayed in the centre and the bright covers contrasting with the dark wood, no part of this arrangement can be ignored.

Photo: deepsmenon_7/Twitter

Rita Krocha (@RitaKrocha) replied to us on Twitter saying this was her "favourite place

at home." She has different sized shelves and has managed to fit in a variety of books

in a way that makes the shelves look nicely full. She's even added some ornaments in

front which only add to it's beauty.

Photo: RitaKrocha/Twitter

Shankar Futane (@shankar_futane) clearly feels books are equivalent to trophies, for

they're both prominently displayed in the same place at his home. One could argue if

the area was a shelf or a showcase but no can doubt he has a minimal job of dusting

books compared to most. Those glass sliders are a good idea in any dusty place.

Photo: shankar_futane/Twitter

Reema D'souza (@ReemaMichelle) shared an eye-catching shelfie on twitter. She has

arranged her bookshelf by colour on white shelves with a few knick-knacks for decor and

the result is a picture that just pops! It's truly an bright way to arrange books.

Photo: ReemaMichelle/Twitter

Rohit Tandekar (@tandekarrohit) might not be able to share a shelfie but he knows how

to set up and take a great picture. He shared the impressive set of books on Twitter

saying, "Not exactly a bookshelf but these are the books I had in my hostel room last

year."

Photo: tandekarrohit/Twitter

Divye Ruhela (@divyeruhela) seems to be quite the fantasy fanboy. He shows off some of

the best authors of several era's of fantasy writing with just a few books and some

enviable geeky merchandise that represents the books not displayed. He shared the shot

on Twitter with the caption, "Oh, am I allowed to share the same picture twice?"

Photo: divyeruhela/Twitter

Mansi Babbar (@Mansi_Babbar4) shared her collection on Twitter with the explanatory

caption, "More like a book cupboard!" She proves you don't need a shelf to store books

properly for it's evident from the arrangement she cares about her collection. All the

tomes are arranged with evident ardour and she'll have less of a hassle dusting them.

Photo: Mansi_Babbar4/Twitter

Akhilesh Pandey(@ak__pandey) boldly claimed on Twitter that "Bachelors are not so fond

of bookshelf (Here are some gems.)" with the picture. We're sure many of our followers

would disagree but it was a lovely shot of books in his mother tongue and we couldn't

help but share it.

Photo: ak__pandey/Twitter

Deepa (@Deepa_Garwa) seems to have a deep reverence for her tomes. She shared this

picture on Twitter which shows her awards, pictures and a small shrine are all a part

of her bookshelf. One would feel that all the important things in her life are

displayed here, making books an important part of her life.

Photo: Deepa_Garwa/Twitter

Aastha Mishra (@aazthamishra) shared a picture of her 5-year-old daughter's bookshelf

on Twitter and it seems like she's raising quite the reader. The low shelves seem

height appropriate for a child and the other items like the sweetly seated dolls, the

vibrant drawings and the globe show that the child seems to have many off-screen

interests, good for her!

Photo: aazthamishra/Twitter

Hetal Swami (@hetalswami) seems to have many shelves around the house and posted a lot

of photos. Here's just 2 of them and you have to appreciate her creative use of lines.

The angle of the shelves and the way she chooses to arrange the books on them are

tasteful without being basic.

Photo: hetalswami/Twitter

Mona Puri(@monajspuri) is clearly a huge bibliophile. She didn't just post a shelfie,

but a huge home library on our Twitter page. She wrote, "# Are you proud of your

collection of books? Absolutely !!!

# Is standing near your bookshelf your favourite preoccupation? Off course !! My pride

& passion ....my library Books#WorldBookDay"

You have to love how she decided to stack some books on top on her shelf rather than

fill up the bottom shelves because honestly, that just easier to view and, depending on

your height, easier to reach

Photo: monajspuri/Twitter

Varun Deshmukh (@coolvarundesh18) clearly underestimated how many books he was going to collect for his books are spilling like honey from those hexagonal shelves. Still, the effect is great. He shared this photo on Twitter.

Photo: coolvarundesh18/Twitter

Anukriti Malik (@anukritimalik_) has more books than she can shelve so she stacked them

on her shelves while still managing to look tasteful. For those with constantly growing

collections, this lrary is a good study, for it shows one that more books can be

artfully arranged in the same amount of space. All her shelves are different sizes and

she makes great use of all the space available to balance books and decor items.

Photo: anukritimalik_/Twitter

Manas Mukul (@manasmukul) went to our twitter page to show off how much he reads along

with his talent for arrangement. He posted the picture of the rather full and well-

organised shelf with the words, "That's just the half of the books from last decade."

This picture shows how nicely inverted books and bright colours will pop against a

black bookshelf.

Photo: manasmukul/Twitter

Hiren Dangar(@HirenDangar12) on Twitter gave us a perfect example of how to artfully

arrange a small shelf. With the Buddha, the handpainted bottle, the well shaped plant

and the amount of Indian authors on his shelf, we can tell he's proud of his roots.

He also has a great sense of aesthetics, for all the colours and patterns of his home

blend tastefully.

Photo: HirenDangar12/Twitter