Making the case Tips for properly displaying your books

You can judge a book by its cover when figuring out how to store your volumes and make a space look swell. Here are some tips:

John Thomson of Bartleby’s Books in Georgetown: “Alternate placing books vertically and horizontally on shelves to add interest. Older volumes should stand upright. Laying them on their sides makes spines bow.”

D.C. designer Shannon Wang: “A pop of color, such as a brightly painted wall behind floating shelves or built-in bookcases with wallpapered backs, makes a display look much more interesting.” Have a particularly pretty art book? Open it to a stellar image (maybe a Warhol portrait) and put it on a bookstand such as the geeky-cool Atlas Ultra ($65, www.bookandcopyholders.com).

Designer Libby Langdon: “A stack of books [similar sizes or piled large to small] adds height to a lamp or serves as a base for treasured objects, such as fossils or a sculpture. You can make a big stack into an end table.”

Washington Post