Ready for a little more personality in your home office or bedroom? How about thinking outside the shelf when determining how to store books?

This zigzag approach actually holds quite a few volumes while adding a touch of design daring to your home. This style can be found on the Internet or easily built if you’re handy.

Want even more of a design feel? How about sorting the books by color on each shelf? Combining red, green, blue and black covers would increase the sculptural feel. Some designers also cover books in white or brown paper to keep them looking clean and simple. Of course, this turns them into accessories rather than functional objects.

By choosing a light color for the shelves, furniture and walls, this homeowner chose to have the furnishings almost fade into the background and the accessories and books stand out. If your accessories are more functional than attractive, using a brightly colored or black set of shelves and dresser or buffet would put the accessories in the background. This might be a better choice in a commercial application such as an office.

Shelves like these have only become possible since the development of shelf holders that become invisible once the shelves are installed. This clean approach allows the shelves themselves to become part of a clean and contemporary look.

Don’t choose the simplest or most standard options when you decorate your home. Even something as simple as a bookshelf can become a statement of your personality if you look outside the standard in your home’s design.