Books Organized by Color

Over the past few months, I've read numerous articles on arranging one's books by color. Initially, I rejected this notion as a decorator's conceit. A bit too designerly, I thought. I mean: shouldn't one's library be arranged alphabetically by author? But, then what to do with fiction versus nonfiction? Should biographies be shelved together? Maybe Library of Congress is the way to go and at least I'd know that the art books are somewhere in the N's. After a way too long hiatus in my garage (we moved into a new house back in July and still have unpacked boxes in the garage; it's shameful), my beloved cookbooks emerged over the weekend.

Well, I cannot tell a lie: those pretty images of bookshelves organized by color got to me. I decided to try it with my cookbooks and, low and behold, I love it. Somehow I know intuitively that the spine of In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs is Pantone 490 (or some similar burgundy, reddish brown, for those of you who don't think in Pantone colors). Visual people really do have a better memory for color than for words. I think I'll re-shelf the books in my office by color. Then I might take a look at my toiletries. Perhaps the pantry. Once my life is totally organized by color, I'm sure to find than elusive state of calm, blissfully zen, calm.