The solution, which prevented her from becoming overwhelmed by cookbooks, magazines and chick lit, came in the form of Sapien Bookcases, which she purchased at Design Within Reach. Instead of putting books on a horizontal shelf, on the Sapien Bookcase her books stack vertically, which doesn't just look cool, it also allows her to stack either 50 or 70 books – depending on which size bookcase she's using – in just over one square foot of floor space.

Here's how it works: the bookcase has a heavy base that's 13 ½” square, and a sturdy vertical bar comes out of the base, forming the spine of the bookcase. Shelves stick out from that spine and each one can hold up to 20 lbs. The shelves are skinny, so they disappear between her books when Girlawhirl stacks them so it really looks like the books are stacked on top of themselves.

In addition to keeping her books in order, Girlawhirl's Sapien Bookcases have become a topic of conversation when first-time visitors stop by.

Sapien Bookcases designed by Bruno Rainaldi are available in two sizes: short, which holds up to 50 books and tall, which will hold 70. For a limited time girlawhirl.com readers save $25 when they purchase two at designwithinreach.com

Click here to see the short version

Click here to see the tall version

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