There is nothing better than surrounding yourself with books! If you are a reader, like me, you may enjoy looking at them as much as reading them. I especially like displaying vintage books because of their warmth and charm. As far as organizing all of these books is concerned, you may find yourself needing several bookends to support small stacks. I have come up with some unique ideas for bookends that will add both style and function to your home. Most of these bookends are making use of common objects that you have around your home.
Our cabin is full of books. It makes sense since there is no better place to read than a relaxing retreat. Because our cabin is rustic, I like to incorporate a lot of vintage decor. This is also true when it comes to bookends. Antique items, whether on their own or made into a formal bookend, are great for holding up book stacks. Here are just some of the unique ideas that you can use to prop up books.
Old Propellor Book Topper And End
A lot of times, I like to use a horizontal stack of books to hold up a vertical stack. This provides a lot of support however sometimes the looks just needs a little something more. An old boat propellor can fill in the gap and provide additional support too. I really like combining my vintage books with other vintage items like this. The nice thing is that there is such a variety of things that you can use. Whatever your interest, I’m sure there is a small vintage object that will work for you. Most of the time, you’ll just want something with a little weight to it.
Fishing Reel Bookends
One of our bookcases is in the shape of a canoe. Because of the angle, there is always a gap between the side and the end of my books. This is where a small object can be wedged into the gap to keep the books from tipping. Something as simple as a couple of fishing reels can do the trick. My reels aren’t super heavy but because they are between a stable bookcase side and the books they work just fine.
Bookend Idea Using A Vintage Pulley
Vintage pulleys are typically very heavy and work great for holding up books. They can be used both decoratively and for function. You may want to simply prop a single pulley against a stack of books or use two to function like typically bookends.
Industrial Gear Bookend
For awhile, my husband and I would visit the local metal scrapyard to search for treasures. I know that doesn’t sound real promising for the average treasure hunter but we do like our old and rusty finds! This gear was one of the items we found. I had seen industrial bookends in stores with gears like this so we wanted to make our own. My husband just welded all of the metal parts together to form a cool new bookend.
Whimsical Bookend For The Kitchen
A couple of things that we have plenty of are scrap wood and tree branches. These are my materials of choice when it comes to making things! A few game letter tiles completed the look for a bookend to hold up my stack of cook books.
Vintage Shoe Book Holder
My beloved stack of old books from my grandpa was fun to display in a vintage shoe mold. Shoe molds can also be stood on end to hold a standing section of books in a more traditional way.
Now that you have seen some unique ideas for bookends, can you think of other items that would be good to use in this way? Here is a list of items you may also want to think about to spur on some more ideas.
More Ideas For Objects To Use As Bookends
- bricks – painted or natural
- chunks of driftwood
- large rocks
- door stops
- jars or vases
- plumbers pipe sections with flanges
