Not Your Basic Bookends

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

19 Sep 2006 05:29 PM

A few months ago I saw an episode of Oprah where she gave a tour of her guesthouse. It was decorated in true Oprah fashion with careful attention to detail (actually, if I remember correctly the actual decorator was her long time hair stylist Andre and his partner). In any event, one of the minor details that caught my eye was her unusual bookends. We all know how much Oprah loves books and she has the collection to prove it, she had many bookends, but the ones I especially admired were stone angels (very similar to the ones you would find in one's garden, though with Oprah's wealth I'm sure they were hand crafted specifically for her). The angels were a unique and creative choice for bookends and it got me thinking about what other unusual items could be used to hold literary masterpieces in place.

Here are some of my favorite ideas:

Glass Vases. Fill them with colorful glass beads or seashells and you've got a wonderful way to display your flower-less vases and hold your books at the same time.

Sculptures. I don't have many (okay, I don't have any), but I have saw two large porcelain sculptures being used as bookends at our local library. I'm not sure if it was done primarily for aesthetic reasons, or if someone realized how practical they were.

Pails or Buckets. I saw this idea being implemented at a local bookstore-in the children's section. Someone had filled two beach pails with sand and stuck miniature sand toys in them, then used them as bookends for summer reading selections. I'm not sure how well that would go over in my 2-year-old's room (those pails would be dumped on the carpet in a split second), but you may find it works well in your older child's room.

Awards. I got this idea from In Style Magazine. A two-time Academy Award-winning actresses really does use her statuettes as bookends. For those of us who don't have a career on the big screen, consider using your child's soccer or t-ball trophies as bookends in their room.

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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Linda Hansen (1796) 20 Sep 2006 11:46 AM

What great ideas. I am perusing the house now to see what would look good sitting on both sides of a stack of books. Artcraft

Michele Cheplic (37349) 21 Sep 2006 02:39 PM

Artcraft--Thank you so much for your comment. Let me know what you come up with! :)