Mushroom Bookend
Vintage 1960s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Alabaster
Recent Sales
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Marble
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster, Marble
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Onyx
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster, Marble
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Marble
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Onyx
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster, Marble
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster, Marble
Mid-20th Century Bookends
Alabaster, Marble
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster, Marble
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster, Marble
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Bookends
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Bookends
Alabaster, Marble
20th Century American Art Deco Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Finding the Right bookends for You
A good pair of antique, new or vintage bookends will look wonderful in your reading nook. And the need for these trusty home accents has stood the test of time, which means there are many different kinds to suit any design taste or furniture style.
Bookends weren’t created until the 1870s. Serving faithfully in the background, they went unobserved for a while. The authors of the Oxford English Dictionary report that the term “book end” didn’t appear in printed material until 1907. The primary function of bookends is to ensure that your books remain upright in your bookcase, but style and form have taken the lead over the years. Furniture makers have ensured that bookends demand as much attention as the books themselves. Indeed, while competing with carefully curated first editions or rows of colorful spines is no small task, plenty of bookends steal the stage.
If you’re looking to add a dose of intrigue or decorative flourish to your reading room that will be difficult to ignore, stone bookends and metal bookends can take on the appearance of small, provocative sculptures rather than functional accessories to keep your books orderly on your shelves. Depending on what kind of textures you’re thinking of introducing to your home office or study, a pair of brass bookends or a bronze set will pop against your dusty hardcovers and any decorative objects you’ve accumulated while working to style your bookcase. A pair of mid-century modern bookends carved from dark, exotic woods such as teak can also introduce warmth to a home office or study. While teak was a favorite of designers who worked with furniture in the mid-20th century, all manner of wood bookends have emerged over the years, with some woodworkers carving ornate patterns or figures into their pieces.
Bookworms, take note: You can find an extraordinary range of antique, new and vintage bookends for your dazzling book displays and bookshelves today on 1stDibs.
Read More
May’s Most Popular Interiors on Instagram
Our feed is filled with the world's most beautiful spaces. See the rooms our followers have deemed the best of the best this month.
29 Incredible Pools
It's hard to resist the allure of a beautiful pool, even if you don't particularly care for swimming. So go ahead and daydream about whiling away your summer in paradise.