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While bookshelves often serve as nothing more than functional storage solutions, we’ve been seeing them more and more as curated displays, a place to showcase personality-filled accessories. If anything, the vibe is to place a book here and there to fill negative space, letting the decorative objects shine. Not sure where to begin propping out your own bookshelf? We tapped some stylist friends to spill their favorite nonbook items currently on their shelves so you can follow their lead.
Vintage Italian Table Lamps
A pair of small vintage Italian glass lamps. They have a really pretty glow at night and add interest to shelves filled with books and objects. —Brittany Albert
A Drapey Plant
I love my fishbone cactus plant, which I’m letting grow superlong and funky. The plant is potted in a Kat and Roger pot I bought years ago that I still love so much. The combo of the two feels graphic and organic and adds a lot of personality to the shelving. —Merisa Libbey
A Sculpture With a Story
My favorite accessory on my bookshelf right now is a small vintage porcelain poodle that is standing on all four legs. It was a gift from a close friend and mentor when I first started working in the design world. —Pablo Olguin
An Organic Vessel
I recently got a pinch vessel from Nik Nik Studio. It’s a brilliant blend of form and function. It serves as a handsome sculpture while empty but also looks chic with greenery or flowers. —Scott Horne
A Cohesive Collection
I love a collection on a bookshelf. I personally collect hand sculptures; some are old carved wood hands, others are vintage porcelain glove molds. I love them on a bookshelf because they visually break the rows of books and have different heights, which keeps your eyes traveling. —Mariana Marcki
Character-Filled Wood Boxes
My shelves comprise an entire wall, which means there’s a good amount of real estate to fill. I always incorporate wood boxes because they take up space without adding to the visual clutter unlike a bunch of itsy-bitsy tchotchkes. I found a few perfectly distressed vintage Shaker boxes at Sage Street Antiques in Sag Harbor that I keep in a line—the meticulous craftsmanship of the thin bentwood is pure eye candy. —Julia Stevens
