Friday's Vegan Accessory: Wall-Mounted Bookshelves

My book collection is a bit out of control -- in stacks on the floor, etc. -- and the walls of my apartment are rather bare, so I have been thinking about how to remedy both situations at once. The best solution I have found so far is the bookworm shelf (pictured on wall with chair underneath). Truthfully, my friend who is obsessed with the MOMA catalogue and store found it; I simply appropriated the idea. The bookworm is a flexible bookshelf that can be constructed in various curvy shapes to decorate your walls. Approximately 20 pounds can be stored between each of the seven bookend supports. Made from batch-dyed fire-retardant PVC. The bookworm shelf is $425; find it here.

A more economical option, but very similar, is the "Lovely Rita" wall shelf (pictured right with two side by side of wall). As noted by Smart Furniture, the Rita wall shelf "can exist as a single wall shelf or can be fitted side-by-side with a series of modules to form an arrangement of curvy shelves snaking across your wall." The shelf is available in the pictured black, bright red, a deep blue, and white. Unfortunately, the website doesn't say how many pounds of books the shelf can hold. Each shelf is $285; find it here.

A much, much more economical option is the conceal bookshelf (pictured left as though on wall), also found via the MOMA store. This metal shelf mounts on the wall and then attaches to the bottom flap of one book (I think it must be a hard-back book). Each shelf accommodates up to fifteen pounds (about three law school textbooks or ten regular books) and can be stacked up to sixteen inches. If you have certain favorite prolific authors, I think it would be interesting to stack their books in different towers all over the walls. Each shelf is $15 at MOMA. Alternatively, each shelf is $11 at Smart Furniture; find the same shelf for less here.

Finally, something a bit similar, is the "Flybrary Bookshelf" (pictured right as though on wall). This metal mounted shelf hangs your books on metal strips to create the surface of the shelf. I think for maximum effect, all your hung books should be hard-back. Also, I'm not sure if I like the idea of sticking a piece of metal through all my books; though, it might be nice to combine the Flybrary shelf with the Conceal shelf to create contrast as to the orientation of the books magically floating on your wall. Each shelf holds up to 20 pounds. The Flybrary bookshelf is $30; find it here via Smart Furniture.