10 Smart Ways You Should Be Repurposing Bookends For Bedroom Storage

Bookends come in a wide range of styles and materials, including decorative options that you want to display around your home. And while a bookend might seem like an item that only has one use — keeping your books upright — these decorative additions to our bookshelves and desks are actually quite versatile. There are a lot of different options on the market when it comes to bookends, and depending on what you have or what you are looking for, you can utilize these home accessories in ways that aren't just about keeping your books from falling over.

There are a number of creative ways that you can repurpose bookends around your home, but if you're specifically looking for storage solutions inside the bedroom, this home accessory might surprise you. Bookends can help you clear up the clutter, playing double duty to keep books vertical as well as creating a fake shelf by your bed. From turning metal bookends into floating shelves to using them as a form of jewelry storage, there are a lot of interesting ways to add unique storage in your bedroom by repurposing bookends.

If you fold your clothes and keep them on an open shelf, you might find that things get disorganized quickly as you pull pieces off to wear. Using a bookend to keep folded clothes in order and on their side can make a difference. As you pull out a piece, push the bookend to keep all of the clothes upright. It will keep things looking nice while preventing your clothes from coming unfolded on the shelf. With bookends, you have a secret weapon for keeping your shelf space perfectly organized.

Use metal bookends as the base of a floating shelf for books on your bedroom wall. You'll need to drill into the wall studs to attach the bookend like an L-bracket, then slide a book onto the base of the bookend so that it looks like the book is floating on the wall. You'll need an adhesive, velcro, or a slim edge under the cover of the bottom book to keep it from dropping. With this shelf, consider the weight of your stack and keep it small with lighter books and items.

You can use bookends inside of baskets, bins, and boxes to better organize toys and stuffed animals in a child's room. Metal bookends can be used as a divider to not only make storing smaller items easier, but it can turn a container into a multipurpose space because it lets you store different items in the same bin. Depending on the size of the box or basket, the L-shape of the bookend can be utilized to create different sections for small and medium sized items.

There are a lot of different styles of bookends that you can find, especially at thrift stores. And even if you find a single bookend, there are different ways to use it, including as a jewelry holder. You can use some of the more unique bookends to hang bracelets and necklaces from. Even thinner metal bookends with cutouts can be used to hang fishhook earrings from and then placed on your dresser.

If you have a lot of cords by your bed, using a bookend to keep them wrapped up is a solid way to keep them from making your nightstand feel cluttered. It also means that when you need one of your cords, you'll be able to find it because they are all wrapped together on your bookend. Even if you have a few different cords, these bookends can hold multiples if they're wrapped well.

Tuck a metal bookend between your mattress and the platform or box spring to create a space that can hold a book, your phone, or even a remote control. The back of the bookend can be pushed in or out as needed, as long as the base is still being held down by the weight of the mattress. This creates a type of faux shelf on the side of your bed for smaller items that you want to keep close when you're in bed.

If you're trying to keep your smaller clutches and purses organized on a dresser in your bedroom, using a nice pair of bookends to keep them upright and together is a solid option. You can use decorative bookends, classic metal bookends, or simple blocks to keep your clutches together and standing. One thing to pay attention to is that you'll want bookends that are sturdy to actually support the clutches.

You can use a set of bookends on a nightstand next to your bed to keep your tablets, e-readers, and even your phone in one place. It's great for both storing these electronics and keeping them together so that you can easily grab them when you need them. You'll want to use more heavyweight bookends, like some of the vintage bookends you can find at the thrift store.

Hair accessories are so easy to lose that you might be looking for a better way to keep them from vanishing in your bedroom. Using a bookend to keep your hair scrunchies organized can make it easier to find what you need quickly. Plus, you could even use it to hold your claws and hair clips on the sides of the bookends so that they are easy to find as well. Depending on the size or style of your bookend, you might be able to store other hair accessories, like headbands, too.

If you are someone who loves makeup, and has a lot of it, storing it can get tricky, especially if you don't have a dedicated makeup drawer. Using bookends to keep palettes together and visible can make it easy to see what you have. This storage method can also make it easier to actually use what you have while also letting you display your makeup on top of dressers or a vanity table. You can expand the bookends outward to add more palettes or bring them together as you eliminate pieces from your collection.