The Best Bookshelves (for Looking Like You Finished 'Dune')

John Waters famously said that “if you go home with somebody, and they don't have books, don't fuck 'em!” which is solid gay elder advice—even if he later said, “that's not really true if they're cute enough”—but Waters forgot to address what you should also do based on how your love match treats their books. Does Jack have a dog-eared copy of Infinite Jest on a makeshift milk crate nightstand? Don’t walk away, run sprint! Does Jill have a copy of All About Love at the top of a towering stack of books? Make her an Aperol Spritz, and explain all the benefits of owning a real bookshelf. 

The best bookshelves run the design gamut, from mid-century modern pieces to floating bookshelves that will give your home a hygge-circa-1978 vibe. Few things are more inviting than a cohesive, alphabetized collection of books in your living room or bedroom, and few home decor items can so effortlessly tie a room together as a well-stocked bookshelf. Find the right one, and it can basically double as affordable wall art.  

Let’s find the right bookshelf for supporting your most precious spines. 

Remember when proto-sigma investment bro J.P. Morgan built the Morgan Library? MUST BE NICE. We don’t have baby girl’s oil baron budget, so we’ll be looking for a bookshelf that can fit into a smaller space, such as this handsome sage bookcase. It actually comes in 16 colorways, including burgundy and walnut, and it has a 4.6-star average rating on Amazon from reviewers.   

To whoever walked into the board room and said, “We need to combine the functions of a Lazy Susan with the structure of a bookshelf,” bravo. This spinning bookshelf is a godsend for small spaces.    

You know what would slap? Having a Night at the Museum moment in a suburban West Elm, but instead of reviving Teddy Roosevelt, everyone gets to take home $15K worth of the mid-century modern furniture that the brand does so well. This wall shelf is technically in West Elm’s kids section, but a West Elm 10-year-old is the equivalent of a Bushwick 31-year-old, so go figure. Think about how sick it would be to display your favorite cookbooks on this number with a Tuscan rosemary candle. Perfect for studio apartments.  

A dookshelf is what happens when a desk and a bookshelf fall in love, and it 1) saves you tons of space, and 2) is really fun to say as you give your lover a tour of your railroad apartment. 

Herman Miller = Daddy of MCM design grail pieces, including this iconic Story Bookcase by Design Within in Reach that will make your Lord of the Rings trilogy look like it’s floating. True wizard rizz, and a prime investment piece if you can swing it. 

… But if you can’t drop one-fifth of your rent on galvanized steel, consider this five-star rated bookshelf from Amazon, which comes in a striking shade of red and has the ability to be secured to the wall (if you’re planning on loading it up with extra-heavy books).  

If you’ve ever dreamed of having a sweeping, elegant, and minimalist wall of books, the chances are you’ve ogled Vitsœ shelves on Instagram. The Danish floating shelves are an iconic piece of MCM design, albeit ‘spensi, so I found affordable alternatives on Wayfair, and chronicled their (idiot-proof!!) installation process in this VICE review of the shelves.  

The best bookshelves for your home library should be able to stand the test of time, and nothing goes harder than MCM decor; it can be styled for a contemporary or vintage feel, and gives your space the right bones for going hog wild on everything else, such as this fruit-venerating rug. This Crosley—yes, as in the record player brand—bookshelf is a beast of mid-century modern design, and it not only comes with ample bookshelf space, but also three drawers for storage. Cop it while it’s 39% off, because a piece like this anywhere else could easily cost a couple grand. 

This Zig Zag walnut shelf is not only visually striking, but a clever way to create a partition in your home without actually erecting a wall. Plus, the accordion-like structure of the shelf makes it possible to assemble without any tools, which is sick.

Look, you’ve made it this far. We know you have books. We also know you have unparalleled tchotchkes, from squiggly Alvar Aalto vases to that heart-shaped rock from a beach day you must have wanted to remember. This freestanding bamboo bookshelf on Amazon has a 4.7-star average rating and ample room to spotlight books, flowers, framed photos, and beautiful sex toys, while Urban Outfitters’ earthy, Mediterranean Isobel bookshelf looks like it belongs in the Villa Santo Sospir. 

Happy reading. 

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.