10 Great Ways Book Lovers Can Creatively Reuse Their Old Books

1. An awesome headboard made out of books.

What better way to show your love for all things literary than to take some great reads and nail them to a headboard? I love this idea because it makes your book the focal point of your bedroom in a new and interesting way instead of just piling them up next to the bed or on a dresser. Get the directions and see how they created this look at Design Every Day.

An alternative to this idea:

Although the first idea is great, I really love this alternative headboard design as well. Instead of nailing your books to the headboard you can take pages and covers from your favorite books and plaster them to the piece of plywood. This makes your room a little bit cozier and gives your bedroom a vintage + literary vibe.

2. Stacked books table lamp

If you’re feeling particularly crafty and want to create a unique lighting display, convert your old books into a lamp. Find out how to do this yourself at HGTV.

3. The floating bookshelf

I’m always looking for new ways to stack and store my books. What’s great about this is it’s a cute and easy way to decorate a wall while finding a new way to put your books on display if you’ve run out of room in your traditional book shelf. May December Home give great directions on how to do this look without ruining your books like most floating bookshelves require.

4. Make your books a focal point of an end table.

This is a super simple way to feature some of your favorite reads on an end table. Grab a few books and set them under under a glass cloche. You can either create your own glass cloche or you can pick one up for under $20 at most places.

5. Line your walls with the pages from your favorite books.

In this example they use pages from a dictionary but you can make it more personal by using the pages of your favorite book. Either way, it’s a unique way to create your own DIY wallpaper to give a space a refined, literary effect.

Get the directions at Apartment Therapy.

6. Create new bookmarks out of the spines from old classics.

Make your own bookmarks by using the spine of old classics. Keep them for yourself or give them as gifts when the holidays roll around.

7. Literary coffee table

Similar to creating your own wall paper with pages from dictionaries or your favorite books, you can do the same thing with your coffee or end tables.

8. Vintage book banner

Using twine, clothespins, and old children’s books found at a thrift store you can create a fun and kitschy banner to add an extra effect to any room.

9. iPhone dock

Combining new technology with old classics you can create this awesome DIY iPhone dock by picking out your favorites and using them as the base for your  homemade phone charger. See the directions and how to do this yourself with the help of Little Lovelies By Allison.

10. Create new art with your favorite literary passages as the backdrop.

You can buy literary art like this at dozens of shops on Etsy OR you can take 5 minutes and make it at home yourself. By using pages of books as printer paper you can easily print any design, image, or quote as a silhouette, creating your own unique handmade literary art.