I came across these fabulous bookends at our favorite antique shop on the shoreline, The Trove in Old Saybook, CT. The style doesn’t fit my current decorative scheme, but mainly these wrenches are just so HUGE–the tallest book pictured is 11 1/4″ tall–that they’d take over my space. Not pictured above is how long the handles are. Perhaps I should’ve put my hand around one for perspective. I wanted them, but couldn’t justify the purchase, so settled for a photo. Aren’t they handsome? 

I’ve been pondering how to decorate my home office and I’ve decided on nautical touches–I want it to have a vibe like an old wooden ship while avoiding the slippery slope into kitschy. These wrenches have put me on the look-out for old nautical stuff that would be suitable as bookends. I currently use proper bookends (items designed as bookends) or stacks of books at the end of a row of books.

What do you use as bookends? Anything repurposed or do you prefer proper bookends?