Bookish Spring Decor to Brighten Up Your Space
When my spouse and I moved into our home just over a decade ago, one of the most gratifying things — for me — was the act of setting up my home office, making the space my own, a sanctuary where I could write and curl up with a book and generally enjoy some alone time.
Even now, it is my favorite space in the house, filled as it is with homemade glitter art, embroidery, knick-knacks, and other pieces of artwork that announce to the world my primary interests (sex positivity, horror, comics, cats, and all the books).
One of my great joys is filling the space with new pieces that make me smile. Sometimes, that means embroidering a wreath for the door of my office. Sometimes it means sitting down with my child and painting glittery rainbows on rocks, then sticking one on my desk where I can always see it out of the corner of my eye.
As we approach spring, I feel called to make these sorts of updates to my space even more. After all, spring cleaning means…more space, right? (Wait, is that not how that works?)
So, as much for me as for you, here’s a list of bookish spring decor that’s guaranteed to make your home look fabulous.
Bibliophile Ceramic Vase by Jane Mount
I will forever love illustrator Jane Mount’s work, both because of its vibrancy and because it is steeped in a deep passion for books. I’m pretty sure we’ve mentioned this vase in the past, but I can’t in good conscience not mention it again in a post about bookish spring decor. The shiny gold flowers on the book-shaped vase, plus the title on it (A Compendium of Flowers) make it especially seasonal and bookish. You can find this vase on Amazon for $26.96.
Set of Two Garden Studies Storage Boxes
These storage boxes, meant to hold small items, are designed to look like books about gardening. Their colors are muted, but the covers explode with flowers and greenery. You can get a set — either in brown/ivory or green/ivory — from Burke Decor for $33.
Ceramic Bookends That Double as Bud Vases
Also muted in tone, I still can’t help digging these ceramic bookends that double as bud vases. Bring in a bit of the outdoors in or if, like me, you have a black thumb, consider handmade flowers. I have grand plans to make some embroidered plants for my office, but there are plenty of options out there for handcrafted flowers you can buy readymade. Before we go there, though, you can get these bookends from Food52 for $250.
Comic Book Roses
Speaking of handmade flowers, I am loving these paper roses made from comic book pages. Etsy seller ComicLetterDude has a number of characters you can choose from, including personal favorites Batgirl and Ms. Marvel (but where’s Squirrel Girl, dude??). You can get a whole bouquet’s worth for $75.
A Bookish Embroidery Project
I actually embroidered this pastel-colored bookworm last year. It was my first time doing a chain stitch, which made the sweater look amazing, and I also love how the hair hangs down past the hoop. If you also enjoy crafting, you can get this downloadable pattern from GetStitchDoneDesigns on Etsy for $9.
Another Bookish Embroidery Project
If you want your bookish decor to more overtly scream spring, I also adore this design featuring a pile of pastel-bound books with a flower-filled mug perched on top. Gosh, the threadwork on those books looks amazing. This one is being sold as a whole-ass kit by PrintedJune on Etsy, for $30.
Library Due Date Card Serving Tray
Okay. I know this serving tray isn’t specifically spring, but those pastel-colored library due date cards remind me of brightly-colored East eggs. I…want this very badly, even though I am not a person who uses serving trays in my home. You can get this tray from CheltenhamRoad’s Etsy shop for $54.
Print of a Bookshop Surrounded by Wisteria Vines
I’m choosy about the prints I buy because it takes me forever to get my shit together enough to hang them, but this watercolor of a cute little bookshop is super charming. The fact that it’s been painted in a selection of pastels adds to the spring vibe. Etsy seller GibbCoIllustrations is offering up the unframed print in a variety of sizes, starting at $22.
Print of Bag End in the Spring
If you’re a fan of Tolkien in particular, you’ll love this watercolor of a hobbit hole in Bag End. It’s clearly spring, because the cozy hobbit home is surrounded by tall, waving grass and a profusion of flowers. You can get this print in two different sizes from Etsy seller FoxandWild, starting at $23.
Print of Blue Hydrangeas Atop a Book Stack
One more print! Well, there are actually two design options here, but both are lovely. Each of them features a small book stack and a ceramic vase filled with blue hydrangeas. These unframed prints, available in multiple sizes, are available from Etsy seller GibbCoIllustrations (again!) starting at $22.
Suncatchers by Boss Dotty Paper Co.
Finally, these suncatchers from Boss Dotty are not necessarily bookish, but they bring so much joy to my workspace when they scatter rainbows around the room at various points in the day. They have a bunch of designs to choose from, but here’s their plant window suncatcher, available for $10. You, too, could have an Instagram feed filled with random photos of rainbow sunbeams generated by your three different suncatchers.
And that’s all I got. Excuse me while I go spend all my money (on more suncatchers). In the meantime, if you want even more bookish spring decor, check out this post of best bookish spring decor from 2021.
