For Luxe “Old Money” Bookshelves, You Absolutely Need This Goodwill Find

If you’ve always dreamed of gliding on a bookshelf ladder à la Belle in Beauty and the Beast, or if the Dark Academia aesthetic has a special place in your heart, you’ll want to borrow a page from DIYer Shalonne Luke’s book (wink) to get the vintage-style bookshelves of your dreams. 

When Shalonne was stocking the wraparound built-in bookshelves in her bedroom, she turned to the (digital) thrift store. “Most of the book sets are from ShopGoodwill.com,” Shalonne explains. (ShopGoodwill is Goodwill’s e-commerce auction site, kind of like eBay!)

To find similar vintage beauties like Shalonne’s, type “books” in the search bar and then filter by antiques. Or, go to the online retailer’s categories, select Books, then Antiques/Collectible. There are lots of sets of six and seven to fill your shelves in the most professorial-looking way. 

Note: This tip works best for stagers, people looking to quickly fill large openings in bookshelves, or for anyone who likes the look of vintage matching sets. It’s also great if your shelves reach up too high to be practical — you can put display books on the top unreachable shelves, then use the ones that are within grasp to store the books you like to pull out on the regular. 

Of course, if building up a collection of books you love or have a personal connection to is more your style, that’s great, too! Personally, as a Missouri native, I’m intrigued by this option featuring my fellow Missourian Mark Twain. 

Shopping online stores is a breeze, but showing up IRL doesn’t hurt either. There might just be a leatherbound set on the shelves of your local Goodwill or thrift store too.

And to accompany these books, go for an antique-looking bust, an antique clock, or brass lighting to complete your luxe library-like aesthetic. Want more inspiration? Check out these eight bookshelf transformations that ooze “bookshelf wealth.”