on the fence.

{all images are screenshots from the corresponding links below}
1 - Pottery Barn Bird Nest Bookend  2 - stevenrolfkroeger Crank Bookends
3 - Restoration Hardware Vise Bookends  4 - CB2 cube bookends  5 - IKEA Skribent bookend  
6 - Fringe Designs White Owl Resin Bookends  7 - Art Ori Falling Bookends  

In the age of the eReader, I find myself wondering whether kids will even know the word "bookend" in 25 years.  You won't find any Kindles or Nooks in our apartment though...we're hooked on books. {I've posted in the past about my love of perfectly messy bookshelves. Clearly, I'm book-obsessed.} 

Anyway, I've been in a design quandary for quite some time now. I find myself being pulled
between the more traditional elements--and the more modern.
Can one ever find a balance between the two? 

Where do you fall? Do you like traditional design or do you favor modern design?

I'd adore your input! I find myself torn between vintage-y elements and clean-cut lines...
Hope you have a happy Tuesday--I can't wait to hear what you think!
xoxo {av}

P.S. Today, I'm thinking about 3.15.2003...
#2: you're still in our hearts--and always will be.

66 comments:

  1. Oooh! I like the owls! My favorite design style is Mid-Century Modern, which includes a lot of Danish and Scandanavian. Love it.

    Have a sweet day!

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  2. I'm a book girl too--and there is something about the smell of library books that gets me every time! I would go vintage.

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  3. I keep thinking that there isn't going to be anymore "Bring Your Favorite Book to School" Day. ughh. I happen to love the cranks!

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  4. I love books... there's no way I would trade being able to flip pages for a screen to stare at!

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  5. I love books too! I have to say I'm loving these bookends. I like 2, 4, 8 and I think I like both traditional and modern HAHA of course, I'd fall in the middle! I love your collages as always! I use a lot of collages on my blog too! I'd love for to share with me what program you use ;)

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  6. Love bookends! I think the first three are great! Definitely go with a vintage look.

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  7. thats a toughie! what category do elephants fall in? :) thats what we have on our bookshelf. i think i'd lean towards more modern. xoxo jcd

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  8. I really like number 3. There are sometimes I like to spice it up and go modern, but really I am a traditional girl.

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  9. oh goodness! those vise bookends shook my heart! i am in love....

    http://lachapstickfanatique.blogspot.com

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  10. I use random things for books ends like a decorative box or a heavy candle, or just other books turned a different way!

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  11. I have a big thing for owls so I say pick the owl ones!! So cute!!

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  12. So glad to have sound a lovely new blogger! You and your significant other are just too cute.

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  13. I am a book girl for sure!!! Number 4 is my fav out of the ones up above. Simple, neat, but still interesting! :)

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  14. I love the "The End" bookend. I love mixing modern with traditional...but I think I lean more towards traditional. The two go well together though, so you can't go wrong! I LOVE books!! Do you have a top 5 list you could recommend?? :)

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  15. Is it terrible that I do both?? I have about 10 booksheves in my house and there is a mixture of old and new. Whatever strikes my fancy.

    BTW, those vise bookends...... ahhhh.

    <3
    aj

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  16. My favourite type of bookends are either big chucks of agate/crystal or regency type animal heads etc...so I guess modern and traditional:)

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  17. ooooh. i love them all. does that help? :) I would say vintage! but I love "the end" one. Ok, so I did not help at all.

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  18. i like all of them too! not helpful, i know. :)
    i would never ever ever get a kindle. i just need to be holding the book in my hands. just like i need to with a newspaper to really feel like i'm reading it. books forever! (we need to make bumper stickers!!)

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  19. I love these! I was just thinking about book ends for my daughter's book shelf yesterday! Love number 4 and 8!

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  20. loving the owl bookends! but im such a sucker for owls...

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  21. hmm i waver on this one too! my favorites are #1 and #4! i'm into a big white kick right now, but i think most of the time i'd go traditional.

    xo.ashley

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  22. Oh really love the birds nest! That would be my pick for sure!

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  23. LOVE the owls! I'm drawn to almost all of these, so I think I'm a little of both!

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  24. How funny! I just posted about bookends a couple of days ago! (Guess great minds think alike ;))

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  25. definitely leaning more towards the modern ones. i love "the end" it's clever!

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  26. I love "real" books and dream of having a whole library in my home one day. While I love more traditional decor, I love the owl bookends. They are adorable!

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  27. I love my book collections. I adore them and can loose myself in the contents of my bookshelves for hours. I will never give up the printed word. I go for unique, funky and eye catching ends. I like to scatter engineered randomness through out the books.

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  28. I love the owls, and number 8! a good mix of modern and traditional! I still buy books, and love to put them up on shelves!

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  29. i LOVE number 7... btw, you two inspire me darling. my love and I have been doing 2 years of long distance and though it's hard it's so worth it when we get to jump into each other's arm

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  30. I have so many vintage/cottage things in my house but am SO wanting to mix in some modern elements too! I guess that means I'm also on the fence! :)

    xo! Lauren @ tickled.

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  31. I have to say classic vintage, only because I feel like book stacks are classic in and of themselves!
    xoxo em

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  32. kind of obsessed with the bookends that look like they are falling on the tiny man. My apartment is going to be such a mismatch whimsical mess.
    Oh wait... I have a kindle though...

    CarissaExplainsItAll

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  33. I'm loving #3 and #5. I kinda have a southern flair to my taste, but I love super simplicity too!

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  34. cute! my bookends are the brooklyn bridge so I guess more modern? I think you can mix them! Someone commented that since the books are classic it would be fun to sway more modern and i like that idea. :)

    xo
    i wander, i wonder

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  35. I'm definitely more traditional, but there are some modern elements I like. We've got some dog bookends that you'll see on Friday! woohoo! :)

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  36. i love 4, 7, and 8. our "style" is clean cut lines with a mix of comfortable. :) i like to use big candles or gifted pottery as bookends.

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  37. I'm a book girl too, nothing happier than a full bookshelf! I prefer the traditional ones, but I really adore that one with the little man holding up the falling bookshelves. Too cute!

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  38. i love books and even though i have a feeling i'll cave to an ereader someday soon (ipad, i love you), you'll never NOT find bookshelves in my home. :)

    and as far as design styles go, i'm definitely bohemian modern. :)

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  39. I also find myself pulled in both directions - we are trying to mix both in our flat, but we lean a bit more modern since that's more what the boy is into - yes, he likes to have a say in how the flat is decorated haha.

    xoxo
    Jenna

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  40. Loving all of these, especially #7 ~ very cute!

    xoxox,
    CC

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  41. I am a big fan of #1. I feel that it's used a lot, but maybe because I have a couple of nesty-decor-items in my home! Love the blog!

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  42. Just stumbled across your blog and saw that you are from Indiana! I just moved to Indianapolis w/ my husband a few years ago...

    I like the owl bookends!!


    xo Jess


    http://cheapbutchicclothes.blogspot.com/

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  43. definitely more modern.....these are awesome picks!!!

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  44. oh I know what you mean!!! There is such beauty in the traditional... and such awesomeness in the contemporary!!

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  45. Haha, I love "the end" book end. These are all so cute!

    Also, I wanted to tell you that (since you are a follower of mine; was Love & Life now champagne wishes.) I have had some issues with my new blog set up, tried to create a new one under the same account with similar issues so I have created a new account under a new e-mail address & I wanted to make sure I tell all of my followers so if you follow me at http://melissa-champagnewishes.blogspot.com that would be so greatly appreciated! I will (when I get to it) unfollow you from my old account which I won't use anymore and re-follow you with my new one(this one)! Thanks again! Have a great week! xo melissa

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  46. I love both the owls and the bird's nest! So I guess I like both contemporary and traditional :)

    I still don't have a Kindle; I can't imagine not having a physical book in my hands! And what would I do without the smell of books?? A e-reader can't replace that.

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  47. ooo I like number 1! I have a nook but I still have a ton of books too, and no bookends. I would have to say I think I like a mix of traditional and modern but haven't quite mastered mixing them yet.

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  48. I love those owls :) I think bookends are so classy, and I love seeing the different things people will use for them! I personally like more vintagey style, but people can pull all kinds of stuff off.

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  49. Ooh, I love number 7 and 8! I think a good mix of both is nice, I love clean lines but I little something different is always eye catching.

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  50. I think if most of the space is clean, a little bit of whimsy works beautifully! The truth is, most of us would probably go at least a little crazy in a totally Anthropologie-d home, but the accents are divine!

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  51. I think I love both the traditional and the modern. It all comes back to what kind of bookshelf you have, a modern one or a traditional one? and when you're choosing a bookshelf, you have to think about what kind of room do you have (where you're going to put that bookshelf). Cause a traditional kind of bookshelf wont go with a modern bookend. but well, it's just my opinion :)
    anyway, my favorite for the traditional would be number three, and for the modern is number seven :)

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  52. Hey girl! I love slow cooker recipes too, if you try it, you'll have to let me know if you like it or not!!

    I normally am a more tradtional person, but I'm loving the modern bookends in this post! Especially the yellow "the end" one!

    Great post. Have a good night!

    Linds XOXO

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  53. Ooooh that's a tough one! I'm tending to like the more modern one's you picked out. I guess I just like things with personality:)

    The Cheeky Cafe

    P.S. Tomorrow is the last day to enter my tote giveaway

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  54. i love number 7 and 8 and i think i would go for a more modern twist :)

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  55. heey, i mentioned you on my post here --> http://ima-daydreamer.blogspot.com/2011/03/mono-white.html
    hope you like what i say :)

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  56. oh, I share your pain, I am also torn between vintage and clean lines! Out of all these, I would definitely choose no. 3! :**

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  57. Loving all of these - 1 and 2 are my faves. Also, in deference to my dogs, I kind of love these: http://www.jonathanadler.com/Dachshund-bookends-7058/?cat=0&page=1&initial=&xid=e89300ebc6c35d3b526f197aa88f51ec

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  58. the bird nests bookends are just darling.

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  59. I am in the same boat! I used to be all 'modern modern modern' but my mom got me hooked on thrifting and now I'm loving antique/vintage peices. I like to mix it up and currently have some old books displayed with modern bookends to balance it.

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  60. I love those owl bookends - very Jonathan Adler-esque!

    Haley @ Cardigan Junkie
    www.cardiganjunkie.com

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  61. I have such mixed feelings regard the Kindles and Nooks....I hope books make a comeback someday, so our kids will know what they are!
    Love the book-end inspiration! I definitely could use a few sets!
    New follower!! Your blog is just so lovely!!!!!

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  62. I like 4 and 6 the best. The owls are fantastic!

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  63. I am a huge fan of bookends. They can add so much character to a space.

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  64. Those owls are my favorite!! I am torn between traditional and modern too, but I tend to stick w/ traditional pieces. Great choices!

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