DIY Coral Bookends

Hey there!  If you’ve been a reader for awhile, you know that I love to create DIY home decor with items from the local “dollar store” aka Daiso/The 100 Yen Store.   This particular little project is one of my favorites because it looks way more expensive than the $2 I spent.   

You may have spied these bookends in some of my pictures and I shared the tutorial at the lovely Homemade by Carmona in Feb.   Here’s how to create high-end looking bookends (inspired by Horchow coral bookends) with finds from the beach and dollar store.

DIY Coral Bookends

I found these two pieces of coral on the beach near our house and knew they would be perfect for a home decor!   After I went shopping for supplies, this DIY only took 10 minutes. 

Here’s what you need for this simple DIY:

2 large pieces of coral

2 basic bookends from the dollar store

white craft paint and paintbrush

painter’s tape

hot glue gun

Tip: If the coral hasn’t been bleached completely by the sun, a light coat of white spray paint will help make it brighter!

Step one:  Tape off 1/2 inch sections on the sides of the bookends with painters or washi tape.

Use white craft paint (acrylic) to fill in the stripes.  It should take 2-3 light coats for good coverage.

Peel off the tape before the paint completely dries for nice, clean lines. 

Hot glue the coral onto the bottoms of the bookends.  (So now the bookends are actually backwards in their new position.) 

I contemplated painting the bookends white or gold but I’m glad I left the natural wood.  There’s plenty of books with gold backs to add metallic sparkle! 

I had a lot of fun styling these bookends on our gorgeous Okinawan pine table.  These bookends looked great keeping my design, decor, and craft books together. 

Styling a sofa table can be tricky, but using books in vertical and horizontal positions with a sculptural object is a good recipe for an interesting vignette.  You can read more about styling tips and tricks for tabletop decorating HERE. 

Since February, I’ve already moved around the bookends and styled them in our built-in bookcase and in our bedroom.  They look fantastic anywhere.

Make sure to check out my summer page full of DIYs, decorating tips, and printables for the season.

If you liked this fun dollar store DIY, you might also enjoy these posts! 

Faux Living Wall Art 

DIY Plate Magnets