Because books are often credited for opening the imagination of both the young and old, it seems only fitting that the furniture that holds them would do the same. The following bookcases not only make a statement, but are also functional as they store and display a book collection. Most of these designs are available for purchase, but can cost thousands of dollars. For the serious contemporary furniture collector, these pieces can be the centerpiece of any room they happen to be in.

This octagon-shaped piece can be useful as a room divider or simply up against a wall. It has several inner nooks where books can be stacked and stored horizontally or vertically. It comes in a few colors and would provide a good contrast with a minimalist decor. By Younes Duret

This is the Movement Bookshelf by Samulnoli. The arms and legs grasp the books to hold them in place and are placed over nails that are hammered into the wall through the back piece. This is a great peice to display favorite books, current reads, or books that need to be returned to the library. Because it is mounted to the wall, it can go anywhere, even the kitchen or bedroom.

The Global Views Stackable Bookcase is one of the most affordable pieces in this collection and is offered at Student Market along with a few other contemporary furniture websites. The wood contrasts combined with the holed sides make this piece match with almost any wall color or art.

This large bookcase would be most secure against a wall. It is called the Pyramid Bookcase and is offered by Fitting. This piece comes in other colors and can even be painted or decorated to achieve personality and to fit in with the rest of the room’s decor.

A very creative piece called Suline and created by eitmodesign of Italy, this bookcase looks like it has collapsed. The randomized design will make for stark contrast with the orderly stacks of books tucked on the shelves.

6. LAGOLINEA by Daniele Lago is another ‘random’ design that can be mounted to the wall in a variety of ways. The pictured design looks like a tree blowing away in the wind. As pictured, this design has pieces of varying colors that can provide a visually-stimulating gradient color scheme.

The overall square shape along with the interior criss-cross design makes the Contemporary Q bookshelf offered on Opulent Items a great selection for those who have a large amount of books they they would like to display. This piece is 4 x 4 feet and costs $2,000.

Another selection from Opulent Items, this red spiral Modern Zyk Shelving has wooden x-shaped crossbeams to provide support. Produced in Austria, this bookcase can hold the equivalent of 700 CDs and is best for smaller books for the best fit.

A colorful peg style, the Piola bookcase by nobodyandco from Italy doesn’t hold as many books as other styles in this post, but will provide a definite pop of color and dimension to any room.

Bibliochaise is another piece Italian design company nobodyandco and is 2 pieces of furniture in one- a chaise for reading and relaxing, which bookshelves making up the frame of the chair itself. This is a space-saver and a definite conversation piece.

Any contemporary bookshelf compilation wouldn’t be complete without these eye-catching Modern Jim Shelves again offered by Opulent Items. This piece would look best in a minimalistic, art deco studio or open space. It’s important to take into consideration the depth of this piece before deciding to take it home.

A contemporary take on honeycomb the Lex Bookshelf is made of aluminum and features a frosted glass back that works well when used with back lighting. This piece is $5,500 and one of the biggest in this bookcase collection at almost 6 feet tall. It comes in red, black, and white.

The make/shift bookcase by Peter Marigold has triangular pieces that can be held together in a variety of ways thanks to the grooved sides that interlock together. Peter Marigold has made several different types of this design in a variety of mediums like plastic and wood. Alternating or solitary pieces of a make/shift set can be painted to stand out and provide more of a unique design element.

Seen as very colorful when empty, the Nan 15 bookcase by Nitzan Cohen for Nanoo has most of it’s pastel colors covered up when medium and large-sized books and binders are stored on it. Even with the colors not showing, the Nan 15 is still a striking furniture piece.

The wood pieces of light and dark finishes in the Skyline Bookcase by Italian designer Vincenzo De Cotiis makes it similar to the Global Views Stackable Bookcase featured above. However, this bookcase depends on varying heights and widths to catch the eye. The shorter pieces look suspended between the taller ends.