Unlike what its name may imply, the Tape Shelf is neither a shelf nor a tape. Instead, it’s a set of brackets that can be used to mount books up a wall, displaying them face-up like decorative posters and photographs.
Made by Japanese studio 3xDesign, using the brackets make it appear like someone took black electric tape and used it to affix books up the wall. Except, of course, it isn’t tape, so there’s no sticky residue to deal with, in case you decide that book belongs back in a shelf after a month of staring at the same display.
The Tape Shelf comes in three sizes for accommodating books of varying thickness, allowing you to display everything from coloring books to graphic novels to coffee table volumes. To mount a book, you use four brackets, each of which is mounted at precise distances to accommodate the printed matter’s exact dimensions. Each bracket comes with push pins that you use to fasten them tightly in place, although we’d probably reinforce this with a couple of small nails, just to make sure they keep a stronger hold.
While the books are meant to mount with the front cover facing outwards, the brackets look like they’ll allow the books to be mounted opened on a specific page, too, so you can display a gorgeous photo spread on an art book if doing that strikes your fancy. Plus, you can use it to mount any similarly-shaped objects, including game boards, rectangular mirrors, and more.
You can learn more about Tape Shelf from 3xDesign’s website.