Growing tired of looking at bare walls is a common home decor dilemma, whether you’ve just moved in or you’ve lived in your place for years and  have never bothered to decorate. If you belong in the latter category, one of the reasons why you may not have gotten around to decorating is because you try not to purchase household items unless they serve a useful purpose. This is completely understandable:  Hanging up your favorite framed paintings can make your walls absolutely beautiful, but buying something just because it’s pretty to look at might not seem worth spending the money. Here are a couple of ideas for items that you can use to decorate your living room walls and also serve a functional purpose at the same time:

For ample storage: black bookcases

When it comes to being the ultimate piece of useful, versatile furniture, black bookcases definitely come in first place. If you want to take a more literal approach to using bookcases to decorate your home, you can round up your most beautiful books from your collection and groups books with like colors together for an especially eye-catching arrangement. You can also keep an eye out for vintage books with interesting spines the next time you’re out thrift shopping. Don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to placing books on your shelves, though: Some other decorations you can display on bookshelves include floral arrangements, framed photos, small sculptures, decorative masks, candles, or pottery. The combinations of items you can place here are endless!

For a fragrant living room: Benzara Rhapsody sculpture

Who doesn’t love home decor that does double duty? If you’re looking for contemporary alternatives to traditional paintings, give metal wall art a try. Benzara offers several styles of affordable metal wall art that holds votive candles. These can be found in an array of designs, including the Benzara Rhapsody sculpture, which features a beautiful tree design and holds six votive candles. For a fun touch, try using scented candles so you can not only enjoy the flickering glow against your beautiful wall art, but enjoy the aroma of your favorite home fragrance at the same time.

What are your favorite useful items to decorate with?