Although this bookcase looks nice from a distance, the shelves are extremely flimsy and cannot support more than a few paperback books and small trinkets. It cannot support heavy hardcover books/textbooks, let alone something like a vase. It is clearly very cheaply made, and the description of it being “a storage rack” and a “standard bookcase” is incredibly inaccurate. The photo is very misleading; this bookcase’s shelves would immediately break in real life if the items in the display photo were placed on it. Even if it matches your desired aesthetic and/or is on sale, it is still unfortunately a waste of money.

We ordered this shelf to use as an actual bookshelf. You know....to hold books. Let's just say this shelf won't actually hold books. The shelves are made of thin laminate that bows with the slightest weight. While one shelf would probably hold a row of standard paperbacks, I would not trust the shelf to maintain integrity with a full load of books. Simply put, if you want a device to hold books, this is NOT what you are looking for. As for the cosmetics, it is a nice looking shelf. But I must stress this point once again--it will NOT hold books.