No Longer Short on Shelving

No Longer Short on Shelving
Update: We have added a tutorial for this project and it can be found here!
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One things that was very intimidating to me when I first started designing was decorating bookshelves. It just seemed like so much space to fill. I wasn’t sure how to make things look interesting and pretty rather then just haphazardly thrown up on a shelf. Fast forward a couple of years and decorating book shelves in one of my favorite things to do. It’s a great way to add texture and interest to a space. Plus you can display some of your favorite items instead of having to have a bunch of concealed storage space.

So, do you want to know how these shelves came to be? As I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my living room, I knew I needing something to balance out the window on the left side of the space (see below- I used to have lockers in the area to balance out the space but those got moved to a new area in the house).
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Then, I started thinking, not only do I enjoy decorating shelves, I also have a lot of interesting objects to decorate with that I have picked up over these past couple years of set decorating and designing. I informed Tim that I wanted some sort of shelving but I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted it to look like. Something unique that people have seen before of course, but also something that wasn’t too visually heavy (our living space is somewhat small and could be easily overwhelmed by a bulky bookcase). Luckily, Tim was inspired and quickly came up with an idea that he wanted to try, so I handed the project off to him. Here are a few process pictures and overall look at what he came up with.
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Once Tim got the shelves hung, Part 1 of the project was complete. I was really pleased with how they turned out and really excited to start accessorizing them. Here they are after I finished with Part 2 of the project.
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Of course I will tweak a few items, but how do you like the setup so far? I couldn’t be happier, especially considering we spent less than $50 on this project! If you’re interested Tim will write up a how-to for you to create this look in your own home! Let us know! 🙂

This article has 14 comments

  1. Allison

    I love it!!! I wanted to put in shelves and i was looking at the “pipe” shelves (ya know what i mean?) but i didnt feel like doing all that work. This looks like way less plus its not as permanent and doesn’t involve drilling into the hardwood floor which im sure my landlord would appreciate;)

  2. Erica

    Yes, please do provide a tutorial!!! I would also LOVE for you to do a tutorial on how to arrange items on a bookshelves… I for one still find it intimidating! I’m finding it especially difficult to make my bookshelves look pretty as they are actually full of a lot of books, too.

  3. The Retired Mama

    Yes please write up instructions. I get most of it except for how he anchored the shelf in the middle of the wire. What is keeping it from slipping down? I think the shelves are really unique and beautiful.

  4. Laura

    Ohh what pretty, simple shelves, great work! I immediately looked around my house for a place we could hang something like this, alas our walls are FULL.

    I have thought I should let you know I have your horse’s long lost cousin on my bookshelves right now, I picked him up at a garage sale this summer for 50 cents! I felt so bad about the steal I almost paid the guy double.

    Thanks for the inspiration.

  5. JulieBGreen

    I have that exact same marble horse bookend! I picked it up at a garage sale in Edmond for $5! Love the shelves. I like the mix of wood and hardware. Very cool as always 🙂

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