PROJECT DESIGN: EASY STEPS TO STYLE YOUR SHELVES

I'm coming in hot here y'all.....trying to squeak this post out before the deadline! 

Today along with Mary Ann from Classic Casual Home, Kris from Driven By Decor, Annie from Most Lovely Things, and Cindy from Rough Luxe  are getting down and dirty about an issue that I think all of you might be interested in!

I don't think it's any big secret that styling bookshelves can cause anxiety.... trying to get the perfectly curated "undecorated"....like "I just threw this stuff together" look can break even the best of us!

Oh I know we make it seem like it's easy and when I took everything off mine the other day to prepare for this post you can believe I took a quick snapshot in case the "styling well" ran dry.

It's all good and I think I might even leave them like this for a hot minute.

Let's start from the beginning.....

Before

This was over a year and a half ago....and I gotta tell you....I was pretty happy with how "minimal" they looked.

But I decided that you guys want to see how it's done....my theory behind the scenes....of how I get started.

Before......

My bookshelves are "fixed"....I can't adjust them.  Would I change that.....maybe but I really don't like all the small holes on the side so that's the trade off!

 

I cleared these babies and it was definitely a good time to dust also!  Whew.  Possibly phase one of "project spring clean".....ha ha.

Then I just started playing....but wasn't having too much luck.

But I kept at it....meaning I walked around aimlessly putting off what I KNEW had to happen.

And after about 20 minutes I started feeling OK....

The top shelf has a cool black and white vase that I scored at Target last year....On the second shelf... both vases are from Target and I threw a green faux succulent in one of them [Pottery Barn].

Vintage wood bowl from a flea market.

I think for me....I like to add some vintage objects so it doesn't look like I just filled up my cart at HomeGoods.....you know?  Believe me....I scoured my house looking for things.....

The wood shelf was found in the bath section at HomeGoods....thinking outside the box a little.....and the art was from West Elm painted by Steve McKenzie.

I kind of left the top shelf very minimal.....

Second side......

Before

Keeping mostly with black, white and some wood tones....

I wanted to mix it up a little so I moved the wood beads to this side.....

Again I like to add some greenery and try to find some that looks as real as I can....not always easy!

For the top shelf on the left....the vase was from World Market [bought last year]....dried flowers from an arrangement and some wood beads just curled up.  I needed a small black painting so I did it myself:)

Tribal basket with faux plant in it....again put things into things:)  I also added another small painting from West Elm by Steve McKenzie.

Remember....layering from behind with a small piece of art....or a book....or a sea fan....just something that will give it dimension.

And.......that's a wrap for this Project Design series!  Head over to see what all of my other talented friends did. 

Hope this gave y'all some direction and ideas....now you can get to work on those spring bookcases.....and remember have a sponge and some paper towels nearby.....just saying.

Shaywornout

BEFORE AND AFTER

Another week has passed.....it seems like it's Monday and then blah blah blah it's Friday right?

Remember when you were a kid and you thought Christmas would NEVER come.....time was so slow.  Now that I am older it's just speeding along and I will be gumming my food before I know it.

I posted about this project before but just the living room....which is not quite finished.  Today I have a few updates on the family room which isn't complete yet either but heck it seems like that is where I am on all my projects!

They moved in and did a small renovation so after the dust settled it was time for the fun part.  A three year old and one on the way [plus 2 dogs] means performance EVERYTHING right!  This space will be used hard:)

Let's start with the plan.....

The room is kind of dark so we decided to stick with neutrals.....surprise huh:)

Before

After

So I used my favorite Lee Industries swivel slipcovered chairs.......

This cute end table we ordered from Anthropologie......

The end tables are from Pottery Barn.....I used glass because we kept the trunk coffee table [for storage] and it's nice to add some breathing space.

Since we wanted something light on the floors we used this indoor/outdoor carpet cut and bound. 

On the plus side it is pretty soft and not scratchy at all.

Before

After

This gorgeous sofa [from Charles Stewart Furniture] is covered in Crypton performance fabric.  It's major comfy and I like that it has the pretty modern wood legs....paring nicely with the skirts on the chairs.

Before

I worked on the bookshelves....using my friendly Homegoods and Target for a few trinkets:)

I scored these lamps at Homegoods and they could not be more perfect.....just enough texture and the beige lampshade.

So there are still some changes coming.....but it's a good start!

Hope you guys have a great weekend....last night my husband and I celebrated our 24th anniversary.

We actually eloped to Ringgold Georgia:)

This is pretty much the only picture we have and it cost 10.00 to have them take it!  I know right.....

The hair.

The white t shirt and black vest.

The decor.

Judge away......

Shasportingbigblackhair