The Shelf Project...

The shelves are done!

They’ve actually been done since Friday, but it’s been hard to find time to post—I had a busy weekend with lots of family in town, plus some great career news that will take me on an unexpected trip in just a few days (more on that later!).  But I’m finally sharing the results of my finished Pinterest Design Challenge, whoo-hoo!  I think it’s moderately successful.  I think there may be too many colors and the look of the shelves didn’t turn out as streamlined or sophisticated as I would like, but it’s a good first step, I think.

Here were the shelves ‘before’...      

And here are the shelves ‘after’:

The things I really like about them are this:

#1.  The blue color that my friends & I painted the back wall.

#2. Like my inspiration image, I hung little paintings on the walls within the shelves, which I think is really cute. The two horse prints have been floating around in boxes in my family for years, so its kinda groovy to see them finally find a home.  I was going to also hang the two large paintings, (which my husband & I made for each other on our first wedding anniversary), but decided they were so big that it wouldn’t have made a difference.

#3. I was able to fit all the books I wanted on the shelves, and create a somewhat cohesive look out of them (and I even managed to add my cookbooks, which had previously been gathering dust in a neglected corner on the floor). I especially love seeing my vintage Nancy Drew collection…awww, yeah, detective nerd.

#4. I displayed the front of some of my favorite books. I have no idea if this is appropriate in design or if it makes it look like a storefront, but it makes me so happy to see Domino (god, I miss that magazine!!) and The Proust Questionnaire staring out at me!

#5. I found meaningful ‘objets’ to incorporate. The bells and bird lanterns were used in our wedding, as was the German wedding cup on the top shelf, so they all bring up great memories for me. The pulley was actually used in our garage when I was little, and I’m a bit obsessed with the Jonathan Adler pipe I received for Christmas. I stole the little bronze beehive from my Dad’s office (I remember it from my childhood and I love it! I may have to give it back to him after he reads this post & discovers it’s missing, though…). 

And the newest addition: I purchased the two vintage 1920’s ‘lady’ prints (see below) from the Melrose Post last Sunday from the cutest little French man. 

I was going to frame them and hang them, too, but I kinda like the fact that the naked one is literally sitting on ‘a lifetime of secrets’...

Right?

:)

xoxo