How To Decorate An Industrial Bookshelf

DreamGreenDIY recently recieved another reader shoutout that I just had to share! All the same once more, we take a very artistic reader on our easily (see our very first reader question/weblog response here). Josefine but moved into her get-go place and is doing her best to make a small infinite feel similar abode. She's doing a fabulous job using DIY projects to bandbox things up, but needs a little help with storage. Read on:

"I just moved into my first place, and information technology was a total fix up. The whole thing, height to lesser, was painted this horrible flesh color—not 1 single other color. There was a pigsty in the roof, holes in the wall, windows missing, etc. but it looks pretty expert now! I am all moved in, and simply having fun with the nesting part and trying to look less similar a dorm room and starting to edge towards more developed decorating (still dear my Beatles poster though!). Anyhow, it is basically two rooms stacked on peak of each other (less than 400 sq. ft.), so for whatsoever kitchen space I had to go an industrial-looking shelving unit for my microwave, blender, table pinnacle oven, TV, etc. Information technology does not look similar a squeamish homey thing, and I was wondering if you had ANY ideas on how to make it wait nicer merely still exist functional. I was considering getting totes for the acme ii empty shelves, but I'm not sure…Whatever ideas would be slap-up! —Josefine"

I am so excited for Josefine, considering I definitely call back moving into my get-go place. Nothing will ever replace that feeling…The "nesting" phase is i of my favorites and something that is second nature to me. Whether it's my first apartment living by myself, the home I at present share with my fiancé, or fifty-fifty my tiny cubicle at piece of work—I just dearest making a place feel like abode!

Equally I said before, Josefine is doing some really great things with the décor of her home. She sent u.s. a few photos to showcase the work she's done and I was impressed! Between bright colors on the walls and sugariness feminine touches, I retrieve she's doing a bully job. (She apologizes for the quality of the photos, siting a less-than-neat camera and applied science bug. We don't heed though, the idea is definitely obvious)

Notice the embroidery hoop fine art on the wall in the photograph below. I merely recently did this projection myself and loved information technology. Josefine used shirts she found at a thrift shop to add color and pattern to her hoops instead of splurging for sometimes-expensive cloth from the store.

Gotta love a girl who uses her fanciest high heels to decorate brandish shelves! I admire this idea and, if I wasn't concerned with John's masculine taste, I would definitely break out some of my more sparkly shoes for display.

If you are as Pinterest-obsessed every bit I am, so yous've probably seen this project pictured beneath crop up. Using adhesive, y'all printing a row of crayons to the height of a canvas and cook the colored wax downwards with a hair dryer:

Both pin sources come up from: Meg Duerksen at Whatsoever

Well, Josefine did just that and shared her "After" product with us. It's so neat! I love that no one'southward finished canvas will look the aforementioned, and you could hands change the arrangement of colors y'all use to mix up the look of the melted wax.

But to get to the existent reason for this post, nosotros have to talk about her industrial shelving unit. Storage is absolutely fundamental in a small space, then I come across why she went with a sturdy shelf to accept intendance of her appliances. In fact, we just recently bought and used 1 in our garage. These things will take intendance of ataxia quickly. I'chiliad actually a pretty big fan of the "industrial" await, so I don't hate the idea of using one in a living space. But I can see that the majority of Josefine's abode is more than along the lines of a cozy, ecclectic cottage.

To brand the shelving unit of measurement go along a picayune more with her soft, feminine decor and style, I would advise getting boards cut to fit the size of the shelves. Then there are a number of things she could do. Try painting them to match the color scheme of the room, or fifty-fifty wrap them with fabric to bring some pattern into the mix. For storage, I would avoid using standard, inexpensive Tupperware boxes. Her house is total of vintage touches, so I say keep an eye out for old lid boxes or even a vintage suitcase. While plastic boxes volition go the task washed, so will vintage storage solutions, and they'll await more personal in the long run.

An other idea is to purchase high-terminate kitchen accessories to make an inexpensive shelf look like it came straight out of a cooking magazine. A few shiny things, like metallic bowls, will make the metal shelf expect intentional. A niggling goes a long way, so yous don't need to splurge on all high cease pieces. She could also try trading upwards for nicer appliances, like a practiced microwave. Roaming Craigslist every day will probably turn up a steal in no fourth dimension. Also, upgrading appliances volition more than then likely mean that your new slice will stand up the test of time:

Perchance endeavor color coordination! Simply repeating colors in whatever sits on the shelves will make it seem busy and "pretty," matching the rest of your fashionable space:

What drew me to this DIYed version of an industrial-style shelving unit is the colour. If Josefine is able to push the shelf confronting a wall, perhaps painting a warm, vivid colour similar xanthous behind it would be enough to balance the cold, hard metallic.

I know that Josefine'southward shelf is used mostly for kitchen appliances, but adding just a few decorative items might give it a piddling personality:

Or, if all else fails, possibly the best solution is to hide the shelves entirely! An easy pannel of fabric that slides back and along over the shelves could be just the ticket to soften the hard-on-the-eye unit:

If she finds that nothing is working to soften the look of the metallic shelf, I accept to put in a plug for my absolute favorite past-time…Thrifting! I say run out to your nearest thrift store and find an old bookcase. It might take a few trips to find the i that's juuuuuust correct (and it might fifty-fifty mean looking for an erstwhile armoire that you can add together shelves to for deeper storage), merely adding a fresh coat of paint and hardware could turn trash to treasure.

Hope that helps, Josefine! Skilful luck and continue up posted on your progress.

(Photo credit for pop-of-wall-colour shelf: here; "screened"-in shelf: here)

Source: https://www.dreamgreendiy.com/2011/11/02/reader-question-softening-an-industrial-shelving-unit/

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