Question for Readers: To float or not to float

I’ve got a living room design dilemma, and I want to know what you think.

Now that I’ve hung my enormous modern painting on one wall of my living room, the next steps are as follows:

• Choose wall shelves to hang above glass-door credenza
• Decide where to hang (or place) collage of black-and-white photos in black frames (currently living on hallway walls)
• Refinish asian-style cabinet (end table) with a glossy red
• Obtain gray sofa cover (or dye existing one)
• Find mid-century fabric to recover ottoman and make some pillows
• Recover lamp shades to coordinate
• Find a fabulous grey, black, red rug (budgeted for November)
• Finish accessorizing
• Find new additional mid-century seating (now that my two chairs moved to the new office)

It’s those first two tasks that stumped this chump.  Below you’ll see the photo of the glass door credenza above which I’d like to hang two shelves.  Two floating shelves.  (Don’t worry, I’m fixin’ to paint this wall ASAP.)

Below that you’ll see a very rough illustration of the shelf arrangement I’m considering.  Two floating shelves of differing lengths.  I have two antique cameras as well as an old-school wet-plate photograph (currently framed in silver, on the credenza) that I’d like to display on the shelves.  I will then move my old black and white family photos (hanging in hall) to the shelves.

(Disclaimer: The messy laptop and speakers and fall decor items will be moved posthaste.)

Dilemma:  I found that the Ikea Lack shelves I’d hoped to use do not come in a wood tone that would match my credenza.  I really want to avoid big shelf brackets because I’m trying to keep things in line with my clean and streamlined mid-century modern furniture.

Here are the options.  The shelves must be at least 10″ deep:

• Build two floating shelves; stain to match. Upside – what I want.  Downside – a lot of work.
• Install Ikea Ekby shelves (or my boards) with Ekby Bjarnum brackets instead.  Upside – easy peasy.  Downside – the brackets are chrome.  Not wood colored.
• Install other shelves altogether.  Suggestions, please?

While I’m at it with this “ask the reader” business, is the current lamp too short? Should I move the lamp from the end table over to the credenza?  (It’s much taller)

Finally, what should I hang over my sofa?  I was planning to make a mid-century modern inspired art piece on a canvas.  Or maybe I should make a grouping of smaller art pieces?  I don’t want to take away from the large painting on the opposite wall, but at the same time the sofa wall can not be neglected.

So, to sum up, the questions are as follows:

1. Should I build “floating” shelves and stain them to match the credenza, or should I purchase something that isn’t quite “floating?”
2. Does the staggered shelf look work with the lamp, or would a taller lamp (like the one by the sofa) be better?
3. What should I hang over the sofa?  Should I make my own art on a painter’s canvas?

Please let me know what you think!  All opinions will be fairly considered!  Thanks so much for stopping by.