Janery Studo Makeover Part 4: Shelving Dilemma

On Friday we left off with my sad little shelving fail in the studio.  As a reader pointed out, it is those awful shelf brackets that make it look so terrible.   After a quick brainstorming session I came up with a ton of new options for the top half of the wall:

• Custom-built shelving unit like my inspiration.   This would be hung on the wall by several holes near the top of the frame.  $200
• Container Store Elfa closet shelving which could theoretically be left after move-out. Adjustable shelves.  Could have shelves of different depths.  $235 minimum.
• Ikea Besta cabinets in white.  They can be hung from the wall.  $140 – $180
• Different store-bought shelving with prettier brackets.
• Sturdy floating shelves like these.  This was suggested in the post comments

Here’s the verdict on all the choices:

The Container Store shelving was eliminated when I realized that it couldn’t be hung at the top of the wall because of the A/C vent and that bend in the wall.   Since a basic setup with 2 shelves would end up costing $235 (the stuff adds up) I wasn’t too sad to eliminate it.

Custom built shelving like Kim’s – while I love it, I realized I would like to do something easier and faster, because I really need to focus on preparing for the fall and winter shows.

Floating shelves.  I love the shelves from Desert Domicile, and their construction looks sturdy. Not sure how well it would work going across 10 feet of wall.  Also, they are 4″ thick, and I fear that would take up too much space on an already short wall.  I’d like every inch possible to go for storage.

Also, after I had thought about all of the different options, I realized two key parts:

• I want the flexibility of adjustable shelves, in case my storage needs change
• I was shying away from drilling more holes in the wall for anchors, since I already did a ton for that shelving fail and would have to patch it.

Are you ready for my solution? 

I decided to buy white Besta cabinets at IKEA, and set them on top of the existing unit.  I already know they fit perfectly because the base is made of them, and they have the option to add drawers or doors down the road if I want.

I am honestly not sure how it will look, and if I hate it I’ll return them.  But I found a few examples of built-in shelving hacks done with Besta, and I like what I’ve seen so far.

I hope to get them set up and photographed so I can share them with you by Wednesday.  We’ll see what happens!
In case you’re new here:

• Studio Makeover, Part 1
• Studio Makeover, Part 2
• Studio Makeover, Part 3