I loathe bookcases.
Why? Several reasons. For one, I try not to have any more furniture than necessary. A small apartment can only handle so many pieces. Secondly, bookcases rest on the floor, providing a refuge for dust and pet hair on the lower shelves and making it harder to vacuum every inch of the room they are in.
Ick! I just hate that. That’s why I want as little furniture resting on the floor as possible. To keep life easy and vacuum-able. And also pet-friendly.
But how do you store books and other knick-knacks? I like to hang a few tastefully-spaced shelves on the wall. And make them pretty. Which, I’ve discovered, is an art. An art for which I don’t always have the right talent. So I keep trying and tweaking and placing and moving and stacking and sorting and . . . paring down, of course!
Shelves or no shelves, however, small apartments are not conducive to clutter. Therefore, I’ve tried to elminate all but the most treasured of knick-knacks and books. Pretty much anything remaining in my home is pretty darn important. Often a gift from friends or family. Or something I bought that I just LOVE. As my living and dining rooms are working their way towards a strong mid-century modern aesthetic, however, I’ve had to keep a lot of my “clutter” out of them. In order to still incorporate it into my home, when I turned my second bedroom into a guest room and office combo I included in the plan a display area for said clutter.
Not wanting to spend a penny more than necessary on the guest room, I “relieved” my dad of two equally-sized boards from his woodshop. I added some stain and sealant (I’m sure by now my condo neighbors think I’m crazy when they see me outside playing with wood and varnish in all sorts of weather) and attached decorative brackets from the hardware store. Voila!
Since then I’ve tried several times to tweak the aesthetic. I think I’m finally satisfied. . . well, at least 85%.
So here’s a quick before-and-after of my latest attempt at artful arranging. I don’t know – maybe it’s still too cluttered:
1 Comment
Oh Jane. You got it girl. It surprised me. I hope the post didn’t come off as negative, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was shell-shocked.