That area has never worked, we hung the shelf too high and never bothered to anything about it. There is a horribly placed series of light switches... the space just hasn't work.
But I had gathered the things I thought I wanted to work there. The heart art trio, a square mirror we've had kicking around after it was removed to make room for something else, 2 mini-shelves the I picked up for $5 at a thrift store, the shadow boxes of the kids, a vase I made earlier in the year and a star that I've had for months and couldn't find a home for.
Given that I had so many pieces to work with, I knew I couldn't just throw everything to the wall and let it stick where it fell.
So I employed the often used technique of making paper shapes of the items and arranging them on the wall. (There were 2 screws in the wall from the shelf that I used for the mirror...)
Yeah, that didn't work... don't think the 2 shelves is going to be possible, trying 1 and flipping everything.
Ok, there is something about that, it almost works for me... add the vase to the shelf...
Realize I can't reach the light switch around the star.
Realize I'm forcing the star and liked the shadow boxes on the other side. Oh - I've got 3 boxes I've wanted to work with...
Yes, that is working more like I wanted. I live with it for a few hours and decide I'm ready to commit!!!
Another advantage to using the paper, I marked where the mounting brackets were on the back of the shelf and the frames. I made sure everything was level...
And drilled the screws right in through the paper.
Pulled off the paper and mounted the shelf.
Same thing with the 3 frames, made sure they were aligned as I wanted and put the nails in right through the paper.
And here is the finished product... I have to finish the boxes, and will likely add a few more things, but this is the core of the area.
I've got 4 more of the undecorated vases, I can create other seasonal versions as well a neutral one. I've got a plan for the 3 frames to go neutral as well as other seasonal ideas... I wanted to keep the core items within the black and cream palette so no matter what else I add, everything still works.
I'm VERY happy with it!!!
Great job! I like how you planned out the area.
ReplyDeleteThat's so much better than my method...pounding a bunch of holes in the wall. Your Valentine decor looks sweet! ~Lezlee
ReplyDeleteYou are such a smarty! My walls would certainly love it if I used this approach instead of punching a cazillion holes. Great selection choice! Everything looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking to Creative Cats! Come back and play again! I like your style!