Shelving as Decor, Not a Catch-All

Using Shelves in New Ways

As the saying goes, when you want to forget about something, or get it out of sight, you shelve it. Why is that, when shelves are commonly a focal point of a space? Do we really want to put the things we want to forget about, right there? We think not.

Keeping it professional.

Shelves in an office are a fairly common piece of the landscape. In your dream-office they probably sit behind your grand mahogany desk, holding your degrees, awards and possibly a Tony for your roll in that high school play. In this case, you shelves have an obligation to pull their weight. 

If your shelves are built-ins, you’ve got to work with the lay of the land, and make the best use of where they are. In an office, shelves need to be at least partially used for function. Placing your printer and whatever other equipment you need for your gig, makes sense, but what about the office-y things that don’t quite fit? 

Files can be put on shelves if you don’t have the proper filing space in cabinets and drawers. Purchasing a file box in the color scheme of the room or even in a complimentary print, allows for plenty more filing space, and looks good at the same time. Manuals, books and other bound items can also be put into these handy boxes. 

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Not enough drawer space? Grab a neat divided tray, decorative wood box or even a few small flower pots to put in staples, paperclips, rubber-bands—whatever pushes your pin. Placing any of these smaller items strategically can make shelves functional and easy on the eye. 

Say cheese.

If you have extra, unused shelf space, run with it! Put those ubiquitous school photos in matching frames and display the toothless-grins of your little cherubs. Want to see the face of your pup every day? Frame a favorite pet photo instead. Old books can be beautiful as well. Set them up on random shelves, some placed vertically and some placed horizontally. Placing the books horizontally is a great way to create different levels for displaying other items. Put a trophy, photo, wood box (the one with the paperclips perhaps?!) or travel memento on top of the books to make it interesting to the eye. 

Nature calls.

Potted plants also add a nice touch of nature if your office feels too sterile. No window with which to sun it you say? No worries, grab a great faux-grow and put it on the shelf and you’ll never have to tend to it again. Well, maybe dusting from time to time it would help!

Breaking free.

Shelves aren’t always in an office and thankfully, they aren’t always attached to a wall. This allows for our favorite thing: options! Take the shelves out of the office and away from the same old hum-drum uses. 

If you can’t handle the heat, put cool shelves in the kitchen! Dragging that set of shelves into the kitchen may not be the first thing you think of, but we are thinking outside the bookcase here. Even a set of shelves that look intended for books can be transformed to look as if they’ve always been in the heart of the house. Paint the shelves to match your kitchen cabinets or choose a complimentary color. Better yet, paint or wallpaper the inside of the shelves to go with the décor of your kitchen. 

Delicate display.

Do you have boxes of wedding china that haven’t seen the light of day in years? It’s time to shed some light on delicate or decorative kitchenware. Stacking some china plates and using a plate rack for others, makes both use of display and storage. Do you have a favorite platter or piece of crystal? Grab an inexpensive plate stand and put in on the shelf, front and center. If you collect decorative jars or other glassware, shelves in the kitchen are the perfect place to keep it all together in relevant space. 

Spice it up.

Need to be more functional in the kitchen? Purchase some nice-looking canisters for things like sugar and flower and place them on shelves to get them off of important counter space. If you have snacks, canned goods or spices that don’t necessarily look great but still need storage, retrofit kitchen cabinet doors onto the shelves so they match your kitchen, and hide the more unsightly stuff.

Bottoms up!

Shelves can also be a central part of entertaining. Putting decorative decanters or some wine bottles on shelves makes a great spot for guests to hang and share a drink. Many wine racks can either fit directly onto a shelf or can be attached so that they are hanging from a shelf. This will feel like your own little wine cellar which just happens to be in your living room.

The family that plays together.

Putting a set of shelves in the space where your family congregates or kids play is also a great idea. Stacking board games is easy and makes for fun decor. If you have billions of Legos strewn across your floor, or a Barbie arm here and a Barbie shoe there, grab some colorful plastic bins and organize those little treats to your feet. You shall never get stabbed in the foot again! Even better, you can label the bins or have your kids create labels for each bin, so they know where to find their stuff. (And hopefully keep it off the floor.)

Taking it into the bedroom.

Shelves easily shift into bedroom-mode. Yep, right into your closet. If you happen to have a shoe collection similar to that of a Housewives cast member, time to flaunt what you got. Take those beautiful works-of-art and place them on their stage and they’ll never have to see a cardboard box again. If you want to go all out Housewife, put some inexpensive LED light strips over each shelf to give your shoes the attention they deserve. If you’ve got the shoes, they most likely have a friend in the form of a handbag. Take all of those handbags off of the hooks, or other places you have them piled, and finally give them their due. 

Take one for the team.

Perhaps you are not into the shoes, you are into more into crews. Those baseball, football and basketball crews that you follow religiously, whether she likes it or not. This most likely means you have caps, caps and more caps. It took a long time, lots of games, and a beer or… two, to collect all of those caps, so why are they squished on top of each other in the back of your closet? Fret not football fan; shelves to the rescue! Take all of those beloved caps, work out all of the dents they suffered in your closet, and place them side-by-side on your shelves. Organize them by sport, color or in order of favorites. We know, this isn’t easy, but from now on, you can grab and go. Plus, you can basque in their beauty in the off-season.

Shelves have so many uses, so many looks and can be central to both form and function. Repurposing a set of old shelves or bringing in some new ones can add a whole new feel to your home. Look around your home and see how this often overlooked work-horse can work for you.

Get to it, this is not something you want to put on a shelf! Visit us at our Fort Myers showroom or visit us at one of our 4 other convenient locations and take a look for yourself from a casual look to a more modern approach, we can provide the perfect shelving for your home.