Wednesday, July 7

Easy Art Ledge

Sometimes I get bored with the things I put up in my house. I've done plenty of patching holes and drilling new ones so I can hang something different. And I'm a little tired of it. So I've started looking for things that can be easily switched out when I want a different look. How's this for easy?


I love these little picture ledges at Ikea! My favorite thing about them is that you can mix it up and move things around easily whenever you want. You never have to worry about getting tired of what's on your wall, because you can just switch it out without having to drill any holes!

These short ledges sell at Ikea for $9.99, which isn't bad, but I knew I could build one for less. It's basically just 3 boards in a U-shape. Here is a pic of the Ikea version:


And here is a close up of the one I built for about $6:


So simple, it doesn't even need plans!
You just buy two 1x3s and one 1x2 (I used 8' long) and you'll need screws, wood glue, & putty to fill your holes. Then just glue and screw them together as shown above, fill your holes, and finish! It seriously took me less than 10 minutes to build it, then it was just a matter of waiting for the stain & poly to dry. I used screws with drywall anchors to attach it to the wall.
This shelf is 4' long to fit above my entry table, and had enough left over for another of the same size. So I got a total 8' of shelf for only $6! Of course, you could use longer or shorter boards to get the size of shelf you need. :)



I'm loving it! It works perfectly over my entry table. And it makes the space feel much more like it's mine.


I like the layered look because it feels more comfortable and lived in. I'm by no means an expert, but I think this turned out pretty well. I just tried to get a mix of things I liked: a painting, photograph, book, and a few vases with flowers from my new flower bed! The beauty part (did I mention this already?) Is that I could try as many different items and layouts as I wanted without having to make any commitments or put any new holes in the wall!
Beautiful!
And I just have to say fresh flowers are my new favorite thing! These are the first cuttings from my garden, and I cannot believe what a difference they make in my home! I like the way these little yellow blooms work with the yellow trees in the painting.


And I have some great hostas, so I decided to give them a try on my entry table. And I think I'm in love. So simple, so fresh, so beautiful.

 
So there you have it. Fresh flowers and an easy art ledge to help make this place feel like home.



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7 comments:

  1. I love it! I have been thinking about a similar thing because of the kids paintings and drawings. For kids people could just about have a shelf for each and, the kids could contribute their favorite things to the shelf. By the way, I love your yellow tree painting!

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  2. Thanks! And I love the idea of a shelf for each kid. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. For some reason (maybe it's the way you decorated it)...all the various scrap wood shelves I've been seen haven't appealed to me. I love this one. so simple!

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  4. I really love this idea, no questions I'm gonna have to make this. You have some really great plans on your site! Nice work with the SketchUp.

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  5. Hi, love this!!

    what kind of board did you use? I found 3 types in Lowes/Home Depot, poplar board, whitewood board and pine board. I intend to use this shelf indoors in the bathroom. Any recommendations?

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  6. Thanks!
    I usually use pine (if I can get it) because it's cheapest. :) Some board sizes don't come in pine so I use whiteboard then. I've never tried poplar. Any wood should be fine in the bathroom as long as you paint or seal it (to make sure it's not affected by the moisture). Hopefully that helps. :) Let me know if you have any more questions!

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