Dear Inexpensive Mason Jar from Walmart,
I am staging a vacant house for sale and need bookshelf filler for a gazillion shelves. I need to do it on the cheap.
Sincerely,
Jen
Dear Jen,
Do this:
Sincerely,
Inexpensive Mason Jar from Walmart
So this is Bookshelves 201. If you are here and haven’t taken Bookshelves 101 that is fine. I really think next semester these two courses should be combined. I’m going to go over some important points to consider that are pertinent to 101 so you should be just fine. Just in case, here is the syllabus for 101, Styling Bookshelves for Normal People Part 1.
Important Points to Consider when Arranging Bookshelves/Built-Ins:
1. WHERE is it located? IMPORTANT. If it someplace you stare at all the time i.e. next to your TV, do not fill it with everything you own.
Just because you have it does not mean it needs to be displayed.
Just because it cost a lot of money does not mean you need to display it or keep it.
Just because it was a gift does not mean you need to display it and stare and it constantly (especially if you don’t like it.)
Just because you don’t know what to do with it does not mean it needs to be displayed, or kept.
Is it a relaxing room? Why are we staring a shelves full of work? Is it an office? Why are we staring at decorative objects when all of your “work” is piled on the floor and desk?
Is it a cluttered, “chock full of kid” room, busy hub of the house room? Visual Clutter, click here, for that syllabus. MINIMIZE THE CHAOS in bookshelves and built-ins in these rooms with books and one other simple category. Images with ideas following below.
2. What colors are in the room where the book-case or built-in is located? Use those colors when deciding how to tweak. Don’t bring in new colors. You want it look seamless in the room.
NEXT. A word or two about ARRANGING.
It’s all about balance. If something is big and heavy on one side….you need to balance it and have something big and heavy on the other side. Think of a see-saw. Balance. Same with the colors. Red on one side. Red on the other side.
Tall stack of books on one side. Tall something on the other. AND a good tip is to make sure everything is using about 2/3 of the vertical space of each shelf.
Ok here are some visuals:
Pottery Barn
This is a tough one. I struggle with this too. How do you make built ins, shelves, bookcases look artfully arranged without looking “arranged”. It’s like that scenario where you spend 4 hours trying to look really good and when you arrive at said destination– “Oh this old thing? I just threw it on.” It’s the unwritten rule that unless it is for a grade, interview, etc…no one wants to look like they tried too hard.
So when I look at magazine pictures of bookshelves they all look so amazing and haphazard all at once.
Like this:
Pottery Barn
But really? Who has bins of…are those parchments?…lying around and books that all happen to match?
Hence the title of this post—How to Style a Bookshelf for Normal People.
You need to remember a few rules. Let’s keep it basic. Simple. When we have it mastered we will move on to “How to Style a Bookshelf for Extraordinay People Who Happen to Own Books that All Match…or Bins of Parchments”.
Rules:
This is Bookshelves 101. This is not 201, 301, or even the dreaded 501.
Examples:
Books and Black Photo Boxes (multiple) and Pictures in Silver Frames.
Books and Square Baskets (multiple) and collection of Solid Color Ceramic Vases.
Books and Something Matching and Something Similar.
Books and Vases and Urns in similar colors (white, cream, blue).
Books and Small Framed Kids Artwork (multiple) and Wooden Boxes.
Books and Category and Category
Books and BLACK boxes and consistent SILVER picture frames.
Books and Matching Color and Something with Similar Colors (Pick 2 or 3 TOPS)
NOW Look at these Pictures:
Theme is Cream and White with Vessels. Only colors are Cream/Brown, White, Grey/Blue and a little Black.
Can you figure out the Theme?
These are JUST Books. That is the Theme. Every shelf is full and about the same height. Visual Consistency.
Build each shelf the same height as the one above/next to/below. Again look at the pictures.
If you are having trouble–stick it in the best you can and take another picture and compare. Any better?
It’s a start. THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN IMPROVE THIS. Can you spray paint all the picture frames so they match? Can you go to the store and buy matching….black boxes? Can you take off the book jackets? Can you arrange the books by color? Do you need more books for this to work?
Make a list. Buy the spray paint. Look for orange whatevers. Pick something new if you don’t have any reoccurring anything…Globes, parchments..?
Part 2 Coming Next…Help with Arranging or 201.
Everybody Loves Raymond on ABC
The Middle on ABC
I’m going to be brief (or I’m going to try.) Kids bring a lot of clutter to a house. We’ll define clutter as a confusing or disorderly state. Kids make houses disorderly. It is their job. This is directed at you, the parent of the “culprits”. It is a no win exhausting battle between “picked up for 5 minutes” and “complete and utter chaos”. I am Type A. I can take 2 days of things being disorderly and then I start to freak out a little. I have systems. I have mantras…like things must go together is my favorite. I have help. (I also have anti-help). I have training, if you will, to deal with these scenarios. AND I still fight the forces of good and evil.
I help a lot of people with their houses. If you are battling the clutter fight and want a calm uncluttered home…if you do not want your home to continue to look like the two pictures above then you must listen to me.
You will have visual crazy clutter no matter what because that is life, especially if you have kids. But please do not add to it by doing the following:
Open storage. It hurts me. Glass front cabinets are amazing if you have a complete matched set of monochromatic dishes arranged artfully. Mismatched mugs, shot glasses from around the world, wine glasses with writing on them (just stop it) equates to visual clutter. Open shelves with art supplies. No. Open anything. Just don’t buy it anymore. It’s too much. We are seeing too much. I don’t need to see all of your office supplies. I am going to stop here. Just remember. Open storage if you grapple with clutter issues is BAD.
Prime Real Estate. I’m not talking about property. I’m talking about the kitchen cabinet next to your sink. Or the middle of your pantry. Or the coat closet directly opposite the door you use everyday. Why do you have your Christmas dishes next to your sink thus half of your glasses and mugs are on the counter or horror upon horrors on a mug tree? (Again visual clutter–and only pertains if you have clutter issues). Why is the middle of the pantry loaded with Costco paper products and the top of your refrigerator is full of cereal boxes? And please, I know I sound upset, but I am passionate about this subject….Why is the vacuum and game collection in the coat closet and all of the coats and shoes are lining the hallway? I promise I don’t yell at people or judge. I just want you to live peacefully. I do. And it is so hard when you can’t find your left shoe.
Sometimes to get to use your Prime Real Estate–you have to purge.
And lastly just to keep it simple. Just for now. Just until you get to a happy place with the clutter. Remember these decorating rules:
If it smaller than a football don’t display it.
Tone down the patterns and go simple with colors. Monochromatic can be a good thing. For now.
Set “zones” for your areas. Pick ONE spot for displaying pictures–ie the piano, the dining room buffet. Pick a spot for books and keep them together. Work-out equipment–ONE place. Kids crafts–find a place that is realistic for the family and stick with it. One place, one spot, one category. Homework area. Use bins that are NOT transparent. Use deep baskets. Use cabinets. Label the cabinets so everyone knows. Be realistic about how much room you need and only have ONE step involved in putting anything away. Ie…Open door and put on shelf. (sort of two steps but you get the point).
I could go on and on and on and on. But I’ll stop here lest I overwhelm you.
Purge it. Like things together. Concealed storage. Be realistic. Keep it simple with colors and patterns. Small is bad. Big is better. (Less visual clutter)
Know that if you have kids or that this is an area where you are challenged that you can only eat an elephant one piece at a time. And don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Love to you all. Happy Sunday everyone.
Pottery Barn
Do you have a tray? How about a square plate? Something flat with sides? Target, Goodwill, Pier One…lots of price points. Bet you have one hiding in a kitchen cabinet. Now look at the items that consistently show up on your horizontal surfaces and own it with a tray. Clutter + Tray = PURPOSEFUL.
Make-up etc…on your bathroom counter? Put it on a tray. Now it isn’t spread all over and it looks “tidy”. If the tray is trendy now you added a little zap of style into your space.
Dish soap, hand lotion, hand soap lolling around aimlessly alongside your kitchen sink?
Random papers floating around on desk? Office supplies that always show up despite the fact their home is in a drawer?
Pile of books on a table?
Stack of magazines looking messy?
Coffee table look bare?
Bedside table harboring stuff, books, stuff, and more stuff?
Dining table full of to do lists and papers?
Stick it in a Tray! Now it’s purposeful stylish design.
It’s a McTray–it’s cheap, fast, and, good in a pinch.
New Year’s Organizing Revolution – Week 2 – Organize and Decorate …
organizeyourstuffnow.com
Beautiful Organized Living: Lucite Tray Love | A Pura Vida
apuravida.com
homemadesimple.com Repurposed Organizers: Trays
homemadesimple.com Repurposed Organizers: Trays
http://betsblog.typepad.com Bathroom Counter Make Over
7 Good (and Cheap) Makeup Storage Ideas • Makeup.
www.makeup.com –
iheartorganizing.blogspot.com Tray Bien
Better Homes and Gardens 2009
House Beautiful Designer David Jimenez’s Kansas City home
Better Homes and Gardens July 2010 Designer Grant K. Gibson
Better Homes and Gardens July 2010 Designer Grant K. Gibson
House Beautiful-Alex Papachristidis
A Mess I “McTray”d
I wrote What Door Do You Use? and did some hard soul searching. What I discovered was not pretty. Alas, our family’s main point of entrance was through our garage. I surveyed the situation and decided that my best course of action was “Distraction”. Smoke and Mirrors my friend, smoke and mirrors. There is only so much that can actually happen for our garage to look good. It has been organized, painted, cleaned, purged and sadly, it is still holding on for dear life in a pathetic confused state of disorder. I decided I needed something to fix my eyes upon, a beacon of hope, if you will. Something beautiful. Something elegant amongst the jumble.
It took 10 minutes total. I googled. I found vinyl-decals.com. I ordered my house number in “2 1/2 inch Hancock font permanent glossy black” . It arrived 2 days later. I eyeballed the door and stuck it on gingerly. I eyeballed the door again. Looked good. I smoothed that decal out and called it a day. Now this siren will call to me as I wade through the debris of life.
