Art Swap + A Rehabbed Shelving Unit

I fixed that Sauder shelf last week and was immediately happy to have it as extra storage and extra detail in the living room, mostly because this gives me fair excuse to accumulate more books from garage sales as they start popping up this month. I had let the glue and stain from the rehab dry overnight before I took the weights (book weights) off the top of the shelf, but once everything was dried and put away, I was left with this new-to-me piece for the living room.

Very pleased. But wow, that’s a big open space right above the shelf. And the glass on the floor lamp sure is tilty. I don’t even use the lamp, it’s mostly there for show and because I like the detailing all around. It was a freebie (a leave-behind from a previous tenant in my very first Rochester apartment). Note to self, straighten it up.

I digress.

Something had to be done with that space, so I started exploring the picture/poster frame options that hadn’t already gone into the stairwell frame gallery. There are probably a few dozen strays that could use a little rehab. I actually didn’t think that I had the right “poster sized” frame for the space until I looked left when I was standing back admiring the new shelf. Check it:

That frame was from Pottery Barn a few years ago (woot, $30 on clearance), and has hung on a wall beside the couch for just as long. The “art” featured in it is actually just a placemat from a restaurant I like; it’s a little antique-y, and better yet, was free. The frame itself is covered by a dark brown burlap-type fabric. The texture is nice and subtle, yet interesting.

I see the house as being ever-evolving, and sometimes something as easy as shifting the location of a picture frame can make all the difference, so I took it down and rehung it above the new shelving unit on the opposite side of the room. I also added to it two matching wooden frames (both stained dark brown) and hand-selected two Anthropologie tear sheets that I’m so fond of as new “art”. I hung them to the right of the larger print purposefully, sort of placed behind where I knew I wanted to display those curly willow branches (I wrote about those babies over here). I wanted the art to be centered on the wall rather than being reliant on free-standing decor, not knowing if the branches would stay there short- or long-term. Those branches in the glass vase were sitting in that very corner on the floor, out of the way of the dog tail for approximately 4 months as it was, so they deserve a real place to be displayed. Damn it, that tilty lamp is bugging me. Did it get worse?

Anyways, you can see the frames just fine through the branches, and I’m cool with the layered/dimentional look for now.

Quick afternoon project made quite the difference, no? Now I need to find some more books/baskets/accessories to neatly occupy those shelves.