My last Blog encouraged you to
make those darn empty Pot Shelves more interesting! Now, I will show you how
easy it is to do! Before you start...I have a couple of helpful hints:
1) You will need a good ladder, small head nails and a hammer.
2) Keep in mind that you will want everything you place way up
high on your pot shelf to be seen from ground level...so, I use
"stuff" to act as a base to set your accessories on...collect some
cans, books, blocks of wood etc. I have
even used bricks/pavers...anything that will lift your accessory to a good
vantage point. Raid the pantry or garage
for help!!
3) The real trick to pot shelves is to think in small vignettes,
maybe 12-18 inches long...don't think 12 feet of space to fill up, that will
intimidate you! And what’s a Vignette
you ask?? It’s a “lovely display of treasured objects found on end tables and
nestled on shelves”.
4) Layer more than 1 accessory per area...it gives
dimension to your space.
5) Lighting will always add a little drama to your finished
look...I have used rope lights and puck lights. My favorite is puck lighting spaced on the
shelf about every 18-24 inches. However,
there are 2 issues to take into consideration...First, having a switched
electrical outlet installed at the base of the shelf (I know...maybe more than
you want to do) makes it so user friendly. Second, be VERY careful...NOTHING
can be set directly on or within a couple of inches of the puck light...or you
may have a little smoke issue to deal with!
Hmmmm...where on your Pot shelf
do you start?? If your Pot Shelf is "L" shaped or straight, I
suggest starting at the corner with everything set with the angle of the
corner. Because, I am who I am...I like
to start with a punch of drama...deep color and a couple of textures. I love the bold color statement this oversized
red platter makes...plus the mixture of texture with the metal Elephant and
softened by the silk greenery. See how I
layered the 3 items in the same space?
Now scoot over about 12-18
inches...this is the space you will start your next vignette. You can either lean the picture against the
back wall or hang it...if the picture is small, leaning may not work, it will
get lost compared to everything else.
Put your picture in place…can you see all of the picture from ground
level? Yes...you will be going up and down that ladder many times, get a real
perspective of how everything looks from ground level!! Great for your
thighs...really! Ok, your picture has been
positioned...it is now the focal point for this space.
Oh Oh.....I almost forgot to
mention the trick with the fruit basket...because I didn't want the basket to
lay flat (the fruit wouldn't be visible from ground level). I want to tilt the basket forward enough to
see the basket contents from ground level. In order to tilt the basket forward, I put a
couple of cans under the basket...does the trick!!
This picture shows how I placed a
silk plant in the middle of the crystal candle stick arrangement...again,
layering different textures/colors makes for a much more interesting display.
I really love the contrast of the shiny crystal candle sticks with the deep green silk and the rustic texture of the Navajo Indian baskets set next to them...pretty!!!
I hope you can see how each
vignette kind of spills into the next vignette...when you step back it will all
connect and create a lovely design statement that truly represents YOU!
My last suggestion is really important...once you have your pot shelf finished and you like where you have everything positioned...take pictures and save them. Why??? You ask...at some point you will have to clean/dust all that stuff up there. If you have pictures of how you have your accessories arranged...you don't have to guess where those darn candlesticks where placed. Trust me...you will save yourself a lot of time and frustration!!!
I hope this has inspired you to
have fun with your creative spirit and make something beautiful...where
Design meets your LifeStyle!!
Talk soon....Laura