diy shelves for my collections

I have several small collections from different cultures and sometimes displaying them in my tiny apartment is tricky. When you have a small space you have to put it all to use. Finally some of my collections found a place on new diy shelves in the dining area.



Collections from all over the world ( by the way, I made that cowrie shell necklace:) ) on the top shelf and gorgeous amethyst geodes from HomeGoods, Marshalls and T.J.Maxx ( who knew they sell them, right?! ) are displayed on the bottom shelf, all framed by a beautiful Chinese bed frame.

The Chinese wedding bed frame was sitting against the same wall for a while. I decided to have some fun with it. Of course my hubby was handy in this project.

Here is how the shelves look. I love thick shelves but don't know if they are a good idea in a small space, I just love their masculine, strong look. I know the shelves are not showing pretty in this picture but, all of the ugly parts are hidden behind the Chinese frame. We used 8" wide pine wood planks so they wouldn't take up much space.

This is the frame detail. The end piece was cut short so we added a thin board to cover it. We secured the shelves to the wall with a couple brackets. It was hard to do and it doesn't look so good but seriously, I don't even see the brackets:) I also painted the visible shelves with the wall color so it won't be competing with the busy frame and the collections. It also has a clean floating feel.

This is how it looks behind the Chinese frame.

Finished shelves with the Chinese bed frame. Looks like an open shelf cabinet. It was a bold decision but, I am very happy with the result. 

Have a great weekend!xx