subject: How to Decorate Your House with Shelves [print this page] How to Decorate Your House with Shelves How to Decorate Your House with Shelves
Creating the perfect decor can be a challenge and an interesting mission for homeowners, especially for those moving into a new property. Getting just the right motif and presentation can be satisfying, though, and well worth the effort for years to come. We spend a lot of time in our homes and the more comfortable they make us feel the happier we'll be.
I've had the opportunity to be in thousands of people's homes during my career and, during those visits several things became apparent. For one thing, meeting with someone in their own home is quite different than meeting them in, say, the workplace (or anywhere else in public). This is their home turf. This is where they are more like themselves and give the truest insight as to their personalities and proclivities.
Similarities also soon become obvious after visiting so many people's houses. They almost all, for example, have a television and many these days also own a computer. Most people have a least one pet and nearly every home contains at least one 'collection' of some sort. Some people collect golf balls (from different courses they're played) or matchbooks (and matchboxes). Many homes have a collection of spoons on display... usually in the dining room.
The avid collection of something is one thing - the attractive presentation of those items is quite another. Most museums do a good job at this part. Many have temperature and humidity control, nice lighting and attractive shelving to show off their 'collections'.
For the home, display shelving comes in all forms and fashions. As teens we learned the functionality of wooden boards and cinder blocks to hold our books and stuff. Later, as we got older and the furniture got nicer we graduated to tempered glass shelves. They worked well because they're stylish and attractive but can still take a load.
We've now installed something called 'black floating shelves' and have been very pleased with these. They're similar to the glass shelves we had been using but these don't contain any visible hardware and are very cool looking. They look, as it were, as if they're floating in front of the wall and most visitors do a double take because they almost look as though they're suspended in mid-air.
These are a great option for displaying various 'collections' and can be arranged in a myriad of configurations. Nice shelving can give your home uniqueness and make a powerful impression. It's all in the presentation!
