Friday, January 28, 2011

photo ledge and wall gallery {completed!}

Just so we're all on the same page, here's the before:
this was taken right after we moved in, we just kind of put things somewhere until we could get to making this room how we really wanted it. It drove me crazy the whole time, still does, but I really wanted to do the kids bedrooms first, and I wasn't sure about what I really wanted in this room anyway.

I played around with ideas of a gallery wall, something along the lines of this little ditty I photshopped...
But some "man" made a design error when this house was built and guess where my thermostat is?

Wow, I'm telling you, a man must have done that! Poor planning. I noticed this the first time we looked at the house and we thought about moving it, but in the end, I just wanted to find a simple solution and move on.

After much thought, I decided that ledges where the way to go above the couch.

I bought the ikea ledges and was so excited to put them up, but they looked too small and a little dorky, I should have taken a picture, but I didn't. We needed super long ones, and the Ikea by our house is out of them. Next option, I looked at the Pottery Barn version, it would have cost a lot, so after looking at them closely, my hubby and I decided it would be a piece of cake to DIY our own version, so we did.

All you need is 3 pieces of MDF per shelf. We went with 6 foot lengths, because they would fit perfectly above our sofa.

So it's one 1x2, a 1x3 and a 1x4. It only cost about $8.50 per shelf!
If you're super lucky, you'll have a little helper like ours who will shine his lil' flashlight on your project. :)

This took less than 15 minutes to assemble. The widest one goes on the back, the smallest in the front. We lined them up flush and used a nailgun to secure everything. They were already primed, so all they needed was a little bit of paint, which we already had on hand.

To secure them to the wall, we used 4 screws per shelf, lucky for us they lined up on studs in the wall, then we went along with the nail gun, using 16 gauge nails (big boys!) and made sure it was good and tight. It's not going anywhere! We made sure to mount it a little higher, so it wouldn't be a temptation for little fellas to grab at the pictures and hurt themselves.

Here's our finished product!
I love it! It makes me happy every time I look at it! I chose to mix black and white with color photographs because I'm a bit of a color photo junkie, the photographer in me works hard to make colorful fun images, I would be sad if every picture in my family room where black and white.


I'm really happy with how this wall turned out, it puts the "family" in family room, it feels a lot more inviting and it makes me happy to have a wall full of happy family memories, I wish I could have fit more pictures, but it's borderline overcrowded as it is!

This project was worth much more than the $17 it cost! (Technically $17 plus some frames, most from Ikea, many I already had.)




30 comments:

Ashlee said...

I'm a more recent follower, but just want to let you know I think your shelves are AMAZING! I LOVE LOVE DIY projects! Can't wait to have a house I can build things like this for!

www.myswankycrafts.blogspot.com

B said...

Hi Mindy! I am visiting via Tatertots and Jello link party. I'm a new follower of yours - I love your blog! Your shelves came out really great. I can't believe someone put a thermostat right smack dab in the middle of the wall! haha fail!

~ www.billiemonster.com ~

Jill said...

Those turned out so great! Thanks for sharing your tutorial!

Jill
womenwhodoitall.blogspot.com

Janet said...

I love the shelves. Great way to hide the thermostat. Sometimes I think builders do that kind of stuff to mess with homeowners.

P.s. you have an award on my blog.

Janet

Hoosier at Heart said...

Lovin that! Do you ever wonder how Pottery Barn stays in business since it seems that people just go there now to get inspiration? Poor little thermostat.

Anonymous said...

Your wall looks like a million bucks! Perfect.

Colleen said...

in the middle of the wall? seriously? what were they thinking? LOL. I love what you did. it looks really good!

Brenna said...

These shelves are great! Another great diy project from you. Love the money saving and the look. Great job!

Kelli said...

Wow, that looks great! I loved how you worked around the thermostat. Very nice.

Becca said...

I love your blog! {new follower} Very cute picture wall. Why are those darn thermostats always in the worst spots?

Mary said...

It looks great! Very clean and modern! Came over from the weekend wrap up!

Michelle @ Sweet Something Design said...

That turned out great and very affordable. Yep, a man undoubtedly put the thermostat in the middle of the wall! :)

Mrs. Bukovan and Miss Rossi said...

It looks great! What a clever and beautiful way to hide the thermostat. Adorable family photos, too! :)

Jill said...

I'm featuring this at womenwhodoitall.blogspot.com

Kelsey said...

What a great solution!

Angie said...

So cute! We might need to work on making some of these!

Unknown said...

Love it! I have been debating how to handle the exact same problem in my living room. Now I know exactly what I'm going to do. Can't wait to share my after pictures!

Grace @ Sense and Simplicity said...

The shelves look fantastic and are a great way to deal with the insane placement of your thermostat control. I also like that you can move the art around and even put up seasonal pictures if you want. Well done.

Anonymous said...

Love these ... I built some like them following plans from
ana-white.com! Guess great minds think alike! :)

Rachael@Lovely Crafty Home said...

Love these ledges!! I'm totally going to build some. Would you share this at my linky party going on today?

Lisa at Paint in my Hair said...

These are great! I have a few blank spots I've been wanting to fill...these would be a great solution!

Mindy said...

Thanks friends! I always enjoy the input, and I feel so much gratification in the fact that I'm not the only one who had a cow over the thermostat! :)

Bethany @ Our 4 Sons Plus 1...Super Cute Girly Girl said...

Fantastic job!! Those ledges are awesome, and the pics on them are absolutely beautiful! I'm officially inspired! :)

Okay, and yes indeed, what on earth was that guy thinking when he put the therm THERE?!?!

Jen said...

Popping over through a blog hop. What a FABULOUS idea! This is one I'm totally going to steal. Love your blog! New follower! Would love if you'd stop by mine @ cirqueduneedham.com

Becki said...

I love that! Not to mention hiding the thermostat... :o)

Chris said...

As soon as I saw the thumbnail, I should have known it was your project! The pictures are absolutely beautiful, and they look fantastic on the shelves. Great job!!!

Robin {keephomesimple} said...

This is my kind of diy project. It's not too expensive and it looks like something I might be able to handle without pleading for too much help from my husband! lol!
I loved this idea so much that I featured it on my blog this weekend. You can check out the link to my post here:
http://keephomesimple.blogspot.com/2011/02/budget-friendly-inspiration-week-3.html

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
~Robin

Naturally Creative Mama said...

Love it! What a difference those shelves made in your room! Thanks for sharing!!
Katy
www.kdbuggieboutique.com

Pink Texas Chick said...

I just saw these shelves on Pinterest and had to come over to your blog. They look great and what a clever solution to hide that thermostat. Those men! :)

Suchitra said...

So Beautiful, Nice Blog. Thanks For Sharing.
floating wall shelves white