I picked up some fabulously over the top glasses recently whilst out hunting for props for the shop I've recently designed (which will appear in a separate blog soon). The glasses have been sitting waiting for a shelf to be displayed on, but as I didn't have an empty one available I thought I'd better purchase one. Tried various 'designer' showrooms, but all the floating shelves were horrid, heavy and expensive. So.......I decided to find one, and when I say 'find', I mean scan the streets for house renovations because that means skips, and skips mean bits of rubbish that can be turned into something of value (aesthetically if not financially). So, with 'rubbish' in hand, I spent Saturday morning creating my new shelf. Here's how to do it - it's easy, trust me, I'm an interior designer....
1. Get your piece of wood, dragged from any handy skip........
2. Prepare your tools (these are basics, like flour, eggs and milk -
if you don't have them, you should)
3. Attach the bracket to the back of the wood - then realise
you've done it back to front and start again.
4. Exciting bit - the drill! Note: ensure you're sober before you
start drilling holes - it might seem like a fun idea at the time -
trust me, it's won't feel so great later when you've got skidding
drill marks across the wall.
5. So, you've managed to drill the holes, now you've got to attach
the damn thing to the wall. If, like myself, you are doing this solo,
it becomes rather clear that you need something to 'prop' up one end
while your attaching the other. My preference was (from the top):
Kaffe Fassett tapestry cushion (yes, I did sew it myself thanks), a
piece of rather expensive ceramic art, and below that a book on
Vita Sackville-West. A good mix I think.
6. And there you have it - a bit of junk turned in to something rather fetching
and would no doubt cost a fortune if bought from a fashionable 'reclamation'
establishment not far from my home. Now it just needs something on it.......
7. And here it is.....the first of the 'bling-o-rama' glasses I picked up. They
are everything I am NOT about - brash, showy-offy, tacky even - BUT, there is
something about them that makes me think of some debauched 1920s cocktail
party on a private boat, heading off to exotic lands with a group of guests
intent on having a lot of fun......
8. And here's the view when I look up from my laptop. These will definitely
cheer me up on a grey dull London day when a client is making me want to
put a gun to my head........and
Martha Stewart my dear, this is how to 'organise'
your shelves........
