pleasantly surprised {a new dining room display shelf}

Sometimes you buy furniture from inexpensive sources and you end up with a flimsy particle board table that never quite stands level.

Other times, you order a bookshelf and hope that it will turn out to be more like the online photos than what past experience tells you it will be.

Hip Hip Hooray … this one is just like the photos online, or maybe even better.

Our new Emerson Shelf {purchased from World Market} is real wood and real metal. Surprise! It’s substantial and industrial and was such a great price for what it offers in style and utility.

It now lives in this awkward little cutout in our dining room.  Changing displays is one of my favorites so I look forward to switching things up ever so often.

Glittery pumpkins {from Target}, white serving platters, a little bit of faux greener and my favorite bookpage decoupaged pumpkin take center stage.

Linens are stored in the vintage locker baskets.

If you are looking for a large shelf for a fairly inexpensive price, this handsome shelf may be the one.

{don’t forget to sign up for World Market’s mailing list to get a 10% off coupon!}

displaying books in the playroom

One year in college my best friend {and roommate} made fun of me because I brought with me a few of my favorite children’s picture books.  Not only did I travel with them from Seattle to LA, but I proudly displayed them on our coffee table.  And I’m not talking about sentimental books that I had as a child. Oh, no. These were ones I had purchased myself, probably that summer, just because I loved them so.  I don’t know … there has always just been something charming and wonderful about illustrated children’s stories. I remain unashamed.

Now, a few years later, I have an appropriate excuse to collect children’s books and believe me, our house is full of them. So rather than tuck them away spine-side-out on a bookshelf, we proudly display them on the wall.

We just moved pretty much every room in the house around, so what you’re seeing here is a sneak peek of the new playroom {recognize those stripes? This used to be the boy’s bunk room}. I’ll share the rest of the room soon, but wanted to show you a super simple way to display books.  Perhaps you’ve seen this elsewhere – this is not necessarily a new idea, but it’s a good one.

These picture ledges are from IKEA and are made to display art, but they work just as well holding books. They are narrow and just right for layering – you can really pack a bunch onto each shelf.

One of the best things about it is that kids can see the covers when choosing a bedtime story and they can easily put them back. Big bonus.

Favorite picture books hang out on the shelves, while paperbacks, bibles & devotionals, star wars books and Dr. Seuss go in baskets below. Surprisingly, they actually do stay categorized like that.

Functionality is great, but my favorite part is seeing all of those darling illustrations.