We have slowly been chucking away at our home to-do list and right now our family room is at the top of that list. This room is truly the “heart” of our home and we spend every single day enjoying it. Therefore, it’s the first space I want to finish up.

So far we’ve…

–Hung white Ikea curtains

–Purged old pillows

–Painted a herringbone curtain pattern

Next on the agenda…add some storage and style to the space!

You see that little corner to the right of the large art piece? Well, it was begging for a little “somethin’ somethin’.” I contemplated finding some more art for the wall, or perhaps hanging a few frames. But I ultimately wanted an area that I could style and constantly change.

I decided to go with some shelves!

I didn’t want anything too fancy, because I didn’t want to distract from the other cool pieces in the room. Instead I wanted something a bit streamlined and industrial, but perhaps with a rustic twist. I also didn’t want to spend very much money on these bad boys.

Hmmmm…inexpensive, contemporary, easily personalized….Ikea was going to be the place for me!

I found the above EKBY BJARNUM brackets and purchased 3 sets. I liked the silver color and contemporary look. I was prepared to head to a hardware store to find some wood, but lucky for me Ikea had untreated wood in the shelving department. Score! I picked up 3 pieces and called it a day. #onestopshopping

To get the rustic feel and incorporate some dark wood tones into the space, I stained the wood with Minwax using a clean rag. Once that dried I sealed the wood with wipe-on poly.

Honestly the hardest part about this project was installing the shelves. I shouldn’t say hard…I should say time consuming.

It was just a matter of measuring, leveling, drilling, repeat. I was able to get the three hung in about an hour. (Okay, maybe more like 2 hours…I was catching up on some of my favorite shows at the time, so that slowed things down a tad.)

Rookie Tip: If you’re not drilling directly into studs, make sure you use wall anchors. It’s just a matter of using your drill bit to create a hole, tapping an anchor in there with a hammer, and then using the drill to screw the bracket on. Time consuming…but worth it in the long run!

I really love how they turned out! It adds the right amount of style and personality to the corner.

I have a feeling I will constantly be arranging and rearranging our new shelves. But that’s okay. I’m in love and our family room is really coming together!