Decorating Around the TV and a New Shelf

I recently picked up two of these shelves from a Cost Plus World Market that was moving.  They were selling their wood display shelves for $40 and I just couldn't pass on this great deal.  I purchased two with intentions of using them both in our guest bedroom, which I never show pictures of because it is a sort of catch all room at this point, only to find out that only one fit.

Normally we would have measured and planned ahead better but we were standing there looking at the shelves with another woman by our side with only four shelves left to sell.  You could say we definitely were feeling the pressure to get this deal while we could.  We each left with two.

So weeks later and much frustration later, we got rid of a piano (that neither of us know how to play) from our guest room, replaced it with one shelf to create some sort of order, and I stumbled upon placing the shelf in our living room after moving one of the chairs previously in this corner to our bedroom.

It really was an accident this shelf ended up here (and I am so glad it did!!!).  The corner was definitely in the running for potential shelf spots but I was so over the stress of figuring out what to do with an extra shelf that I was going to just sell it to a friend of mine.  It is amazing how if I can just live with chaos for a few days...or weeks...how something miraculously comes together when I least expect it.  It's not a practice I enjoy or care to strive for on a regular basis (just say no to clutter!) but I am glad I held out this time.

What I have found as the key to a well styled shelf is pretty things and open space.  It is easy to want to make the most of all that extra storage space, but by keeping things open and airy it still proved to hold a ton of stuff with out feeling too busy.

My favorite aspect of these shelves is being able to put things on display.  Our photo books used to hide on a shelf in our coffee table.  Now they are out in the open and easily accessible.  The trunks are full of board games and art is displayed to add a little style. 

Because we moved the large chair and replaced the corner with the shelving unit, the change really opened up the room.  It makes the room and main wall feel so much larger.  To compensate for the open space, I added more art to our existing TV gallery wall to fill it in.

I have a few spaces to still fill in but I love how the art fills in the entire wall space.  It adds so much color and style without clutter in the room.

I also cleared off our TV dresser that previously held books and a few plants.  Clean and empty table tops are making me very happy right now.  

While I was at it, I finally forced myself to paint the hardware on the dresser from black to white.  It looked fine black but I have been itching to change it for years.  I love how clean and streamlined it looks now.  One thing leads to another around here so I was happy for the new motivation!

The wall art is a collection of photos, my own DIY art (like the butterfly print and black animal print), and prints I have picked up at thrift stores or found online.  You can check out my gallery wall board on Pinterest to find some of the sources and inspiration.

We also have a projector and projector screen that we use for backyard movie nights.  When it is not in use, we store the screen in our living room.  We occasionally watch it in here but rarely.  It is more for storage. 

With the room feeling bigger and newly decorated, I am enjoying spending more time in here even when we are not watching TV.  I love retreating here in the early morning to read and have a hot cup of coffee and my nephew and I are spending more time in here when we take a break from our office/playroom.

Three of the four guitars have been moved to the opposite wall that I am still working on, but this side of the couch wall was too pretty not to share.  I took the lamp and garden bench from our bedroom to create this lovely little corner.

And just for fun, look at what our TV wall looked like in 2010.  I have been struggling with getting this wall right for years!  Look how teeny it looks!  I have come a long way, huh!?