[pinksugar]

I really loved the result of this, although I think all those items look kind of cluttered and messy to my minimalist, 'if-it-looks-messy-hide-it' mind!

but still. I LOVE the colours, and I've always loved shelving of this type!


cube shelves



With a little imagination and a day or so to spare, it's easy to turn a plain wall in your home into a striking feature with lots of storage too.

In this dining area, the wall served little purpose but now, painted in shocking pink and lined with two white flat-pack shelving units from Ikea, it really makes a big statement.

How to:

The wall was painted a colour called Scarlet Ribbons, which is a really intense pink from Dulux. We applied a grey undercoat first to give maximum body and coverage to the colour.

While the paint was drying, we assembled two white bookshelves from Ikea from their Expedit range, these ones were 149cm x 149cm each.

To add interest, we fitted small spotlights overhead in some of the openings (also from Ikea). These are easy to install yourself and can be screwed in place and simply plugged in directly to a nearby wall socket or power board.

For extra detail, we backed some of the openings using panels of 3mm MDF cut to the same size as the openings, covered with gorgeous papers, then nailed on. To cover the boards in paper, it’s best to use a quality glue such as Mod Podge or Jo Sonjas’ All Purpose Sealer, as well as sturdy papers, all of which you can find from specialist art stores.


As we used two shelving units, we braced them firmly together at the back before filling them with a selection of beautiful items emptied from the kitchen cupboards and around the house. Creating a decorative display like this not only relieves the kitchen cupboards, but also keeps most used things within easy reach.

A really simple and effective project you could do easily in a weekend.

source: Tara Dennis - cube shelves

what do you guys think?

[Ashley]

How pretty!

My friend had this at his place, but I've realized that it does not look good for storage. Looks messy and really not as beautiful. For him, it's for decorative purposes only...a frame in one cube, a vase in the other, etc.

[Darla_G]

i was going to say i thought Ikea had something like that. Do they have Ikea down there?

[pinksugar]

LOL. Yes we have ikea down here...

I agree, it wouldn't look so good as a storage thingy. Unless it was just for coloured books or something, that were in colour order

[daer0n]

That looks really pretty but i dont think it would work for me, it would get too messy and if it gets too dusty im not gonna want to clean it cause it looks like it would take a lot of work to do it lol
Plus my kids would destroy it and grab everything on it.

Maybe for people with older kids or single and a really girly living room or something, would work better.

[pinksugar]

oh I forgot to say, that's PAPER back there, screwed onto MDF boards. Like hello? torn, tattered stupid looking shelves in 6 months?

but I like how it looks! maybe wallpaper would work better.

[brewgrl]

I have actually done this for a showroom display, and it does give dimension depth and character to an ordinary storage cube arrangement.
There are lots of ways to explore space, and making it work. with this type of storage solution, you can think of doing multiple lines of colors, either vertical or horizontal. you can add create the illusion of an asymmetrical design in a symmetrical space by how staggering colors. You can achieve strong focal points by only painting (or not painting) certain cubes.
I love cube storage- millions of possibilities.

[CellyCell]

I love shelves. I wish we had them in our house because I think they're neat in displaying objects and storage. I especially love those cubes one.

I have several boxes like those in 4 rows across, 3 rows down. They make storing easy and stylish. My dad made cubby holes in my closet...they're cool.

[GlossyAbby]

Very neat idea

[Bec688]

I've always liked these type of shelves, we actually have some of these in the massage rooms at work to store the towels, we have chocolate and latte coloured towels and when you have them rolled up they look fabulous in this type of shelving.

I think their purpose is more for visual pleasure rather than practicality, though all the same, I still like them.

[Karren]

It's cool lookin Rosie.... as long as it's not your only storage in the room.... We have too much crap which needs to be hidden away behind doors or in drawers... lol

[shesadiva]

I like the cube shelves but for it to work for my room, I need some drawers because not all of my items are for display.

[magosienne]

if you have a big wall, then it's perfect to maximise the space.

i however tend to think you can't store much stuff in each cube, so i don't like them much.

[Adrienne]

I think this is a good idea but i think i'd look too cluttered for me. Imagine when you have to dust it off or how little you can actually fit in a single cube. Plus i know my son would not stop trying to climb it.