Many months ago this Ikea Expedit bookshelf was the only piece of furniture in our home. Wait, that isn't completely the truth....Husband and I also had 6 patio chairs set up around our living room. As you can see, our new to us (FREE!) bookshelf was in need of some Monica Geller.
My Favorite Expedit Bookshelf Inspirations
How I Organized My Expedit Bookshelf:
1. I took everything out of the bookshelf that did not belong in our living room. (ie, blow dryer, wall paint, Aggie flare, bathroom light)
2. Then I organized the remaining items into the following groups:
- Husband's books
- Maren's books
- Travel books
- Coffee table books
- Board games
- Puzzles
- Picture frames, any decorations, misc.
3. Next, I alternated rows and columns by placing books vertically or horizontally so that there was varying displays. I also switched up whether or not the books were on the left or right side of each cube. The board games and puzzles are larger so I placed them on the 3rd shelf towards the bottom. It took several tries and moving things around until I got the look I was hoping to achieve.
The Finished Bookshelf!
4. The bottom shelf was empty for a long time (7 months) until I found these white baskets at Ikea. I did not want to use the traditional square baskets that fit the Expedit shelves because those are underneath our TV stand. I thought 8 of the exact same Ikea baskets in our living room would be too matchy matchy. To break up the white shelf from the white wicker baskets, I added a weaved green cloth tie to the top of each basket.
Another idea I had for the bookshelf was to wrap each board game and puzzle box in coordinating gift wrap. I think that varying green papers would match the magazine and stationary box nicely. On the outside of each box I could place a label that stated what game was inside...Apples to Apples etc. Perhaps I might do this come a rainy day... Is this a crazy, insane idea?
Here's a final look at the bookshelf transformation:
Much Better!
Organizing Freak of the Week,
