Struggling with your sloppy shelves? Want to hide all those piled-up magazines? Need a sly spot to display the ugly vase your hubby’s mom gave you? Here are some stylish, yet smart, solutions.
On hiding clutter: Stock up on small boxes and other cute containers. They’re great for storing photos, knickknacks, loose change, etc. But they’re decorative too. Use muted tones or ones that pop -- but don’t mix.
On masking wires: Drill holes in the back of your shelves and thread the ugly cords through them. Voila!
On displaying objects: Think modern-day curio. Show off a selection of your china. Best part: easy access so you can actually use it!
On stacking: Whether shelving books horizontally or vertically, pile them together from tallest to shortest. It will give off a cleaner look.
On storing your mags: You don’t need to keep your old, ratty mags on display! Use stylish magazine racks to condense and hide clutter.
On avoiding breakage: When using delicate objects as bookends, secure them to the shelf with Fun-Tak. Heaven forbid your cat tries to hop up to that shelf one day and breaks something of sentimental value!
On considering scale: Make sure you group tiny items together to create balance. We’re sure there’s some sophisticated design principle behind this idea, but the short of it is, group in odd numbers and you can’t go wrong.