This week of the One Room Challenge, I struggle to decide between floating shelves and new, different design choice.
Get caught up on my other One Room Challenge posts:
- I: Making Over My Guest Bathroom on a Budget
- II: Replacing the Bathroom Hardware
- III: The Battle of the Floating Shelves
- IV: How To DIY A Stunning Wood Slat Wall
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I think we’ve all been in a place where we start a project half-heartedly, with little confidence and no plans, just to see how it turns out. Or at least I’d like to think we’ve all done it so I don’t feel like the only person who has been unprepared. This was a week full of procrastination and uncertainty and now I’m not sure if I should pivot or stay the course. But let me not get ahead of myself and start from the beginning.
For the bathroom makeover, I’ve been excited to remove the towel bar that’s over the toilet. I’m not sure whose idea it was to put a towel bar over a toilet, but it’s never made sense to me. I prefer being practical and that space for a towel feels so decorative without function. As part of my moodboard for the bathroom design, I decided to replace that towel bar with some floating shelves. Specifically, floating shelves that are low-profile. My hope for the bathroom is that it’ll have some spa vibes, some mid-century mod vibes. Something both exciting and relaxing.
The Floating Shelves
So what are floating shelves? Traditional floating shelves are built by creating a shelf frame and a mounting piece. The mounting piece is attached to the wall and the frame slides over the mount to give the appearance that it’s floating. I wanted to keep these floating shelves slim and low-profile. There are other types of shelves that are considered floating, though it can be more of a loose interpretation.
I wanted to keep these floating shelves slim and low-profile. My plan was to keep the side trim an inch and a half wide, the width of a 1×2. I didn’t take into account that obviously 1.5 inches (the actual width of the 1×2) is a bit narrow to fit a frame and a mount in. So I made the choice to use thin plywood for the frame.
Since the plywood was so thin, it was basically impossible to nail to the trim. I ended up using wood glue and clamps to assemble the frame. I will admit I wasted more nails, and time, than I’d like on trying to get it to work. In the end, I think the difference in wood tones was the biggest issue for me. The plywood and the trim are different species of wood and it makes the shelf more noticeable that it’s a case and not so much a solid piece of wood.
The Second Option
When I started making the floating shelves, I was also making it with scrap plywood and 1x2s. Fortunately for me, I also had some scrap 1×8 lumber that was in good shape. I decided to buy some shelf hardware from Amazon and see how I liked that look. It was a no build project, where I only needed to cut the shelves to length and attach to the wall and bracket.
The Battle of the floating shelves
So then I was tasked with deciding between keeping these floating shelves and shifting gears to going with the hardware solution. I left them both hanging around the bathroom to see how I felt and if one felt more fitting in the space. After a few hours of walking by the bathroom and seeing it in the different lights of the day, the slim simplicity of the second option really won my heart.
I’m sure after some time has passed I’ll make it back to attempt the floating shelves again. For today and for this bathroom, though, I’m happy with the shelves and hardware. This also gives me a chance to find more saving tips because we are cutting it close on this makeover budget!
But wait?! What about the paint?
Oh yeah, the paint! I almost forgot! So I needed 2 paints for this makeover: 1 for the cabinets, and 1 for the accent wall. I have made a decision on both, but this week I’m only sharing the color for the accent wall since that’s what I’ll be working on next. So for the accent wall, the background color I chose is…. drumroll please…
Behr’s Satin Black
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Sarah says
I love the look of the hardware! Nice work.