Do your walls remain so plain however much you paint them with bright colours? Have you tried everything from paintings to wall hangings but still feel something’s missing? Don’t beat yourself up, maybe something is missing after all. And could that something be wall shelves?
This style has mostly been left to hotels and is usually associated with high class restaurants and some offices around town but you could take it to your living room and see how it works for you. Wall shelves can never go wrong! They double as places of storage and decoration at the same time. If you have seen them before, you will agree with me that they make for a nice show of art and design even when empty.
Wall shelves are fixtures attached to the wall in different shapes and sizes. They come in different materials – you can choose to have yours made from wood, iron, bamboo, name it. All these materials are in plenty in this gifted Pearl of Africa.
According to Mr Charles Kayondo, a carpenter at Chop It Fix It Carpentry in Mulago, he has had a fair number of customers ask him to make them the decorative shelves although the trend has not yet caught on that much. He says a piece of ordinary wood costs not more than Shs25,000 and one can have a number of shelves cut from this.
Mahogany is more expensive, but basic wood would do though it will depend on the varnish and paint used. Five shelves in small, medium and big sizes when painted and/or vanished cost Shs65,000 at Kayondo’s workshop. Wrought iron shelves are slightly more expensive and one can either come up with their own design or have one designed by the crew at Kayondo’s workshop.
Since the shelves are empty and you can do whatever you want with them as often as you please, they provide a variety of options and are a safe bet when it comes to filling and decorating that empty space on your wall. Make sure they are not so big as to overshadow the rest of the room; you don’t want your, say, living room or bedroom to be confused for a retail shop! Try to add style in the whole setup by using small and medium sized shelves spaced evenly. To get a better finish, have the shelves in different sizes and have them fixed at different levels. Have a V design or you could have them ascending or descending to one direction. To avoid monotony, try to mix and match by having the shelves made in different material hung on the same wall for a better and unique finish.
You can choose to have them done in different shapes, say triangular, square or even hexagon. You could have a square shape but tilt it to come out with a star shape. Play around with the positions till you have a setup that will suite you. Don’t overdo it though; you don’t want your wall coming off as a display shelf.
If you choose to leave some or all of the shelves empty, experiment by painting them in different colours so as to make them stand out. Choose colours that match with the rest of the room and furniture. Alternatively, you can have them varnished in different shades to come off with a whole unique look.
Having fixed the shelves on the walls, choose whether to place something on them or not. I would go with placing something there as this adds more beauty. However, be careful not to over crowd the shelf as this will kill the whole meaning. Place items such as books, medals, awards, photo frames, ornaments, flower vases, and any other decoration you can think of. You will have to mind the bulk of the items depending on how firm the shelf is. Try placing a magazine or two neatly in the shelf and see how it goes. Place a few books in one or two of the shelves but try to resist the temptation to turn all of them into bookshelves as they will end up being cluttered.
You could also hang a key ring or two on a nail or hook fixed on the lower or bottom part of the shelf. It’s even better if the key holder is artistic, say, done in beautifully coloured stone, beads or anything worth hanging. Classic African Art Gallery and Gift Shop at Oasis Mall has a variety of things to choose from that would look nice in the shelves. They have photo frames, key holders, art pieces, embroidered cloth, book and album covers.
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