One of my most favorite projects I’ve ever done is build these cafe shelves. I don’t have a fireplace in my home, so I’ve always felt a little jipped that I don’t have a mantel to decorate for the seasons. So I made my husband help me, and together, we built these simply beautiful cafe shelves. When I say together, I mean I messed them up. And he fixed them and hung them.
When I made my Pallet Signs, I showed a little glimpse into my dining room (although I’d say it’s more of a dining area than a dining room)… And I got a lot of questions about my cafe shelves.
I actually made these shelves a long time ago. I even shared a sneak peak on my instagram account….. 6 months ago! Yes, it’s safe to say I am a slacker.
The problem is that it’s taken me a while to get these decorated and “staged” exactly right. But, alas, I think I finally got it right…. Just in time to switch it up for Halloween and Fall. Hehehe. Isn’t that how it always goes?
I knew I wanted shelves in this space by my dining table, and so when I saw the cafe shelves from Thrifty Decor Chick, I totally copied them!
So you want to build your own? Here’s the skinny:
You’ll need:
Door Casing
7 inch wide Shelving Board
Corbels
Liquid Nails
Finishing Nails
Screws and Driver
Instructions:
Guys, I’m sorry I don’t have any how-to pictures. These are pretty self explanatory.
Cut your board to the size you want your shelf, then cut your door casing at 45 degree angles to fit around the edges.
Use liquid nails to attach the molding to the shelf. Make sure the flat side of the molding is on the top of the shelf. Then use finishing nails to hold it all together… the liquid nails will do all the work, so if you don’t have a finishing gun, you can just tape the casing on until the glue dries.
Attach your corbels to your shelves. Fill any holes, and paint!
My shelves measure 4 feet long and 6 feet long by 7 inches wide. Yeah, they’re big shelves. But you can honestly make your shelves whatever size fits your space.
I love that these shelves LOOK like they are expensive Pottery Barn or Ballard shelves, but they are actually a few pieces of scrap wood with some door casing stuck to it.
Here’s a little peek at my shelves for each season:
SPRING:
And those spring kissing balls look great sitting on my pedestal bowls. I simply stacked a few pretty books and stuck them on top. That egg tray was a DIY project I did a while back.
Isn’t that Choose Happy Pallet Sign so cheery? And my Planter Box Centerpiece is so interchangeable!
FALL:
Halloween
The Purple People Eater Printable is a free printable, and my Halloween Candy Dishes were a huge hit last year!
Miranda says
Love these! Great job!
Heather says
Love your shelves – what a great display area! Pinned!
vanessaourthriftyideas says
These are so darling! And I love how you styled them!! Definitely pinning.
Shawnee H says
Wait, did you do a tutorial on how to make the shelf? I know we talked about it at one point, but I forgot the details.
Natalie Dalpias says
Honestly, I made them so long ago, that I can’t find my how-to pictures. But this post by house of smiths shows step by step tutorials.
http://www.thehouseofsmiths.com/2010/09/ballard-design-inspired-shelves.html
Shawnee H says
oh yes. I remember now!
Shawnee H says
I’m so glad you posted this…I want to make a shelf like this!