One thing that I refuse to pay a lot of money for is shelving. It just seems dumb. I mean, you end up filling your shelves with other stuff, so in the end you really don’t see a huge amount of surface area. Behold my “entertainment center” that most guests think I had custom made:
p.s. WHO IS EXCITED FOR VANDERPUMP RULES!?!? That’s a commercial for it on the t.v.
Annyhoodles, the “entertainment center” has quotes around it because it’s actually some pushed-together shelves. The middle three are from our old condo, which we got from Ikea about four or five years ago. The ones on the end are from Target. Apparently they’re not online, but versions without the shelves are available here.
Step closer, why don’t you?
Ah, there is La Vanderpump herself. Fabulous. I love her.
So, yeah, the total “entertainment center” cost us about 400 bucks altogether, which is much less than the $2,000+ options I scouted out at first.
Even my go-to big box stores failed me. This guy will set you back at least $1900 from West Elm:
While this one is $2900 from Crate and Barrel:
And they have less shelf-space than the set up I’ve got. I have so many books that I need every square inch I can find, really. The key, if you’re looking to do some similar mix-and-matching, is to get a finish that won’t be hard to find in other product lines, like black or white. Don’t even try to monkey with wood tones. That way lies insanity.
I knew I was going to put a crapload of books on the shelves but I didn’t want them to seem too…booky…so I threw in some pretty stuff we already owned, plus the awesome trunk you see above, found at Target (can you tell a new Target opened up in my neighborhood? Yeah. I pretty much go there every weekend even when I don’t need anything). I can’t find the one I got, which was el cheapo, but here’s a similar $44 dollar option.
But the best part about the shelves?
There he is.
Luckily, we have enough shelving elsewhere in the house that we could give Baxter a little cubby. He loves it in there.
As for art, the large painting on the left is the sibling of the one in our bedroom, and the other two are canvas prints – one of a photo I took and one of a graffiti photo my dad took. The framed print is of the Prayer of Saint Francis, which was only a couple of bucks but has some priceless reminders that I like to read each day. The painting on the wall was an Etsy purchase a few months ago, from the talented Linda Monfort. I got her before West Elm featured her, so…obviously they’re copying me.
And the chair…well…that was an investment piece that I scrimped and saved for. You can find a similar (and sadly more expensive) version of it at Room Service Store, where I originally got mine. Mine cost less, and I’ll bet if you were really in love with it, they would make it for you (most of their stuff is customizable).
The lamp was a wedding gift from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. Here are a few with similar lines. And remember that you’re a fool if you go to B3 without a 20% off coupon!
So there you have it. The cheapest corner of my house.
