The Wall Above a Sideboard: Mirrors, Art and Shelves
My wife walked into the dining room, took one look at the wall above our sideboard, and just said, “Ben. What is happening up there.” Which was fair, because at…
A TV Stand Without a TV: Turning It Into Something Else
I got rid of the television in the den in 2019 and left the stand exactly where it was for four months, empty, because I genuinely did not know what…
The Top Shelf of a Bookcase: Display Space, Not Reach Space
I own eleven objects whose entire job is to sit on top of a bookcase and be looked at. Eleven. I counted them last week while standing on a dining…
Ideas for the Top of a Wardrobe: Baskets, Boxes and Plants
I was up on a step stool in my own bedroom on a Sunday morning, not doing anything productive, just finally dealing with the top of my wardrobe because my…
Top of a Console Table: Fewer Objects, Better Result
My sister walked into my condo two Saturdays ago, took one look at my console table, and said, “Aisha, this looks like a garage sale that got promoted.” She wasn’t…
On Top of a Bed Frame: Ledges, Canopies and Storage Frames
I built a platform bed with an integrated ledge for my own bedroom about six years ago, back when I thought I knew everything about building things because I’d been…
Top of a Sideboard: A Simple Formula That Works
I once spent four hundred and ten dollars building what I can only describe as a shrine. Not to anything in particular. Just three white ceramic somethings, evenly spaced, on…
Dressing Table Top: Keeping It From Turning Into a Junk Pile
I own six trays whose entire job, their entire professional purpose in my home, is to sit on top of one dressing table and hold things. Six. I counted them…
Top of a Bookcase: What Sits Up There Without Looking Cluttered
My sister-in-law Renee stood in my living room, tilted her head at the bookcase, and said, “Did you just… give up up there?” She wasn’t wrong. At that point the…
Nesting Tables: When Three Beat One
Nesting tables have a reputation problem, and it’s mostly this: people think of them as the furniture equivalent of a shrug. You buy a nesting set when you can’t commit…