floating shelves Archives | Nieu Cabinet Doors

6 DIY Projects to Beautify Your Home in 2021

by nieu | Jan 5, 2021 | Blog

Now that 2020 is behind us and the holidays are over, many of us are looking around the house for something to do. With more time in our homes than ever, it’s going to be a long, hard winter – unless you can find satisfying tasks to fill your time. We’ve got the answer with these fun DIY ideas!

Keep yourself entertained with a DIY home project – or several DIY projects. Beautify your property with new finishes, colors, hardware and fixtures. Improve your home’s functionality and boost your quality of life in subtle ways through DIY projects.

1. Glam Up Your Kitchen with Cabinet Refacing

Are you tired of the same old look in your kitchen? Make a change. You don’t have to install all new cabinets to give your kitchen a facelift. Refacing is one way to make your cabinets look new without the expense. You don’t even have to hire a contractor to do the work – you can do it yourself.

Start by measuring your cabinets, then go shopping. You can pick your color, or paint them yourself. Buy your new cabinet doors from a reputable company to ensure long-lasting beauty.

2. Refresh and Refinish Furniture

Old furniture has a way of getting scratched up. Refinishing makes old furniture look like new. Use environmentally-friendly chalk paint to give your old end table or bench an antique look, or try re-staining your old wood chairs to give them a like-new glow.

Furniture refinishing is something that many people do as a hobby, and there’s also many small businesses that offer custom furniture refinishing. It’s a great DIY home project if you’re looking for an ongoing task to occupy your time. Once you’ve refinished one chair or table, you won’t want to stop! Before you know it, everything you own will look like new.

A photo of a young woman painting a chair.

3. Clear Clutter with Floating Shelves

Floating shelves are the perfect contemporary furnishing for improving home organization in 2021. Get clutter up off the floor with your floating shelves. If it’s not the kind of clutter you want to see, use attractive baskets to keep it hidden, organized and tidy.

Customize your floating shelves to get the perfect fit and look for your home. With the right tools, you can install floating shelves yourself. They look great in the living room, bathroom, kitchen and so on. Want to make your small room look a little taller and airier? Try installing them near the ceiling. Want a pop of color in your room? Paint them before installing.

Explore Custom Floating Shelf Styles and Colors

4. Create a Wallpaper or Mural Accent Wall

Painted accent walls were very popular a few years ago. That popularity has waned, but recently new types of accent walls have taken their place: board and batten accent walls and wallpapered accent walls! Adding texture to a wall creates an intant focal point in any room.

Board and batten, chevrons, plaid, and abstract accent walls can create a 3D effect and add depth to your room. Paired with a bold or neutral color, you can take a bold stance or play it safe depending on your style. Wallpaper accent walls are slightly more understated but still add focus and a sense of thoughtful beauty to home interiors. Installing wallpaper isn’t the easiest of DIY projects, but as far as wallpapering projects go, one accent wall is doable even for inexperienced homeowners.

Check out this step by step explanation of how to create a board and batten accent wall!

A photo of a grey plaid board and batten accent wall with tall vases and a hardwood floor. — Accent walls can take a variety of shapes, textures and materials.

5. Get Creative with Cabinet Hardware

You don’t have to completely reface your kitchen cabinets to make them look like new. Replace your kitchen cabinet hardware with something unique like leather pulls, ceramic knobs or modern minimalist handles. This is a relatively inexpensive home improvement project that can easily be completed in an afternoon.

6. Make Rustic DIY Wall Hooks

Just about anything attached to a board can become a wall hook. Wine corks. Old railroad ties. Even a bent spoon! Find a piece of reclaimed wood, refinish it, attach the hooks of your choice, then install your new wall hook board on a space like the wall of your bedroom or maybe near your backdoor.

DIY wall hooks are convenient, cute and and easy DIY for a rainy afternoon. There are lots of tutorials online that you can follow – just find the one that you like best.

A photo of a bag hanging from a rustic wall hook. — DIY wall hooks can be made with scrap wood for a rustic touch

Don’t wait. Get started with winter DIY home projects today!

Have fun remaking your space for the new year with these DIY projects. Try a kitchen refresh with all new cabinet doors for your kitchen, or to get started with your custom floating shelves today.

Floating Shelf Designs to Elevate Your Home

by nieu | Nov 18, 2020 | Blog

In recent years, kitchen designs have shifted from the dark and enclosed interiors of the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s to a preference for open, airy spaces. Features that convey a sense of spaciousness and minimalism are valued in contemporary kitchens, and nothing delivers that quality like floating kitchen shelves.

Floating kitchen shelves deliver functionality, beauty and a little magic all in one. They create the perfect surface where you can stash a plant, store a bottle of wine or display a beautiful platter. If you’ve spent the last several years admiring kitchens with open shelves, just wishing you had one in your house, then there’s no doubt you’ll love having a floating shelf in your home.

Benefits of Floating Shelves

Floating shelves achieve a lot with very little. With no visible brackets or hardware, floating shelves are lines on the wall, blank surfaces just waiting for an object to hold. Tabula rasa.

The simplicity of floating shelves allows your decor to stand out and create accents in your home.

Why we Love DIY Floating Shelves:

Clean architectural lines. Custom floating shelves are made of thick, sturdy slabs, primed or painted in the color of your choice, to create attractive fixtures on your walls.
Display favorite kitchen items. DIY floating shelves put your favorite dishes and kitchen tools on display. They also make a handy spot to place frequently used items like wine glasses or coffee mugs.
Take up less space. With no visible brackets on your walls, there’s no minimum distance between your floating shelves – you pick the arrangement that works best for you.
Strength. They might look like they’re floating by magic, but they’re held in place by strong hidden brackets and anchors that can easily support a variety of standard kitchen items.
Light and airy. Floating shelves project a sense of mystical lightness, which easily makes your kitchen seem open, airy and spacious.

Wondering about the applications of floating shelves? We’re bursting with ideas.

Floating Shelves Ideas to Enhance Your Home:

If your kitchen is dated/old fashioned: Remove old upper cabinets and install floating shelves to add a contemporary flair to your kitchen.

If your kitchen is really small: Install floating shelves up high to add a sense of height to your kitchen.

If your walls are bare: Choose floating shelves in a contrasting color, and install them in an spot that lacks visual interest and beauty. Fill the shelves with items you love to look at. Consider buying dishes specifically for your shelves: dishes that either match, or stand out distinctly!

White floating shelves with glass jars containing baking goods, a cactus on the shelf, and glass cupboards in a kitchen.

Where Can Floating Shelves Be Installed?

White and painted floating shelves make an outstanding addition to just about any room of the house. In the bathroom, they provide a surface for bottles of lotion, wash cloths and candles. In the living room, your white floating shelves can hold framed pictures, keepsakes, fresh flowers.

Install a series of floating shelves in your bedroom or home office to create a make-shift, open-sided bookcase. Use attractive, creative book ends to hold books in place.

Some tips:

Be deliberate when choosing items for your floating shelves.
Leave empty room on your shelves to enhance their clean, simple beauty.
Set attractive baskets on your floating shelves to contain mess and hide clutter.

A white, open laundry room with shaker cabinet doors, black cabinet pulls, and floating shelves. — Floating shelves in a modern laundry room make the space feel bigger, with decorative baskets to add style and function.

Refacing Your Cabinets? Add to Your New Look with Custom Floating Shelves

During a cabinet refacing project, you’ll naturally find yourself considering other small changes to enhance your kitchen design. Floating shelves offer a low-cost, effective way to customize your space. They’re practical as well as attractive, and can be used to serve a variety of functions.

Our floating shelves come painted or primed to match your new kitchen. Get in touch to order your custom shelves today.

Learn More About Floating Shelves