Kicking up the Cozy Factor

My mantle is finished...finally. I was able to hang Christmas stockings, and "deck the halls"...or mantle rather, in all kinds of holiday festiveness. I know, I know, I should have posted pics of the blessed event, but my house was still in total and complete disarray...which brings me to the why I'm posting today.

After the mantle was done, it occured to me that it might look even better flanked by a set of chunky shelves. Coincidentally, Studly had a nice, sturdy pair collecting dust in his office. I thought they would be perfect. In my mind I was envisioning a built in look, only at a fraction of the cost...or hassle.

So, a few days prior to Christmas, Studs and I decided to lug the beasts into the family room so we could see what they would look like in their potential new home. There was quite a bit of, arguing...err discussion that took place regarding the necessity of "cluttering" up the walls, and "overshadowing" of the mantle, yada yada yada. So, we decided to leave it alone and see how we felt about it after a couple of days. And of course, hubs couldn't deny the fact that the shelves definately added to the ambience of the room {even if it meant giving up all of his storage space}. I didn't say anything to him at the time, but he never reads my blog so I'll say it now...I told ya so. Wanna see how the mantle looks with it's two new friends?

In my opinion, they ought to be painted white to match the mantle, but even still, I really like the way everything is looking. The mantle definately added warmth to the room, but adding the shelves into the mix kicked up the "cozy' factor exponentially in my opinion. And I have to say that I am pretty giddy about having oodles and oodles of shelf space to accessorize. I can hardly wait for the tchotchke hunting to begin.

So, what is the moral of this post? Well first, be careful when trying to take away a man's shelf/storage space. Apparently they get extremely attached. And secondly, if you want to add some coziness to your home... just add shelves.

I've still got several projects to complete before I can call the room finished...painting the walls and shelves to name a few, but I'll be sure to keep posting progress pics for those of you who care. I've also got several other projects in the pipeline that I'd like to get to before next Christmas, so check back soon.