apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Liz has great style!

she must have the books tilted up slightly on the back edge of the shelves, up against the wall - otherwise the they'd fall through the open wire surfaces

great office

This is fabulous. I took the first picture and put it in my inspiration folder. My husaband is in desperate need of some shelving in HIS small office.

Good source for these? I know they sell them at IKEA-are they good quality?

They sell metro wire components at The Container Store. I love the stuff. You can build so much with it.

I like your office. The teal chair and file cabinet really liven up the space.

I can't tell from the photo, but Liz may have used the plastic shelf liners to keep the books from falling through.

I have these, though Liz's somehow look much cooler than mine... I have my books on long strips of cardboard to prevent the bars from marring the books or the books falling through. The books protrude out over the cardboard, so it's almost invisible. I have some from various sources, including Target and Home Depot. They've held up pretty well, and I have the TV on one - although they're probably not as sturdy as Williams Sonoma's (uber pricey) ones.

Also love the blue of the chair and file cabinet, including (because of?) the fact that it doesn't quite match.

Thanks everyone! I bought the shelving at Linens & Things (may they rest in peace), and the wire surfaces are smaller than usual and the books dont really fall through. But I do have them pushed all the way back to brace them between the two main bars on the back.

Liz
http://mabelshouse.blogspot.com/

Ikea no longer sells these (at least not in Canada) but you can get them at most hardware stores

One thing I love Is that cats hate walking on metro shelving. So plants they normally like to terrorize are safe!

That is altogether beautiful. *admires*

whytephoenix, don't forget the other beautiful blue on those lovely lamps.

My dad was obsessed with metro shelving, and so it was pretty much all we had in the house. There was one tall one in the kitchen with 2 bottom shelves, a butcher block and 2 shallow cookbook shelves. He also did them wall-to-wall in his living room and office. Now I have 2 short knock-offs in my living room.

We have this same shelving in our music room! We bought it last year at Target for $120 for the pair! They have worked out great for us!

After extensive price comparisons, I got mine at Home Depot (Container Store was the most expensive). I wanted the height to be shorter than the 54" so I bought a hack saw and sawed off the poles to the desired height. Now the four shelves they came with are now distributed along a shorter frame. I have a slab of marble on top of the first shelf and a lamp (to make it cozy!). I have stacked four Le Creuset pots (very heavy) and the shelf shows no sign of distress. I am very pleased.

Container Store sells actual Metro shelving. Home Depot, IKEA, and Target sell knock offs. Restaurant supply houses also usually sell Metro. There is a lower-priced 'consumer' Metro line, which Container Store may sell now.

I use the clear plastic shelf liners from the Container Store for mine. Got the original four-shelf one from them, and then added a matching shelf later, which I picked up at Lowe's. I use it as my entertainment center - TV, component stereo, albums, CDs, tapes, and videos (yeah, I still have LPs and tapes, so sue me). It's impossible to find a media center that fits LP records any more, and the shelves can be customized to different heights.

I never thought these could be made to look good as a bookshelf, but she's managed to do it! My fiance has shelving like this in black, and I always refer to it as "your Ugly Shelves." I don't think I'd be able to make it look good outside of a kitchen. They're just a little too bachelor-pad-y for my taste, when used as a media center or a bookshelf (this example excluded!).

I use these same shelves in my office as well as in a closet and purchased them at Lowes. They work great, although unlike Liz's I use baskets and place things in the baskets...either way, they work well. They come in different heights and I also use a shorter one for my scanner to sit on as well as magazine... They aren't expensive, and if you put them on furniture moving coasters you can slide them into and out of a closet easily.. Highly recommend them to anyone looking to organize any space in their house.

Metro also makes shelves with the wires going the other way-side to side, which is ideal for book storage. I believe those are actually less expensive. The ones pictured here are normally used for commercial purposes. The shorter wires are stronger and can support more weight.

I love your office space, Liz! I would not think to use metal shelving in the office, but it works wonderfully!

Debbie
http://girlwhimsy.blogspot.com

Go Liz!!

Liz' whole house is worth featuring...she wears the modern vintage badge with finesse!!

Linda

i use similar shelves in my kitchen, which i ordered online from costco.

Where is that lovely lamp from?

Her office space, along with her home are quirky and charming. So perfectly put together!

I love the teal file cabinet. Is it painted? I need one, but hate the greenish gray color of them! Thanks,