Floating Frames from Loving Living Small

Loving Living Small is another great website in the brotherhood sisterhood uh, siblinghood of small-space decor sites. Rebecca has tons of tips and inspiration to browse through, including interviews with heavy-hitters in the design world. But what I'm finding most inspirational is her own space! Rebecca recently moved to Los Angeles (she and I were like ships passing in the night -- her on her way to L.A., me on my way North), and her new place is amazing. It was a great find to begin with (check out that fireplace!), and she's worked her magic on it to take it to the next level. I really love what she's doing with her wall of "built-in" bookcases. These built-ins started their lives as IKEA BILLY cases, but Rebecca ditched the backing to open them up, then styled them with her collection of books, magazines, and other objects. What I like best is her brave decision to hang her art on it as if it were just any ol' wall. As she says, "I knew that when I moved into my place and set up my built-in units that I'd lose an entire wall. But no worries, I embraced the space by using the actual book shelves as a platform for my frames." She continues, "I just used two small nails to hang a few frames and now have a little bit of extra dimension and a cool way to break up the lines a bit of all that shelving. Super easy and I think it looks pretty cool - makes my small space feel good." And I totally agree! The pictures are just the right size so that they don't overwhelm the bookcase or block what's behind it. They're also such a great play on depth. It's like an optical illusion: are the pictures floating mid-air, or is the bookcase recessed into the wall? Either way, it keeps your visual interest -- no small feat when next to that fireplace! Fantastic job, Rebecca. I can't wait to see more and more of your gorgeous new home! Via Loving Living Small.