The famous white Ikea picture ledge debuted a few years ago at a remarkable £5, undeniably good value. This post discusses what makes the picture shelf such a great household item, when does upgrading to solid wood makes sense, and what should you bear in mind when ordering your custom sized picture shelf.
Benefits of the picture shelf
Photo wall collages are a striking and fun way to show off your photography skills (and subtly reference who are the favourite’s in the family!), but it is very hard to create the perfect collage, no matter how many you have seen on Pinterest… Getting the mix of symmetry and asymmetry, order and randomness is easier said than done. Even if you manage to collect enough frames and correctly sized prints, translating that from the floor to the wall is another matter (and set of skills) entirely!
Enter the picture ledge. Or picture ledges.
With just two or three holes in the wall, the picture ledge gives a similar effect to a wall collage but with endless opportunities to shuffle, restyle and replace. Add more depth to the feature wall by hanging a couple of frames traditionally around the shelf and your wall is Pinterest ready!
Benefits of a custom sized solid wood picture shelf
It is no secret that a solid wood picture shelf will be more of an investment than the £5 Ikea MOSSLANDA. When does it make sense to upgrade to solid wood? Here are a few scenarios.
When you need a custom size picture ledge
Our picture shelves are fully customisable. Length: Have you got a space you want to fill? Do you want the shelf to match exactly the width of your office desk? Depth: Do you have an object or two that you want to fit on the ledge, requiring a bit more depth? Or want a shallower depth so pictures stand up straighter? Front lip: do you want a smaller front lip to show off your or pictures? Thickness: do you want to use a chunkier wood (40mm) to match the rooms aesthetic, or thinner wood (18mm) to keep the overall weight down?
Our fully customisable solid wood picture shelves have got your back.
When the picture shelf needs to match with existing decor
The Ikea shelf only comes in white veneered fibre board. It’s part of its £5 charm. But if you already have wood you are trying to complement in the room, or putting the shelf on a wall painted in darker colours, or need a more traditional look which a darker wood like walnut or dark stained pine would provide, then you might be looking to solid wood to solve these conundrums.
When you are creating a space with a premium look and feel
Again, no one is turning their nose up at a £5 picture ledge, but if you have invested in a great solid wood desk top, maybe some carefully chosen peripherals, a solid wood monitor stand, even some nice speakers… a veneer shelf mounted above all of that might detract from the look you have worked hard to curate.
A rich, characterful, full stave solid wood picture shelf on the other hand… well, that’s going to do the job perfectly. Especially if you managed to buy your desk top and monitor stand at the same time, we can source all your oak, pine, asian hardwood or walnut from the same batch, keep the unique tones and grain consistent throughout all your pieces.
When the picture ledge needs to be strong
If you plan to place some heavy items on the shelf, maybe screwing some hooks on the underside to hang coats or bags on, then the picture shelf needs to be built to last. We use tried and tested joinery techniques to make sure that your picture shelf can withstand a fair amount of abuse!
It is worth mentioning that if you are planning on loading the shelf, your wall might give way before the shelf does. Read some caveats about fixings and your wall here.
Factors to consider before buying a solid wood picture shelf
Matching with existing items purchased from us before
We use solid oak, pine, asian hardwood and walnut from numerous suppliers. As long as the wood is Grade A quality, and fully certified, we will use it to make desk tops, shelves, monitor stands and picture ledges. Wood is a natural product that can vary from stave to stave. If you have purchased an item from us before, i.e. a 23mm oak top 2 years ago, buying a 23mm oak picture shelf with the same finish from us today might have a slightly different tone and character.
The safest way to get matching items is to buy them at the same time. That way we are using wood from the same stock, perhaps even staves from the same tree, resulting in a much closer match.
Fixing to the wall
When using our picture ledge configurator, next to the price the calculator gives (which is the final price, including VAT and hand delivery), we provide an estimated weight. Make sure that the wall you are attaching to is strong enough to hold the weight (plus your pictures and items), and you use adequate, high quality fixings (we do not provide rawlplugs, screws etc, as these will vary from project to project).
Requesting pilot holes
Our picture shelves do not come with any pre drilled holes by default. It would be the worst if we drilled a big hole in the beautiful wood in a place that you didn’t want it. We recommend pre drilling holes yourself (you will need an electric drill), but we are also more than happy to drill any amount of holes, in any location, at any diameter for you. Just let us know when you place the order in the order notes.
Buy your oak, pine or walnut picture ledge today
Custom Size Solid Wood Picture Shelf
Why Solid Wood Tops?
Custom size? Same price.
Desk top prices are worked out using a going market rate formula. There are no extra charges for non-regular sizes. Calculate your price and order in minutes.
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