Installing A Decorative Shelf Above A Bed

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bosch. All opinions are 100% mine.

Our guest room has been fairly easy to put together in our new house because it is almost an exact duplication of our old master bedroom. I still love all of the decor and had the mentality ‘if it’s not broken, why fix it’? But like any new space, it’s always fun to mix things up just a little bit. In our old room I built a faux barn door for above our bed. It has actually been leaning against the wall in this room for the past two months and I keep dragging my feet to put it up. There was just something about it that didn’t feel right for this room. Completely on a whim, I decided to try the whole ” shelf above bed ” look. And I love it.

Installing A Decorative Shelf Above A Bed

This project took me just a few hours and cost me right around $50.  I’m so glad I took the plunge. love that it takes up such a large space but feel so modern and clean. And look at all of that black and white. Swoon. 

You may remember all of these  typography prints from my black and white wall gallery. I hadn’t found the right place for them yet and was so happy to be able to use them again. While they may look like just numbers and letters, each of these prints hold a special meaning to my family. You can download all of the free printables here! If you’ve been looking for the perfect way to fill space above your bed and make an impact I highly recommend this project. Here are a few tips I learned along the way.

Supplies:

• Bosch GLM 15 Measuring Tool
• 5 Black Shelf Brackets (Number may vary depending on length of your wall)
• 8″ Primed White MDF Board (Length will vary depending on your wall size)
• White Paint
• Power Drill
• Level

Estimated Cost: $50 (back in 2014!) Here is what the room looked like before. It definitely needed a little somethin’ somethin’.

Now, here’s the deal. I do 95% of all the projects around our house by myself and most of the time it’s during the kid’s nap time, so it can be a challenge when I need to take a large measurement, like the length of this wall.

Generally three things tend to happen 1) I try and hook the measuring tape under the molding and pray it doesn’t pop out 2) I ask my three year old to hold the other end which generally results in her letting go 3) I have to postpone the project until my husband gets home and can help me take measurements. None of which are extremely accurate or efficient :) Soooo…

When I found out about this new laser measure from Bosch I was really intrigued. And now I’m hooked. The tool is designed to measure the distance between two spaces with the use of a laser. SOOOO easy. Exact measurements with just the click of a button? Yes, please. All I had to do was turn the tool on, place it against the wall and make sure the laser was pointing at the opposite side. And that’s it. The measurement will instantly appear on the screen and when you are done, you just click the button and it holds the measurement so you don’t have it write it down :)

Installing A Decorative Shelf Above A Bed

This is a fabulous tool for measuring the length of a wall within seconds, taking square footage of a space, measuring for blinds, etc.  After I took the measurement of the wall, I found out where all my studs were (using a stud finder) and based my bracket placement on the studs. You can use drywall screws, but I prefer everything go into studs, especially a heavy piece above a bed. My studs are about 16″ a part in my house and I placed my brackets on every other one, making them roughly 32″ a part. Some vary within an inch or two. Be sure to use a level as you go.

For the shelf, I used an 8″ wide piece of primed white MDF board. I gave it a coat of white paint and it was good to go. I had to use  boards and secured them together using wood glue, a little wood filler and paint. Look at that difference! Oh I’m so excited! It really polished off this space. Now onto the rest of the room…. :)

If you are looking for a great stocking stuffer, try the Bosch GLM 15 laser measure for $49! Who would you like to give one to? It can be you ;)