DIY Vintage Hat Box Shelf
Post by MJ of Pars Caeli
Hi friends! This is MJ from the blog, Pars Caeli, and I have a fun project to freshen your walls this winter. With the chill of winter upon us and little hope of going outside, we naturally turn our focus indoors to work on home projects. We’ve been purging bags and bags of stuff I wondered why we still owned, and organizing all the spaces for a return to a more orderly new year.
In uncovering a corner of clutter, I rediscovered a wonderful collection of old hat boxes from my grandmother. She had a sharp fashion sense and a lovely selection of hats to top off every outfit. My grandmother died many years before my children were born so they were never able to get to know her. I love having little bits of her around like these beautiful boxes, that prompt me to tell stories about the woman that she was so I decided to repurpose them for our daughter’s room. My pal Audrey of This Little Street has designed fabulous new fabrics and removable wallpapers that have both a bold graphic sensibility matched with a cool vintage vibe. I knew they’d be the right choice for freshening up these boxes.
To modernize the boxes, I added a pop of color to the interior. I decided to use both the lid and the box for different projects (I couldn’t resist the hexagonal shape and these boxes are incredibly sturdy). With acrylics, I painted two coats to add dimension. To the lid, I layered on a coat of polyurethane to make it a water safe tray.
Removable wallpaper is the easiest medium to adapt to any project with its ease to stick and restick. For the hexagonal box, I measured the height of the box as well as the perimeter and carefully cut out one long rectangle from the roll of wallpaper.
Much like a large sticker, the wallpaper has a removable paper backing that is easily peeled back and placed on each surface. Applying the paper to the exterior of the box was quick and simple.
The bright lemon and flower print adds a spring touch to their room! We hung the box shelf on their evolving gallery wall, next to an original painting and Land of Nod magnificent metal letter. And though the new shelf can’t hold a ton of weight, it’s a nostalgic addition to showcase a few treasured objects and a remembrance of their great grandma.
xoxo, MJ
M.J. is a graphic and product designer, wife, and proud momma to three. She founded Pars Caeli (meaning a piece of heaven), a delightful blog and shop, to add more creative to the everyday. M.J. worked with our team to bring her lunchbox jokes to life in our product Lunchtime LOL Notes, now available at Land of Nod to bring on a case of the giggles!