I Built A Simple Wall Shelf In My Living Room

There are days when I walk through the living room and find a trail of small blankets leading all the way from the hallway to the sofa, as if the girls created a soft path only they can understand. 

They carry their blankets everywhere into the kitchen during breakfast, onto the rug during story time, and especially into the living room whenever they want to curl up near the mantel. 

I love how much comfort they find in these blankets, yet I have to admit that by late afternoon the room sometimes looks like a tiny tornado of cotton and color passed through.

One morning, after folding the same two blankets for the third time before noon, I realized the girls didn’t actually have an easy place to put them away. 

Their bedroom hooks were too far, the back of the sofa never worked, and the basket beside the sofa seemed to swallow the blankets more than store them. That was the moment I decided to build a simple wall shelf.

Finding the Perfect Piece of Wood

To be honest, I didn’t want to spend too much money on this project, just the simple shelf to feel handmade, familiar, and slightly rustic and match our Florida home and the cozy atmosphere we’ve slowly built over the years.

In the backyard barn, I found an old pallet board we once used during our gardening days. The piece was still in good shape: thick enough to hold hooks, long enough to hang two or three blankets, and worn in just the right ways. After brushing off the dust, I measured it properly:

• Board length: 28 inches
• Board height: 5¾ inches
• Thickness: a sturdy ¾ inch
• Wood type: pine (weathered but still strong)

Great, it was almost the exact size I had in mind.

Tools and Supplies I Used

I gathered everything on the dining table before I started:

• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Sandpaper (medium-grit 150 for smoothing edges, fine-grit 220 to finish)
• Drill with a ⅛-inch bit
• Three wooden pegs (2 inches long each)
• Two hanging brackets for the back
• Level
• Screws (1¼ inch)
• A small tub of leftover matte wood stain in the shade Driftwood

Sanding, Staining, and Preparing the Wood

The pallet wood had a slightly rough surface, so I spent a good 15 minutes sanding the edges and corners until they felt smooth enough for little hands. 

Once the wood was soft to the touch, I wiped it clean and applied a thin coat of matte stain. I used just enough to bring out the grain without darkening it too much as I wanted the shelf to blend quietly with our living room.

While the stain dried near the window, I arranged the pegs on the board. I spaced them 8 inches apart, which felt comfortable for the size of the blankets the girls usually carry around. Too close and they’d overlap; too far and the shelf would look empty.

Next, Adding the Pegs

Once the stain dried, about 40 minutes, I drilled three pilot holes for the wooden pegs. This kept the wood from splitting and made it easier to screw the pegs in securely. 

After attaching them, I held the shelf up against the wall near the mantel and lowered it little by little until I reached the right height (only 20 inches from the floor).

This was intentional because I wanted the girls to be able to reach the shelf easily and learn to hang their blankets without asking for help. They’ve reached the age where responsibilities, even the small ones, can bring so much pride.

Now I attached two hanging brackets to the back of the board, using a level to make sure everything would sit straight once mounted.

We Installed Our Project

Daniel helped me hold the shelf in place while I marked the screw locations on the wall. The process took maybe ten minutes, but it felt like building something larger than a shelf.

Once it was secure, we saw our final result. The shelf looked simple and quiet, blending into the room rather than standing out, which is exactly what I hoped for.

My Girls Were So Excited

When the girls came home from school, the shelf became the star of the afternoon. They immediately tested it, placing their blankets over the pegs with exaggerated care, as if the shelf needed to be impressed by their effort. 

They giggled, rearranged the blankets twice, and then proudly announced, “We can put them away by ourselves!”

And if you ever notice stray blankets piling up in your own living room, maybe a small shelf like this could be the gentle solution you didn’t know you needed.