When Brian Parker and his wife purchased a new condo, they began a major remodeling project. As their space evolved, they realized they had a wall that would be perfect to add shelves to where they could display plants, photos, and other objects that were important to them. They began hunting for the perfect shelving unit. However, finding a shelving unit that met their aesthetic goals while simultaneously being the perfect size for their space proved to be a nearly impossible task. That was, until they discovered Modern Shelving.
What were you in the market for when you were looking for shelves?
My wife and I had just purchased a new condo and had followed its construction from the beginning. As the space began to take shape, we realized that there was a perfect wall to add shelving so that we might display plants, photos, objects, and maybe even our vinyl collection. We began our search for shelves which could fill this space properly but kept coming up short. It was proving to be difficult to find a fixed shelving unit, or even free-floating individual shelves, that met our aesthetic goals and would be the right size/scale to fill the space we had intended.
How did you discover Modern Shelving?
I discovered Modern Shelving on Instagram. My feed was full of furniture and shelving options and one day the algorithm sent Modern Shelving my way. I took a look at their site and was immediately attracted to the “custom” option they offered, as it was just what we needed to be able to exactly dial in the shelving system we were searching for.
Brian participated in a Live ZOOM Modern Shelving Meeting to view his 3D rendering of the design before final confirmation to production. Get your own FREE 3D design, book a meetng today!
Where in your home were you planning to put the shelves?
We had just downsized from a suburban home to a smaller in-town condominium, so each piece of furniture needed to be functional and beautiful. We had no room for clutter. This left us with only one large wall to display everything we had kept in our collection. The space is between the kitchen and the living area, but it is really just one large room.
Why did you opt for a custom design?
We needed a “custom” option because we have very high ceilings (+10’). Most of the shelving systems we found online were just too short and the proportions were totally off. By going custom we could create a shelving system which was the exact height of the opening in the wall which leads to an adjacent room. It is literally bespoke, and a solution which looks purpose built for the space (which it is) because it precisely aligns with the height of the cased opening to the left of it.
Our second issue was finding a solution which would match the aesthetic of our space. The designers of our condo used a mid-century modern design motif which incorporated gold hardware, lighting, and accents everywhere. There were also several tones of warm woods throughout. By going custom with Modern Shelving we could select the exact wood tone we wanted, while also allowing us to dial in the metal color (more on that later).
What was the design process like?
I am a licensed commercial architect and lead a large interior design studio for a major national design firm, so I do this for my day job, so to speak. When I connected with Hailey [Strange] I told her that I knew exactly what I needed and showed her the 3D models I had already created in advance.
She was fantastic in helping to guide the design process step by step so that the vision I had could be realized using their system. She walked me through the issues and solutions for achieving the height that was required and helped me figure out how to get the enclosed storage to work for us as well. The entire process was super easy and smooth.
Did you hire someone or do the install yourself?
As an architect I am quite handy, so I took on the install myself. It was not too complicated for me, but it is definitely more advanced than Ikea or assembling other furniture and I would highly suggest an installer for most homeowners. It went very well on my end. Modern Shelving had sent the wrong size screw initially, but I quickly found this issue and they overnighted me the correct ones immediately and were very helpful. The fit and finish of the parts was very highly engineered and went together very positively and securely.
You converted the silver components to gold. Why did you do that and what was your process like?
This was by far the most difficult and time-consuming part of the process. As previously stated, our entire condo was already built with gold accents everywhere (door hardware, light fixtures, cabinet hardware, etc.), so we really had no choice but to match it. To make it happen, we ordered the mill finish aluminum product (silver looking) as it was a nice raw canvas to work on. We had to open and separate every metal item required for the build, including all the exposed screws/bolts which were required. Each component was then thoroughly cleaned with trisodium phosphate to remove any dirt/oils and prepare them for paint. A special etching primer was then applied in two coats to every item (this took over a week). Once cured, two coats of a metallic gold paint were applied and allowed to fully cure before assembly (almost another 1.5 weeks).
We opted to go the paint route for a few reasons. We got quotes to have all the metal powder coated gold, which would have worked, but would add a tiny amount of thickness to the parts. Since the tolerances are so tight, the power coating experts were concerned the parts may not exactly fit back together. It was also a longer lead time to get into the powder coating schedule, so we opted to take the paint route instead. In a perfect world, Modern Shelving would add gold to their standard color options so that others can have this look — it would be much faster to go from package to wall without the long prep/painting stage.
What do you store/house on your shelves?
We keep our Phish vinyl collection, our record player and Marshall sound system for it, family photos, plants, collectibles, and interesting design objects. This is just our initial pass at what to put on the shelves as it will be an ever-evolving exhibit and display of interesting things which are important or appealing to us.
How do your shelves complete or enhance your space?
We cannot put into words how transformational it was when this shelving unit went up. The space was coming together before the shelves were ready for install but something seemed missing, and the room was lacking some personality. The day this system went up the space completely changed and came to life. Every person who has walked into our new condo is immediately drawn to it and asks about it.
It does feel very much “built-in” as if it came with the unit when we moved in. We have to convince people that we had it custom made to perfectly fit into the space. The only sad part is when we move out someday, we will have to include the shelves in the sale as they are perfectly made for this space and this space alone.
What have been people’s reactions to your shelves?
Everyone is blown away by how well it matches and brings life to the space. They love how it has enclosed storage at the bottom and open shelving above. The detailing of the metal supports juxtaposed against the warm wood of the shelves seems to draw them in from their first viewing of it.
Ready to configure your own design? View our base products and choose from a variety of options online below to get started. We can also create any color frame as a custom order, just use quick quote to get started on your design.
