Square obsession

Am having a bit of a moment obsessing about display-square-cube-box-shelves, or whatever the technical word is for them. 

See, I have a wall of "display" shelves at one end of the lounge - as above. At the other end, is my indigo sofa. So when I sit on the sofa, I (almost) always get stressed out if the cubes don't look neat or full and this (almost) always results in obsessive rearranging - what should go in which box and what looks best where... Hence, sitting on the sofa is becoming a dangerous sport, and rarely restful. (I am aware that there is something about this that is slightly neurotic, and maybe a bit nerdy. Square indeed).

I know it maybe doesn't look like much, but the top row is full of my multicoloured Turkish pots, and spice drawers, the cute glasses that spell out L-O-V-E in lime, yellow and orange, my Coco Ribbon fan... then books, iPod speakers, the Sophie Conran bowl.. lanterns, magazine files, Habitat high gloss boxes, and my Japanese paper lamp...am planning to fill up the top with lots of favourite photos. When I eventually find the right frames.

So, it seems only appropriate, given this obsession to shelving arrangements, to dedicate this entire post to display-shelf-looks I covet. 

My fav is this one, recently styled by Marie of Whole Lotta Lovely for Ideal Home. Not only does it have my current colour scheme of choice - yellow, yellow and grey - but it's tidy too, and I love the way she's wallpapered certain boxes out and used them to store pretty but practical things too

Ok, so this one is a little messy, but it's loved-in-and-lived-in and that I like; I also like the way it feels a bit haphasard but is actually all twinned together with the little linkers of lime bowls and splashes of pink:

(at Home Sweet Home)

I know that this pic below blatantly and shamefully spells Ikea - that's because it is - but if the pioneers behind the Billy Bookshelf taught us anything, it's that storage can look good too...check out these display shelves with drawers used as a room divider...

A little luxury meanwhile over at Heals (where clutter is a bad, bad word) - check out the white glossy display shelves in the corner - empty but for the artistically arranged black ceramics...

and dark wood glamour in this room set - although for me an entire wood case of boxed-in shelves would be a little too heavy...

...Except for in this one, which is packed with books and toys - the way open shelves should be! (Via Apartment Therapy)