BigMamaBird Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 We're in the early stages of renovating our basement into a school room and I've really been enjoying seeing all of your homeschooling rooms!! Our basement is pretty light, there's a large sliding door and a large 2X3 window on the East facing side and two small "basement" windows on the south side. Because of all the sunlight I'm not worried about the place looking too dark. In fact, I'd like to do one really bold accent wall, I'm thinking orange or red. How about all of your rooms, what colors are they? Why did you pick that color and do you have any opinions about calming/stimulating colors, etc? If you've got pictures or swatches with color names, I'd love to see them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xixstar Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Mine is a lighter yellow, sunlighty but pale I think. I have good windows but I just love bright spaces. It was primarily my craft space that is now schooling space too, but I'd probably still have picked the color. The floors are chocolate brown and it goes well together, I think. I love it that way and it's really subtle so that any light feels like warm sunlight even in winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Cream, but since we've got bookshelves over most of the wall space and whiteboards/bulletin boards over most of the rest, there really isn't much visible wall. I have navy blue pocket charts over part of the bookshelf space, both to increase display space and to hide some of the messier supplies. \ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samiam Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 White...cuz we rent. Though I've painted other rooms, I've not painted this room (DH says we are NO MORE $$$$ spent on paint for a rental!). Our color scheme for furniture is black/white, with a touch of gray here and there. If I painted the wall, I'd probably go with a light blue or very light orange. Right now the only pop of color is art work that we'll hang throughout the year. I did put up some wall decals....black circle spiral things...near the top of one wall...to add a bit of jazz :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicMama Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Ours is a sky blue. It is a basement room with no windows. :( But it has a bathroom connected to it, and I can shut the door and not have to worry about what Bink is up to...did I just hear the toilet flooding?!?!?!? It has really, really helped to mood of the room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 NM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Ours is cream. Hubby and I prefer cream as it makes the rooms feel brighter on dark or foggy days. Our furniture's colors are matt white, stainless steel and wood so they blend in easily with the wall color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 We do school in the main living area. The livingroom is green, but I lazured it so it actually has blues and such mixed in too, you just can't tell specifically when looking at it. My kitchen where we do seat work is currently a yellow shade but I do not like it so it is going to be going a taupe-ish color once I finish the kids rooms, and I think I am going to bring orange accents into the room to brighten it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Ours = living room, and walls are as they were when I moved in, half white/cream and half wood color, but not much wall shows what with book shelves, windows, doors, and so on. The main colors showing indoors are similar to in above post by Phoenix. Beige and deep red, but 3 windows show a lot of greens from outdoors, and thereare a bright red and blue dog crate and a blue dog bed and also two black dogs usually showing and dark brown wood floors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 We do school in the main living area. The livingroom is green, but I lazured it so it actually has blues and such mixed in too, you just can't tell specifically when looking at it. My kitchen where we do seat work is currently a yellow shade but I do not like it so it is going to be going a taupe-ish color once I finish the kids rooms, and I think I am going to bring orange accents into the room to brighten it up. Could you write about how you did the lazure? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Could you write about how you did the lazure? I did not do it traditionally, no milk paint, and did not use the expensive paint brushes. I primed the walls so they were all the same white to start (I had lots of repairs to do so it was needed anyway). Then I actually started with a color of green paint I liked because I decided to lazure after I bought the paint. Normally you would start with a white base and add your tints. Anyway, I added water to get to the thickness I wanted and then painted on in the infinity pattern with a wet brush and then over it with a dry to blend until the room was done. Then I would add more paint and water and then I used water color paints(good artist ones, though in future I would use acrylic folk art paints sold at michaels instead and I will explain in a moment), to change the tint a little darker, then layer over the first coat the same way. I did this with each wall changing the tints as I went until I did about 10 layers on each wall, not every layer is the same around the wall due to needing to mix more paint part way through. The end result was a wall that is green but with depth, and I have been able to bring some blue accents in that fit well, because I used blues in my tinting rather than yellows. Now there was some lessons learned along the way. I have some drip marks and streaks that showed through thanks to adding too much water at times. It still looks good and gives it character but is not as flawless as I hoped. The water color paints added to this issue because if I didn't work fast enough they would start to separate a bit. Had I used acrylic craft paints that would not have happened and when I do the kids rooms I will use the craft paints instead to tint, since they will give a smoother finish as I go. I had never lazured before and while it was time consuming I love the end result. I watched a lot of you tube videos on how to do this before I started and while I put my own spin on it so it is not truly lazure it was close enough for me to be happy with it. I find it is so soothing to walk into the livingroom with the color in there, it is so soft but not flat like regular rolled on paint. The only down side is I have 2 spots to touch up thanks to dings from the animal tanks before I took them out of there, and fixing 10 layers of paint on such small spots will be a huge hassle and impossible to match, so I will be doing more like a sponging technique on those 2 spots to camoflage them but they will never be the same as the rest again. ETA: I have pictures on my blog of the livingroom and you can see the paint color on there, though it is not as easy to see as it would if I picked the peaches and such that are commonly used in lazure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 I'm loving these color ideas! I found a fun room on Pinterest last night. I love the color scheme they've got going on, bold but bright with pops of accent colors. And I love the Ikea shelving. The color they used is called Parakeet! http://www.livingouthislove.com/2012/08/our-homeschool-room.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 A golden-yellow. Morning light through the large east windows and diffused light through the large open doorway (actually more like an open wall) and the north facing window. It is a calm color but at the same time it is bright enough to keep the kiddos awake. We mixed the color to my specifications so I don't have a color, but it is a very traditional Victorian yellow. We have large oak trim in the room as well as natural hardwood floors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Although it doesn't show up on the monitor well, ours is a very pale lime green/white. It's nice in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 I did not do it traditionally, no milk paint, and did not use the expensive paint brushes. I primed the walls so they were all the same white to start (I had lots of repairs to do so it was needed anyway). Then I actually started with a color of green paint I liked because I decided to lazure after I bought the paint. Normally you would start with a white base and add your tints. Anyway, I added water to get to the thickness I wanted and then painted on in the infinity pattern with a wet brush and then over it with a dry to blend until the room was done. Then I would add more paint and water and then I used water color paints(good artist ones, though in future I would use acrylic folk art paints sold at michaels instead and I will explain in a moment), to change the tint a little darker, then layer over the first coat the same way. I did this with each wall changing the tints as I went until I did about 10 layers on each wall, not every layer is the same around the wall due to needing to mix more paint part way through. The end result was a wall that is green but with depth, and I have been able to bring some blue accents in that fit well, because I used blues in my tinting rather than yellows. Now there was some lessons learned along the way. I have some drip marks and streaks that showed through thanks to adding too much water at times. It still looks good and gives it character but is not as flawless as I hoped. The water color paints added to this issue because if I didn't work fast enough they would start to separate a bit. Had I used acrylic craft paints that would not have happened and when I do the kids rooms I will use the craft paints instead to tint, since they will give a smoother finish as I go. I had never lazured before and while it was time consuming I love the end result. I watched a lot of you tube videos on how to do this before I started and while I put my own spin on it so it is not truly lazure it was close enough for me to be happy with it. I find it is so soothing to walk into the livingroom with the color in there, it is so soft but not flat like regular rolled on paint. The only down side is I have 2 spots to touch up thanks to dings from the animal tanks before I took them out of there, and fixing 10 layers of paint on such small spots will be a huge hassle and impossible to match, so I will be doing more like a sponging technique on those 2 spots to camoflage them but they will never be the same as the rest again. ETA: I have pictures on my blog of the livingroom and you can see the paint color on there, though it is not as easy to see as it would if I picked the peaches and such that are commonly used in lazure Thank you! I'm waiting for the blog pix to load. Do you think that since the colors end up blending anyway one could start with something already on walls, not white, and add lazured layers over it? My ds's room is sort of green and very much needs repainting. I think lazure would be good for it. It would take tons of paint to cover the green and get it back to white, and he gets sick from new paint, often even low VOC. I am thinking maybe a coating of less volatile European or milk paint in paint in white, but which would allow some of the green to still show, and then add more color to that? Do you think that might work? We would probably use watercolor or milk paint even if not as good a result, but just because he can tolerate that. Thank you for saying there are You Tube videos of the process! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 ... In fact, I'd like to do one really bold accent wall, I'm thinking orange or red. H do you have any opinions about calming/stimulating colors, etc? Red (deep, dark, not bright) is our main accent color though not on the wall. I think it is a good color, and surprisingly actually a fairly nice balance between calming and stimulating, and imo also emotionally warm feeling. I have lived with a burnt orange colored room that I loved also at one point in my life. It was less calming though, more social feeling, harder to cozy down with a book and read than with the deep red, and I think light bright orange would be even more that way. I think calming versus stimulating might also depend on the people--do they need more calming or more stimulating. But colors do not always have the impact one might think, unless you have studied color a lot. I noticed there was a Great Course course on color, and what has been found about the impact of various colors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 I just painted ours Distant Thunder (I think it's BEHR, but it's definitely from Lowes). After years of yellow, it is very calming and studious feeling. I painted my desk a lime green, though the exact color name escapes me right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Thank you! I'm waiting for the blog pix to load. Do you think that since the colors end up blending anyway one could start with something already on walls, not white, and add lazured layers over it? My ds's room is sort of green and very much needs repainting. I think lazure would be good for it. It would take tons of paint to cover the green and get it back to white, and he gets sick from new paint, often even low VOC. I am thinking maybe a coating of less volatile European or milk paint in paint in white, but which would allow some of the green to still show, and then add more color to that? Do you think that might work? We would probably use watercolor or milk paint even if not as good a result, but just because he can tolerate that. Thank you for saying there are You Tube videos of the process! As long as all the walls are of the same starting color it should work. I can't speak to the rest as I am far from an expert :) I just love how it looks, the feel it gives me when I am in the room and how I did it. But it sounds like your plan would work to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 When I used to use a dedicated school room, it was in our front room that is a converted garage. It is painted a light sunny yellow that I *adore*. Happy, happy, happy room. Here's what the room looked like when it was school (now it's den/TV) http://lookwhaterinmade.blogspot.com/2012/06/school-room.html. That color is Sherwin Williams' Lantern Light. Now, we have school in the living room. Here's what it looks like: http://lookwhaterinmade.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-school-stuff.html. The paint is a pinkish khaki. It woudln't have been my choice out of all the neutrals in the world, but it was there when we moved in, and I don't dislike it enough to change it. It's Sherwin Williams' Sand Trap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thessa516 Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 I'm just taking a break from painting. It's a great neutral color - we have it in the kids' room. Every color seems to go great with it. Behr's Gobi Desert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyE Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 We have a darker, ferny green that Dd and I picked it out together. I wanted something soothing and a shade that would bring out the wood of the few antique pieces I have in the room (seems like paint can either make the wood beautiful or contrast with it and make it seem orangy). Other furniture is painted either a distressed cream or a light celery green. The room has a big window and light carpeting along with multiple sources of lighting so that we can pick if we want light and bright or draw the curtains and work in dim, cozy, soothing space. What's funny is how we use the homeschool room more now then we did when it was a little living room. Dh and I sit at the table and have great conversations, all of us cozy up in the comfy chair to read or talk on the phone, and teen Dh sits in there with her friends and they talk, draw, or play games. It's the smallest room in the house and seems to be one of the most used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility7 Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Our hs room is a light sage green. I really like it, but it's become "too neutral" for me over the years. We plan to move to a new home in about six weeks, and our new HS room will be a lovely light yellow with lots of white trim and shelving. I'm SO EXCITED for a change :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birchbark Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Ours is cream - Valspar Eddie Bauer Vanilla Bean. I chose it to warm and brighten the room because it is on the north side of the house. There are pics on the HS room organizational thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenC3 Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 I'm in the process of painting it white now...bright, bright, bright! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Technically it's royal blue, I call it TARDIS blue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PachiSusan Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Sand...like the rest of the house. We're in a rental and they don't want anything painted or changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PachiSusan Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 I'm just taking a break from painting. It's a great neutral color - we have it in the kids' room. Every color seems to go great with it. Behr's Gobi Desert That's actually only slightly darker than our sand in our house. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 Technically it's royal blue, I call it TARDIS blue. Our Dining Room is Tardis Blue!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saraswati Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 We did our homeschool room in the Rivulet and Daffodil colors from this collection (sorry, I couldn't figure out how to post paint chips). Though, I really like the Rivulet, and I am considering repainting the yellow wall so they're all the same - it's pretty with the extra white trim. http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-collection/kids-colors/abcs-and-123s/frolic/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom'sGirl Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Our study (school room) is painted "Silvermist" by Sherwin Williams. It is a calm blue-gray color which can work with many other colors as accents. I wanted a grown up color since this room can be seen from the rest of the house. The only negative is that is a little darker than I originally wanted for this northern-facing room. Another pretty, refreshing color, if you like green, is lemongrass by Sherwin-Williams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 There are some things one is better off not knowing. . . We will be moving again soon, so I was trying to decide what to call the color already on the wall of our new study. I was thinking pumpkin, burnt autumn, or something else along those lines. Imagine my dismay when I did a quick search online and the closest colors I found were Sherwin-Williams' Obstinate Orange and Daredevil. :scared: :svengo: I am so hoping to find a half empty paint can in the house marked Scholarly Autumn Glow, Warm Wisdom, or some such. One thing is for certain-- DD must never know, for fear of Obstinate Orange and Daredevil becoming self-fulling prophecies... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Whatever it's called, I'm not sure what to think of it. It's totally out of my comfort zone and a bit of a dare given what the rest of the house is like. Maybe I should ask why they chose it! We will probably live with it for a bit to take us on a trip to the wild side. So. . . maybe Daredevil is appropriate after all. Who would've thought I'd ever live this far on the edge?! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom'sGirl Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I am so hoping to find a half empty paint can in the house marked Scholarly Autumn Glow, Warm Wisdom, or some such. One thing is for certain-- DD must never know, for fear of Obstinate Orange and Daredevil becoming self-fulling prophecies... ;) Sounds like you need to develop a line of wall colors for home educators. I originally wanted a warm, orangy color for our study but just wasn't brave enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I'm loving these color ideas! I found a fun room on Pinterest last night. I love the color scheme they've got going on, bold but bright with pops of accent colors. And I love the Ikea shelving. The color they used is called Parakeet! http://www.livingouthislove.com/2012/08/our-homeschool-room.html I love the color of this room and love the idea of the IKEA shelf turned sideways, but I do wonder how it will hold up. The sides were not meant to be weight bearing. (I would probably do it, but not let any adults sit there.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 ... I'm thinking orange or red. ... BTW, I think if you went with Lazure, you could do both orange AND red. Lazure is, sort of an overlay or more than one color that makes walls seem ... more like when you are looking at the sky regardless of what the colors are, there is usually a lot of color on the wall, but it is not flat and uniform and gives more a sense of depth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest livingouthislove Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I love the color of this room and love the idea of the IKEA shelf turned sideways, but I do wonder how it will hold up. The sides were not meant to be weight bearing. (I would probably do it, but not let any adults sit there.) Hi there! That's actually our homeschool room :) If you check out the Ikea website, those shelving units are meant to sit either vertically or horizontally. And after using it quite a bit for a year now with me sitting on it, I can say with certainty that it has held up beautifully! I wouldn't have any concern with letting people sit on it. It's amazing that for as cheap as Ikea furniture is, it really does hold up quite nicely! It's a solid, heavy shelving unit. I hope that's helpful! -Nicole http://www.LivingOutHisLove.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Mine are vanilla cream and navy. Not that you can see any more than slivers of it around the bookcases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Hi there! That's actually our homeschool room :) If you check out the Ikea website, those shelving units are meant to sit either vertically or horizontally. And after using it quite a bit for a year now with me sitting on it, I can say with certainty that it has held up beautifully! I wouldn't have any concern with letting people sit on it. It's amazing that for as cheap as Ikea furniture is, it really does hold up quite nicely! It's a solid, heavy shelving unit. I hope that's helpful! -Nicole http://www.LivingOutHisLove.com I would think as a shelving unit, it would be okay either way. The sides are generally not meant to be load bearing though. The shelves should help with that. The shelves are fixed, not adjustable right? That would help a lot. I'd still be tempted to tap a piece of 1x3 painted to match and cut about 1/16" wider (press fit) into the corners. Just because I like to modify, build (and overbuild) things. :-) I've actually thought about this kind of a lot. I have the perfect spot! IKEA is 2 hours from me though. P.S. I love those red chairs! How are they holding up? Years ago I did go to IKEA and bought my kids each a chair. The seats all eventually split. :-( It was this one: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S69816641/ The wheels were so NOT a good idea, but they were out of the fixed chair bases and I wanted particular colors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I would think as a shelving unit, it would be okay either way. The sides are generally not meant to be load bearing though. The shelves should help with that. The shelves are fixed, not adjustable right? That would help a lot. I'd still be tempted to tap a piece of 1x3 painted to match and cut about 1/16" wider (press fit) into the corners. Just because I like to modify, build (and overbuild) things. :-) I've actually thought about this kind of a lot. I have the perfect spot! IKEA is 2 hours from me though. P.S. I love those red chairs! How are they holding up? Years ago I did go to IKEA and bought my kids each a chair. The seats all eventually split. :-( It was this one: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S69816641/ The wheels were so NOT a good idea, but they were out of the fixed chair bases and I wanted particular colors. Have you ever put together an expedit? There is no difference in how the sides are made. They are rimmed with wood and filled with folded cardboard. If the 1x5 cannot hold an adult sitting on it, then the 5x5 I have in my school area surely cannot hold all the books I have on it. As she said, it's made to go either way, even to be hung on the wall. The shelves are solid and held into place with dowels, the ends are screwed together with long screws. They are somewhat of an engineering marvel! I would have no hesitation using it as a window seat - in fact I'm sad because we can't! Oh, and I use a 2x4 on its side as a desk base, well two of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest livingouthislove Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I would think as a shelving unit, it would be okay either way. The sides are generally not meant to be load bearing though. The shelves should help with that. The shelves are fixed, not adjustable right? That would help a lot. I'd still be tempted to tap a piece of 1x3 painted to match and cut about 1/16" wider (press fit) into the corners. Just because I like to modify, build (and overbuild) things. :-) I've actually thought about this kind of a lot. I have the perfect spot! IKEA is 2 hours from me though. P.S. I love those red chairs! How are they holding up? Years ago I did go to IKEA and bought my kids each a chair. The seats all eventually split. :-( It was this one: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S69816641/ The wheels were so NOT a good idea, but they were out of the fixed chair bases and I wanted particular colors. Yes that's correct, the shelves are not adjustable, they really are quite strong. And our red chairs have held up well too, especially for the $15 I paid for them each. I have even stood on them to grab things that are high up. I imagine they will need to be replaced in a few years, but well worth the money for the use. Unfortunately they were discontinued though, and I needed to add another one to my room this year. They have another red one that I'll use instead but I agree, definitely no wheels! We have swivel chairs in our kitchen that cause issues. -Nicole http://www.LivingOutHisLove.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Have you ever put together an expedit? There is no difference in how the sides are made. They are rimmed with wood and filled with folded cardboard. If the 1x5 cannot hold an adult sitting on it, then the 5x5 I have in my school area surely cannot hold all the books I have on it. As she said, it's made to go either way, even to be hung on the wall. The shelves are solid and held into place with dowels, the ends are screwed together with long screws. They are somewhat of an engineering marvel! I would have no hesitation using it as a window seat - in fact I'm sad because we can't! Oh, and I use a 2x4 on its side as a desk base, well two of them. I was not talking about the strength of the material, but rather the hardware supporting the weight *at the ends* vs. the shelves themselves. A shelf does have the same amount of load bearing capability in all directions. The designer assumes the weight will be in a particular place and designs it accordingly. A bench would typically be constructed with the top overlapping the sides--not in between. Like this: http://ana-white.com/sites/default/files/images/knock%20off%20wood%20west%20elm%20rolling%20bench%204.jpg The IKEA shelf looks similar, but the ends are constructed differently (The short ends overlap the sides http://img.roomeon.com/img/object/ikea-expedit-shelves_0526769f7f_xxl.png ) because they assume most people will use it vertically and might put something on top of the shelf. If it were me, I'd poke something into each corner just because it would be a bummer to have the hardware work loose over time. And I have a fair amount of carpentry experience. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Yes that's correct, the shelves are not adjustable, they really are quite strong. And our red chairs have held up well too, especially for the $15 I paid for them each. I have even stood on them to grab things that are high up. I imagine they will need to be replaced in a few years, but well worth the money for the use. Unfortunately they were discontinued though, and I needed to add another one to my room this year. They have another red one that I'll use instead but I agree, definitely no wheels! We have swivel chairs in our kitchen that cause issues. -Nicole http://www.LivingOutHisLove.com That's really awesome! I wonder if I can talk dh into an IKEA trip anytime soon. It's 2 hrs away. :-/ My oldest has an awesome IKEA office chair and I'd love a couple more of those. It was a wool one and quite spendy though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I was not talking about the strength of the material, but rather the hardware supporting the weight *at the ends* vs. the shelves themselves. A shelf does have the same amount of load bearing capability in all directions. The designer assumes the weight will be in a particular place and designs it accordingly. A bench would typically be constructed with the top overlapping the sides--not in between. Like this: http://ana-white.com/sites/default/files/images/knock%20off%20wood%20west%20elm%20rolling%20bench%204.jpg The IKEA shelf looks similar, but the ends are constructed differently (The short ends overlap the sides http://img.roomeon.com/img/object/ikea-expedit-shelves_0526769f7f_xxl.png ) because they assume most people will use it vertically and might put something on top of the shelf. If it were me, I'd poke something into each corner just because it would be a bummer to have the hardware work loose over time. And I have a fair amount of carpentry experience. :-) We can certainly agree to disagree the need for reinforcement.... I doubt she is sitting on the ends anyway, and the weight would be dispersed via the shelves. If you look at this version - they sell it with the intent to use it on its side, and there is no warning given. The vertical pieces are solid, with the horizontals being the smaller pieces. So that is absorbing the weight.... and this is all wayyyyy more physics that I have ever had! :p http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19903848/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Hi there! That's actually our homeschool room :) If you check out the Ikea website, those shelving units are meant to sit either vertically or horizontally. And after using it quite a bit for a year now with me sitting on it, I can say with certainty that it has held up beautifully! I wouldn't have any concern with letting people sit on it. It's amazing that for as cheap as Ikea furniture is, it really does hold up quite nicely! It's a solid, heavy shelving unit. I hope that's helpful! -Nicole http://www.LivingOutHisLove.com I got sucked into reading your blog the other night (instead of cleaning!). Love your room (that was apparently designed perfectly for the expedit line!!!) and your writing about your DD surgeries got to me. She is beautiful!!! ::::hugs:::: to your family. And welcome to the board!!!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest livingouthislove Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I got sucked into reading your blog the other night (instead of cleaning!). Love your room (that was apparently designed perfectly for the expedit line!!!) and your writing about your DD surgeries got to me. She is beautiful!!! ::::hugs:::: to your family. And welcome to the board!!!!! :D Thank you so much Tracey, that is so very sweet of you! I found out my blog was being visited form this forum post by looking at my blog stats, so I headed over here to see what that was all about ... which is how I found my way here :001_smile: I'm not much of a forum person on a regular basis (there are so many things that easily become obsessions!!!), but I did want to offer my 2 cents on the expedit shelving, which I adore. It took a LOT of measuring to get the shelving right. I actually wanted the taller shelves the whole way across that wall, but they wouldn't fit. So I had to break it up with the two short and two tall shelves. It works perfectly though, and am so happy with it's functionality and how it looks. The room has worked very well for us! It's nice to "meet" you! -Nicole http://www.LivingOutHisLove.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 We can certainly agree to disagree the need for reinforcement.... I doubt she is sitting on the ends anyway, and the weight would be dispersed via the shelves. If you look at this version - they sell it with the intent to use it on its side, and there is no warning given. The vertical pieces are solid, with the horizontals being the smaller pieces. So that is absorbing the weight.... and this is all wayyyyy more physics that I have ever had! :p http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19903848/ I said I would re-enforce it--not that anyone who didn't was definitely going to have it fall apart. So I guess I would disagree that we're actually disagreeing. ;-) (It's certainly not a serious disagreement anyway.) IKEA can be very hit or miss on things. Some of their desks and tables, for instance, are awesome, but I am sitting at one of their tables that is sagging. I also really do have a tendency to be over cautious and overbuild things. Building and modifying things my idea of fun (but it makes furniture shopping with me a bit of a trial, I'm sure. ;-)) I would love to try something like this with short wall cabinets--also not meant to support weight on the top. (There's holding weight and then there's holding weight on a particular spot.). And I have built shelves (years ago) that when I look at them now, I wonder how they are still holding together. lol! I'm just glad they do. It seems I can never get around to getting enough projects done. All my physics education has been practical application. Trial and... umm... error :-P ETA: The unit you linked is 32" tall. They are not assuming anyone will sit on it. This one is a bench: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S69923542/ It's hard to see since it's white, but the top overlaps the sides. The top on this is clearly intended to hold more weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mona Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 We school in our sun room just off the kitchen, so I went with a darker color. It's "autumn blaze" from Sherwin Williams, but it looks much darker than this link, maybe because of the grey primer underneath. http://www.myperfectcolor.com/en/color/88735_Valspar-2002-1A-Autumn-Blaze I love warm colors and this is the boldest wall color in the house. It's my favorite time of year, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 We school in our sun room just off the kitchen, so I went with a darker color. It's "autumn blaze" from Sherwin Williams, but it looks much darker than this link, maybe because of the grey primer underneath. http://www.myperfectcolor.com/en/color/88735_Valspar-2002-1A-Autumn-Blaze I love warm colors and this is the boldest wall color in the house. It's my favorite time of year, too. Pretty color! As bold as it is, it is much more muted than the "orange peel" in my son's room. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 We school in our sun room just off the kitchen, so I went with a darker color. It's "autumn blaze" from Sherwin Williams, but it looks much darker than this link, maybe because of the grey primer underneath. http://www.myperfectcolor.com/en/color/88735_Valspar-2002-1A-Autumn-Blaze I love warm colors and this is the boldest wall color in the house. It's my favorite time of year, too. This gives me hope! The color looks similar to what is on our soon-to-be study walls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mona Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Pretty color! As bold as it is, it is much more muted than the "orange peel" in my son's room. :-)Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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