I I really wanted to restyle our bathroom, and I had an old wooden shelf that I got at an estate sale just hanging out in my garage waiting for new life. Not only did I finally get it hung on the wall, but I also got it styled for the holiday season! I love the finished product. 

New Life for An Old Shelf

Our  bathroom is a smaller space so we can’t add any bigger furniture pieces here, like we do in the rest of our house. That really limits what we can do with this room. Previously, I had a small stool on the floor with a few decor pieces sitting atop it. It was a lovely look, but I felt like I wasn’t fully utilizing the space. You can read a previous blog post about styling this space here: Vintage Decor in the Bathroom. And, if you want to go back to the very beginning, you can see the very first styling we ever did in this space: Our Bathroom Items for the New House. 

Shop the Previous Look

That is where the old shelf comes into play. We ran into this shelf at an estate sale this Summer. It was marked for only $25! It is made of an old, dark wood and was previously mounted at the top of a stairway. You would need a big ladder sitting on top of the steps to put it up or take it down, and the owner couldn’t get it down on their own for the estate sale.

So Deb, being the handy person she is, climbed up a rickety ladder that we found laying around and got this shelf off the wall. She also took down some old pictures for the owner while she was up there. After giving it a quick look over, we knew the shelf would be coming home with us. 

After sitting in our garage for a few months, we finally got it hung! I wanted something that could hang on the wall to not only make items more reachable but to also utilize more of the open wall space. It better takes advantage of the available space in the room; I have a full shelf space plus I can still have the previous stool on the floor below. Then for the really fun part, I got to style it! 

How I Styled the Shelf 

Click here to shop the new look on Amazon    |    Click here to shop the new look on LTK 

Old Mirror 

First, I added an old mirror. The mirror has a lot of detail, and I have said this for years…adding a mirror makes a room feel bigger. Since this is a smaller room, this is a huge bonus! 

Textured Basket

I then added an old rattan basket that I had laying around. I wasn’t sure I would like it here, but I love the contrast of color to the dark wood and the texture it adds. 

Taper Candle and Vintage Candle Holder

I pulled a vintage brass candle holder that has a knob to adjust the height. I absolutely love these, and if you ever come across one get it! They are a rare find these days. I then added a flameless taper candle that has a nice flickering glow that looks so lovely in our bathroom at night. 

Air Freshener Bottle

I added a spray bottle. I’m guessing a lot of us keep some sort of scented spray in our bathrooms. I also added an old fermenting crock that I use to store my Body Restore shower steamers and the remote to my flameless candle. 

Christmas Touch – Small Tree and Framed Print

I also wanted to make this space look Christmas-y to match the rest of the decor in our home, so I added a small topiary pine tree in a distressed pot. Also, I added a framed Christmas picture behind the small decor items. 

Altogether, it has so much depth, dimension, and texture. I didn’t add a lot of color and stuck to my Woods and Whites theme with a touch of muted greens. I love it! This old shelf has a new life and purpose and helped create a beautiful space in our master bathroom. 

This shelf could have easily been left behind or tossed in the trash, so I am so happy that I was able to give it a new home! Each morning when I grab a towel from the closet, it will make its way to this shelf so it is within arms reach of our shower. It will see daily use. It is not only pretty but serves a purpose.