How I Made Frankie's Painted Arch Shelves

A while ago I decided I wanted to create a pretty reading nook for Frankie, a little zen space in her room that’s just her own. I wanted to make it really special, so set about using paint to do that. I used Haymes Paint in Brown Blush and Comanche Dust.

For this project I tested lots of different colours.

I wanted mine to be just a little bit wider than the Ikea shelves, and reach down to the skirting board. If you are doing it on a flat wall, use a level to make sure the vertical lines are straight.

I used painters tape on the straight edges to get a nice clean line. To make the arch at the top, I used a nail, string and a pencil.

In line with where I wanted to start the bottom of the arch, I found the middle point and hammered in a nail. You need to make sure the string is tight to keep the arch uniform. I did the arch freehand, which may seem very daunting but actually, so long as you take your time and keep steady, it's not that hard. 6 You will probably want to do two coats, so once you have done the first one, wait for the paint to dry and then do another.

I had to measure carefully so that the shelves were a) level and b) centred on the arch. She loves picking books to read from the display! And stay tuned for a series all about paint coming soon.