As an art lover, I have no hesitation about displaying artworks in my room. However, when you live in a rented apartment or condominium, that’s a different story. Since you can’t nail anything into walls or pillars, some kind of ingenuity becomes necessary.
A part of the author’s bedroom. I rented a room with white walls, but it wouldn’t be good to decorate this wall directly.
I want to display paintings, I also want to place three-dimensional art, and I thought about various options…
For reference, please also check out this article.
https://burart.jp/postcard-management/
Living in Art
Though the topic shifts slightly, I’d like to consider the idea of living together with art.
When you display art in your home where you spend your daily life, your everyday life should become brighter and more cheerful. This is an approach also advocated by Yusaku Maezawa, the president of ZOZOTOWN, who is famous for his collection of high-value Basquiat works, and is expressed by the phrase “Living in Art.”
Yusaku Maezawa has spoken about the appeal of contemporary art in an interview as follows:
◆What is the appeal of contemporary art to you?
For me personally, it helps balance my right and left brains. After straining my left brain with numbers, when I look at art, my right brain gets stimulated.
In a world where everything is becoming information, mechanized, and streamlined, there are things in art that cannot be put into words, things that cannot be quantified. When I face that non-quantifiable value, my sensibilities are put to the test.
Since I live in the world of business always chasing numbers, by placing myself in a world that is the complete opposite—one where sensibility matters—I can maintain my own balance. For society as well, art, which requires sensibility, will become increasingly necessary in the future, and I think it will continue to flourish even more.
～From Mainichi Shimbun (November 11, 2017)
Art refines human sensibility, and when you live with it every day, you can immerse yourself in feelings of happiness.
Two-by-Four (2×4)
Now, returning to the main topic, the method I ultimately chose is called “Two-by-Four (2×4).” Many of you have probably heard the term “2×4 (two-by-four)” before, but it is a term that expresses the size of timber as 2 inches × 4 inches. In practice, it is “3.8×8.8 cm” ※sizes vary in mm units.
Since it is widely distributed generally, it is an easy-to-process and affordable timber. This time, there’s a wonderful shop (on Rakuten) that paints it in a gallery-like manner, cuts it according to ceiling height, and of course delivers it to your home.
Also, the load-bearing capacity per shelf board is “30kg”, the length of the shelf board is up to “120cm”, and the number of tiers is up to “4 tiers”. Please plan carefully, taking into consideration the installation location and other factors.
LABRICO
And when fixing to both the ceiling and floor, parts from a manufacturer called “LABRICO (Labrico)” are used. Basically, with just timber and LABRICO, you can fix it stably without damaging your home with nails.
Similar products are also available from other manufacturers. Among them, Diawall is a brand that rivals LABRICO and also enjoys stable popularity. You should choose whichever brand you prefer.
The Labrico series is highly recommended!
Basically, there’s no difficult assembly or anything, and it can be assembled quickly and easily.
For women, I recommend having a helper and installing it with a minimum of 2 people. Long timber cuts can be quite heavy…
Price
In the case of Okamoku Rakuten Market Store, which we used this time, I’ve organized below how much the cost will be.
In the case of a combination of 2 pillars with 4 shelves
The pillar length was cut to “2285mm”. For the shelves, we had 910mm cut from 1830mm long.
Painted Two-by-Four Material 【approx. 38×89×2440mm】@1,680 yen×2 pieces=3,360 yen
Painted Two-by-Four Material 【approx. 38×89×1830mm】@1,390 yen×2 pieces (further cut into 2 pieces)=2,780 yen
LABRICO 【2×4 Adjuster】@1,080 yen×2 pieces=2,160 yen
LABRICO 【2×4 Shelf Support Single】@600 yen×4 pieces=2,400 yen
When installing 4 shelves, the total is 10,700 yen (excluding shipping). How is that? It’s very affordable!
What to Prepare
You don’t need very much to prepare.
Scissors
They are needed when unpacking. Conversely, that’s the only time you’ll use them.
Screwdriver
The shelves are purchased with screws, but you can install them by manually attaching the screws to the pillars without using an electric drill. The screwdriver used this time is shown in the photo below, but please prepare at least this. It’s easier with a ratchet handle—highly recommended!
Work Space
Since the timber is tall and long, a certain amount of work space is required. Prepare in advance and make sure to secure a large space.
Assembly Work and Installation
The assembly work is described in the instruction manual, but it’s super simple.
It’s not a detailed instruction manual, so there’s no need to read through it carefully.
To be continued in the next “Work and Installation Edition”!
