Essential Etageres

Etageres are a wonderful alternative to bookshelves for displaying photos and objects of all sorts. 'Etageres' is a French word that has made it in to English meaning 'a stand with a series of open shelves for small objects...'

Elaine Griffin decorated our library and she placed a pair of etageres on either side of the sofa, framing it and giving us a place to display, as well as to put the equipment for the TV and sound system. I think it gives it a lighter feel than bookcases in this instance.

Elle Decor - Designer: Michael S. Smith

The decorator, Michael S. Smith, in this example could have installed bookcases, but instead opted for custum made etageres for books and object display.

At auction etageres come up regularly. They might be modern or traditional.

These are two good examples from the recent sale at New Orleans Auction. The one on the left is Regency style mahogony and was estimated at $700 - $1,000. It's a wonderful size for putting in a corner and thus the display could be oriented in two directions.

The etagere on the right is steel and glass 20th century. It's estimate was $400 - $700 and they had more than one in the auction if you wanted a pair. This is more modern in style and I could see two or three even serving as a sort of room divider in a loft type apartment.

These wrought iron etageres at the recent Stair Galleries auction would probably be best in a garden or porch, but I think they would be very interesting in an informal room of any sort. They were estimated at $700 - $900 for the pair. They are very fun and decorative!

Decoration and photos add character to a room, and what better way to display them than on one or two etageres!