Introduction: Origami Display Shelf

About: Hi! I'm Christopher, and I make all kinds of cool stuff. I mostly focus on upcycling materials (see Cardboard Box Furniture), making complex projects more accessible (see Cloisonne Tea Tray), and making cultur…

I enjoy making origami! However, I did not have a good place to display the origami I made. They were scattered around the house on bookshelves and my drawers.

I needed something that can be flexible so to fit origamis of different sizes. It also needed to be adjustable from time to time so I can change what to display without take down the whole structure. Ideally it should be lightweight and space saving. It also needed to be made made of some material I can handle easily and independently.

Supplies

Materials

  • Styrofoam boards
  • Tape (Duct tapes, optional Decorative washi tape)
  • Skewer sticks ( I used metal as well as bamboo ones, whichever I can find at ho
  • Sewing pins
  • Nails (2)

Tools

  • Cutting knife
  • Ruler
  • Hammer

Step 1: Structure: Location, Design, Pre-setup

Decide where you want to set up your structure in the house. Find the studs in the wall and hammer in the nails. Measure and record the desired size of the structure on this wall.

Step 2: Paint the Styrofoam

Paint all sides of the styrofoam pieces. You will want to paint the tops and sides first, wait for them to dry, then paint the bottoms.

Step 3: Cut the Styrofoam As Designed

Given the layout of the shelf as designed earlier, cut the styrofoam with a cutting knife.

Trim all of the similar (same-colored on the diagram) Styrofoam pieces to the same length.

Step 4: Assemble: Add Metal Skewers

Stick 2 metal skewers in the sides of each of the holding pieces (yellow). Leave some portion of the skewer hanging out.

Step 5: Assemble: Attach Styrofoam Sides

Use the ends of the metal skewers to attach the holding pieces to the side pieces (blue in design).

Step 6: Assemble: Attach Styrofoam Top/Bottom Supports

Use the pins to attach the styrofoam cover supports to the top and bottom of the shelf (red in design).

Step 7: Assemble: Wrap Duct Tape

Wrap duct tape around the perimeter of the shelf for extra support.

Step 8: Assemble: Deco With Washi Tape

Add washi tape around the holding segments (top, middle, and bottom) of the shelf.

Step 9: Setup: Paint Backgrounds

Paint, draw, or make your own backgrounds for each piece of origami.

Step 10: Setup: Arrange Origami

Arrange the origami on the backgrounds.


Consider origami and backgrounds that go together in an interesting setting, for example, the sword goes well with the cube cross sections, the magic balls go well with the black-and-white shapes, and the bird goes well with the telephone wires.

Step 11: Setup: Pin the Background Paper

Add styrofoam blocks as needed for edges. Pin everything together.

This step helps to steady our styrofoam structure as well.

Step 12: Setup: Repeat With More Backgrounds

Add more backgrounds, styrofoam supports, and pins.

Step 13: Finish!

We added koi fish and lily pads on the side of the shelf.

It took us a while to gradually fill this shelf! A fun time to see the collection grow!

Step 14: Credits