So I finally finished decking out the other half of my Instagram-arted basement pegboard. I added a simple shelf that I primed and painted, found a non-electrical music device to amplify tunes without plugging anything in, and hung a kitchen-related piece as wall art. Many of you asked what happened to the cutting board we bought a couple of months ago from The Shops at Target collection, so here it is—my little America-the-pegboard-iful moment.
I liked the cutting board as sawdust-proof wall art because I’m drawn to map imagery. The painted edge happens to echo the navy pegboard, which makes the display feel cohesive. Down the road I might paint the edge a more contrasting color or add decorative tape to make the piece pop more against the pegboard.
For a minute I considered painting the outline of Virginia on the board to mark our home state, but I realized a tiny coastal state wouldn’t read well at a glance. If we lived in a centrally located state with a more immediately recognizable shape, that idea might have had a stronger visual impact.
One of my favorite additions is a handcrafted plywood iPod dock I ordered from Index Drums on Etsy. It cost about $45 and is a perfect fit for my DIY basement setup because it doesn’t require power—no cords, no batteries, no charging. The dock is essentially an acoustic amplifier: it channels and amplifies the sound from my phone’s built-in speaker using its carved hollow chamber. That made it ideal for a pegboard-mounted placement where a trailing cord would be annoying across my workspace.
I ordered a custom listing that was carved to fit the thickness of my phone case, and I chose the painted design and colors. It’s not a high-end speaker system, but it looks nice on the pegboard shelf, delivers pleasant sound for working in the basement, and adds personality without needing electricity.
To make the little shelf, I notched a piece of scrap wood so it would balance on a couple of pegboard hooks, then primed and painted it to match. It’s a quick, low-cost DIY pegboard shelf technique that’s great for small displays and lightweight storage. Using pegboard hooks and notched boards is a simple way to add functional shelving without installing permanent brackets.
On the shelf I placed a small white elephant from a book project and a Warhol-inspired soup can to hold pens—right now it’s only one pen, but the can works well as a compact pen holder. These small decorative but functional elements help the pegboard feel curated rather than purely utilitarian.
With those additions, I’ve officially used all the pegboard space in the basement. It might seem silly, but organizing and styling a frequently used area can be just as satisfying as finishing a big renovation. When everything has a place and the space looks the way you want, that’s a special kind of house-love. I’m especially fond of pegboard for its flexibility: rearranging hooks, shelves, and objects is easy, and it keeps tools and treasures visible and accessible.
Have you hung anything unexpected on a pegboard or wall lately? For this project I hung a cutting board, a scrap-wood shelf, a Warhol soup can, and a small plastic elephant. It feels unusual and cheerful, and it shows how everyday objects can become interesting decor when arranged thoughtfully. If you’re planning a DIY pegboard project, consider mixing practical items with a few decorative pieces to make the space both useful and visually appealing.