So I finally finished decking out the other half of my Instagram-arted basement pegboard. I added a small makeshift shelf that I primed and painted, found a non-electrical music device (yes, mysterious and wonderfully simple), and even hung a kitchen-related item as art. A lot of you have been asking what we did with the cutting board we picked up a couple of months ago as part of The Shops At Target collection, so here it is: America The Pegboard-iful.
I thought the cutting board made for sturdy, sawdust-proof wall art, and it fits my ongoing affection for maps. It’s a playful piece that adds personality without worrying about dust or damage from basement projects.
The blue-painted edge of the board ended up coincidentally matching the navy pegboard, which felt like a happy accident. Down the road I might paint the board a more contrasting color or add decorative tape to make it pop even more, or I might try something entirely different to introduce more visual interest. For now the subtle coordination between the blue edge and the pegboard creates a calm, cohesive look.
I considered painting the shape of Virginia on the board to mark where we live, but decided against it. Our coastal state is fairly small on a map, and the effect would have been tiny and easily overlooked. If we lived in a more centrally located or larger state, that idea might have made more of a statement.
One of the things I’m enjoying on the pegboard now is my new iPod dock. I bought a handcrafted plywood dock from a small maker on Etsy for about $45. It felt like a nice reward after tackling a long list of basement projects using sweat equity, scrap wood, leftover paint, and existing pegboards. Small purchases like this can make the process of organizing and upgrading a neglected room feel more fun and celebratory.
The dock was exactly what I wanted because it doesn’t require electricity or batteries. It’s essentially an acoustic amplifier—the hollow wood acts as an echo chamber and naturally amplifies the sound from my phone’s built-in speaker. That made it perfect for the pegboard, since I didn’t want a long power cord crossing my workspace while I saw and drill.
I was able to order a custom listing and specify the type of case my phone uses so the slot could be carved to exact dimensions. I even chose the painted design and colors, so it feels like a piece that was made for this space. It’s not a BOSE-quality speaker, but it looks good, sounds pleasantly loud for casual listening, and requires no charging or fuss.
To make the little shelf the dock and a few other items sit on, I notched out and painted a scrap piece of wood so it would balance on a couple of pegboard hooks. The shelf is simple and functional: lightweight, removable, and easy to reposition whenever I want to rearrange tools or decorative items.
On the shelf I mixed a few eclectic pieces: a small white elephant figurine (leftover from a book project), a Warhol-style soup can that holds pens, and the acoustic dock. The soup can currently contains a single pen, but the arrangement feels playful and practical at the same time. Mixing found objects with purposeful storage is a nice way to add character while keeping things useful.
With these additions I’ve officially used all the pegboard space in the basement. It’s funny how satisfying that feels; organizing a workspace can bring the same rush of accomplishment as building a deck or renovating a bathroom. When you spend a lot of time in a room, knowing where everything is and liking the way it looks is its own kind of house-love. I’ve always had a soft spot for pegboards, and this setup reinforces why: they’re flexible, forgiving, and instantly customizable.
Have you hung anything unusual on a pegboard or wall recently? For this project I combined a cutting board, a chunk of scrap wood, a decorated soup can, and a small plastic elephant. It’s an odd little collection, but it works for the space and makes the basement feel more finished and personal. If you haven’t experimented with mixing decorative and functional items on a pegboard, try starting with one small shelf and a few unexpected objects—you might be surprised how much personality they add.