Mock Pony Wall/Shelf and Pillar

 I wanted pillar attached to the "wall" to add some architectural interest to my room, while at the same time acting as a partition between my foyer and my family room. I looked all over for manufactured pillars to use, and I either did not like the shape, or they were too expensive. I wanted a very simple, understated pillar (nothing too foo foo:). Then, I thought about making my own...less expensive and I could make it simple! I went to a home improvement store and found a 6ft 4by4 raw wood post, which was more than enough in height that I needed from the top of the shelf to the ceiling (Measure twice...or in my case 3, 4, or even five times, and cut once!:) I cut it to fit the space, and used shims to give it just a bit more height so that it was a tight fit between shelf top and ceiling. The Shims also helped to level it off more for me at the top and the base..because my cut of the post was not perfectly flat. It took a bit of moving and tweaking to get it in just the proper place so that it looked as straight as it could be. (The truth is, it will never be perfect because I was working with a wood post used for construction that was not cut perfectly to begin with, but I am ok with that...it works for me;). I, then, nailed the top and bottom of the post to secure it to the shelf top and the ceiling. Tight and Sterdy!