{that one great thing} Paul and Ashley's action figure shelves

Other than being total smartypants, illustrator/designer Paul Dotey and his other half food stylist Ashley Denton (who's work you've seen on the glossy pages of H&H magazine) are also incredibly creative outside of their respective fields. So, with that creativity in mind (as well as a v. cool collection) here goes with Ash and Paul and another post in my new occasional series - that one great thing.

Paul Dotey: My husband Ash has been reading comic books since he was little, and collecting action figures almost as long. We wanted to display them in a stylish way without being too kitsch; we figured if you collect anything you should display it proudly, otherwise why bother? 

Finding a home for sixty plastic figures wasn’t immediately obvious, but while Ash was away for a long weekend I surprised him with a freshly painted bathroom and some slender shelves over the toilet. Four narrow strips of pine from our local Home Hardware did the trick, added a couple of coats of glossy white, and the tiniest of L-shaped brackets since the figures don’t weigh much at all. Of course, the Justice League was standing proudly at centre stage. 

Ash was over the moon! It adds a lot of colourful fun to a room we’re kind of stuck with as renters. More than a couple of our friends have outed themselves as comic nerds, and after a good dinner party we always find a few figures in creative positions. Not surprisingly, almost everyone goes for Green Lantern.