Painting And Styling A Bookcase

in , , , , by Julie Nichols, March 24, 2015
{Hello Sweet Friends...}

Spring is finally here..well at least that's what the calendar says.  We were hit with a snowstorm on the first day of spring... REALLY NOW?!  Well despite the yucky weather I've been doing a little spring cleaning of my workspace.  I needed a spot to plan out my day & organize the clutter of stuff that somehow accumulates on the floor.  I started this process in my last post with a DIY whiteboard made from a fluorescent light fixture. I am a visual learner and having my thoughts and ideas planned out in front of me keeps me on track.

Today I will show you how I organized some of my things on bookcases. 

painting-and-styling-a-bookcase-love-my-simple-home
Before I could do that I had to paint them.


Here is the before picture of one of the bookcases
They are solid wood & were stained a dark brown.   


To brighten them up I used two color samples of
  Valspar Cream Delight mixed with chalk paint.

  You can find the chalk paint recipe here





After the paint dried, I used sandpaper to give it a slightly distressed look. 
I placed the bookcases side by side, this gives the illusion of one long bookcase. 

I added casters for easy mobility.  
I love the industrial look of casters. They instantly transform your furniture, giving functionality to your piece.   { I might even be a little obsessed with them!!}

The casters also add height to the shelves.




Let's move on to......

STYLING

{aka the fun part} 

By using symmetry and pops of color you can build on your shelves with things you love.
However, be careful not to overwhelm them with small knickknacks.  This can be tricky especially if you have a hard time letting things go.  (like me)  I needed to do some serious editing of my stuff.  I packed the items that I do not use every day in boxes and placed them on the top shelf of my closet. Still within reach but not out in the open.

HERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT WAYS ON HOW I STYLED THE BOOKCASES

painting-and-styling-a-bookcase-love-my-simple-home

By placing the bookcases side by side, I was able to gain extra shelf space.  If I stacked them I would have lost a shelf.  So now I have six shelves to style.  I wanted to store some of my books and magazines on the shelves but didn't want them to be the center of attention.  I used a basket to store some of my older magazines and placed the most recent ones in a salvaged metal desk organizer.  (Shown at the top of the page.)

Instead of lining books along the shelves, I stacked some, varying the height.  I also opened one up to use as art.

For easy access to my paints, I placed them in a decorative cardboard box.


Added seasonal flowers for a pop of color.

painting-and-styling-a-bookcase-love-my-simple-home


Nothing says spring more than Daffodils even if purchased at the grocery store.

daffodils-lovemysimplehome.com




OK...... SO LET'S RECAP

1st    EDIT YOUR STUFF...CHOOSE WHAT YOU LOVE BUT NOT ALL that YOU LOVE.

2nd   USE SYMMETRY WHEN PLACING YOUR ITEMS.

3rd   ADD POPS OF COLOR.....FLOWERS, A PAINTING, A PRETTY BOOK COVER, JACKS, LETTER BLOCKS, EVEN MAGAZINE COVERS.

4th    USE BASKETS AND DECORATIVE BOXES TO STORE WHATEVER YOUR HEARTS DESIRE.  YOU CAN EVEN LABEL THEM SO YOU KNOW WHAT'S INSIDE.

5th    STACK, LEAN OR OPEN YOUR BOOKS.
painting-and-styling-a-bookcase-love-my-simple-home

Most of all have fun and make it your own!!


SHARE 2 comments

Add your comment

  1. Great post on tips for styling book shelves...funny how we were thinking along the same lines! I love your idea of keeping a book open as art!
    Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit,
    Mary Alice

    ReplyDelete
  2. I totally agree about the symmetry! When things don't have that, it almost hurts my head!
    Anyhoo, I would love for you to stop by my blog and join our weekly link party something to Talk About, that starts on Mondays :)
    Karen

    ReplyDelete

© love my simple home · THEME BY WATDESIGNEXPRESS