Pretty straightforward before & after today but I just had to show you this because I was going to GET RID of these bookcases before my mom pointed out the potential. I know I must be crazy to even think about dumping them but we inherited them from the previous homeowners, they had a little mold on the bottom, and they were taking up too much space (there’s actually 2 of them). I didn’t have anywhere to put them until my mom suggested moving them into my soon-to-be studio. I actually was not even going to tackle the studio until much later because I knew it was going to cost some $ to get the space up and running. UNTIL we realized these 2 FREE bookcases would perfectly between the window in the studio and would look new with a little paint.
We painted them Powdered Snow from Behr and the inside Hummingbird Blue by Martha Stewart. I actually brought a Tiffany’s box in with me to Home Depot so I could get a teal similar to that. Hummingbird Blue is a grayer, toned down version of Tiffany’s Blue. At first when I got the finished bookcases in the room, I thought oh WOW that is a lot of teal! But I think once I fill up the shelves more, it won’t be so much. The other bookcase is on the same wall just on the other side of the window. I am not done with the studio but I wanted to share this little project anyway. Sometimes we overlook something with tons of potential!
Wow! What a difference. Lovely styling too!
Amaze!!!! I can’t even believe this is the same bookcase. So glad you got courageous and painted the back of this teal. It would look completely differently all white. It looks like it came out of a design magazine. You have a real knack for refurbishing. 🙂
Aww thanks Tiffany and Jessie! Styling is not my forté so I’m glad to hear you like it!
LOVE this! I’m re-arranging and redecorating most of my apartment right now, and you’ve inspired me to do something like this with a bookcase I already have as well!
Where’d you get those darling little containers holding your buttons?
Jessica – I got the containers at Ikea a couple years ago but it looks like they still have them! http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40064702/
Wow! that is a nice bookshelf! When i saw the before i was like how will she just fix that with paint then i looked at the after and you have proved me wrong! 🙂
I have a similar bookcase pinned on Pinterest (I think they even used the tiffany blue color inside? But was against a yellow wall?) and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since! I’m just itching to get my hands on a bookcase and paint it. I love how yours turned out! 🙂
Super cute! Where are the wire baskets from?
I originally bought them at Target but I didn’t see them there this past weekend when I went back to buy more 🙁
I have a bookshelf that is very similar to your “before” and was thinking of doing this to it to spruce it up. What finish of paint did you use? Is it eggshell? Matte? I don’t want the paint to look “lacquered” or shiny.
Also, Did you sand it at all before painting?
Hi Elise! I used eggshell as the finish but on second thought I might use semi-gloss because it would be easier to wipe down and wouldn’t get as scratched up from baskets and such. Yes I did a light sand over the whole thing. Wasn’t prefect though and I would prime it too! Good luck with yours!
[…] via Kelly Hicks Design […]
[…] If you already have all the space you need for all your books, you don’t have to throw away a decent bookcase. Paint it in a pastel color, and use it to store pretty objects such as jars of candy or baskets. via kellyhicksdesign. […]