Happy first day of spring!
I finally got around to giving our bookcase a makeover, and I am so pleased with the results! We purchased this bookcase from Target a few years ago. At the time, we were searching for a smaller bookcase that would accommodate our smaller den, and I insisted that this was "the one". My husband agreed to the purchase. Unfortunately, a few months after the purchase I began to question my decision. I felt the espresso color was too dark for our home and wished I had chosen a lighter color. I hinted at painting it several times but was too afraid to ruin the piece so I just let it be. I tried styling it differently over and over and it never seemed right. Have you encountered something similar? That moment when you move too quickly on a purchase and later regret it?
I finally got around to giving our bookcase a makeover, and I am so pleased with the results! We purchased this bookcase from Target a few years ago. At the time, we were searching for a smaller bookcase that would accommodate our smaller den, and I insisted that this was "the one". My husband agreed to the purchase. Unfortunately, a few months after the purchase I began to question my decision. I felt the espresso color was too dark for our home and wished I had chosen a lighter color. I hinted at painting it several times but was too afraid to ruin the piece so I just let it be. I tried styling it differently over and over and it never seemed right. Have you encountered something similar? That moment when you move too quickly on a purchase and later regret it?
Everything changed when I decided to use my leftover Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to give this piece a little makeover. I was determined to end my love/hate relationship with this bookcase once and for all. There were some issues that came up during the process (such as not enough paint) but this setback quickly turned into an even better makeover than I had originally anticipated.
Here is a before look.
Here is the bookcase mid-makeover. Here I used Annie Sloan ChalkPaint in Old White.
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I wasn't pleased with the result, so I used some leftover paint we had in our garage from when we had our cabinets painted white. Still, I wasn't happy with the look of the bookcase and knew it needed a little something. I contemplated using wallpaper or wrapping paper to cover the back, but that was until I saw Megan Brown's picture of her beautiful hutch on my Instagram feed. She has awesome home decor style and her projects are simply amazing, check out her account! I immediately reached out to her and asked her what type of wood she used. She kindly answered my question within a few minutes and told me it was inexpensive shims from Home Depot, score!
Work in progress...
Here she is in all her new found glory....
Isn't awesome what a little paint and some inexpensive cedar shims can do to a piece of furniture? I can't wait to see what my next project is going to be! Thanks to Megan for the inspiration!
Check out my video below to see the process. This project was so easy and very inexpensive. I ended up using two of the three blocks of shims and have plenty wood glue left for other projects. If you are looking to spruce up a piece of furniture, I highly recommend that you give this project a try. You will love the end result! Also, this project doesn't require any previous wood work experience so it is perfect for a novice like myself. :)
Check out my video below to see the process. This project was so easy and very inexpensive. I ended up using two of the three blocks of shims and have plenty wood glue left for other projects. If you are looking to spruce up a piece of furniture, I highly recommend that you give this project a try. You will love the end result! Also, this project doesn't require any previous wood work experience so it is perfect for a novice like myself. :)
Happy first day of spring. I hope everyone has a blessed weekend!
Karina