A Bookcase Redone

June 15, 2011

As I mentioned here, we moved my "Billy" bookcase into our office for the time being.  I didn't reattach the doors because I didn't want to drill a big hole in the wall (it has to be attached to the wall otherwise it is too front heavy and it WILL fall over).   After seeing it sit empty for several months, I decided it needed a face lift.  I had been looking everywhere for a wallpaper print that was 1) inexpensive 2) not too busy.  Finally I found this Graham & Brown paintable wallpaper:


I've never applied wallpaper before, so I will say this:  it is a huge PITA.  I applied the paper to the back insert of the bookcase while it was on the floor, and it was a messy, tiresome process (does practice make perfect in this case?).  I can't imagine doing this to walls or a ceiling.  Also, this wallpaper states that it is paintable, but it is really hard to get paint into all the little crevices.  I used both a brush and roller... and it still took several coats and some touch up.  I think maybe if I would have used a darker paint color, it would have been easier to see where the paint was being applied, and maybe would have taken less painting time.

That being said, here is the result:


Organizing and decorating the bookcase is a work in progress, but I think it's off to a good start.






The large blue and purple vases on the topmost shelves are from IKEA (the smaller blue vases are heirlooms from my Oma).  I made the terrarium in an empty, cleaned out Bath & Body Work's candle, the wheat/dried flower vase is a left over centerpiece from our wedding, the tea cup is a favor from one of my bridal showers, and the 'X' & 'E' are cardboard letters mod-podged with decorative paper from Paper-Source (I'm still in search of an '&').

I'm still figuring out what to do with the 4th shelf from the top- more books, perhaps? 

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2 comments:

Layla said...

LOVE it! I've never used wallpaper either, but I recently saw something about renters wallpaper (it peels off, apparently?) on Oh Happy Day and now my interest is piqued.

BigAppleNosh said...

What a difference! I've seen the Billy multiple times before but it's never looked so good!