I have a room in our home that I haven't shared much on the blog. It serves as our guest room, library, and Matt's office all in one. I've never been happy with this room,

Get ideas to help you design and build built-in bookshelves to add more beautiful and functional storage to your room.

Just back from High Point Market, where we were dazzled by traditional style reinterpreted with fresh, new lines and fabrics. Here are my favorites!

Get ideas to help you design and build built-in bookshelves to add more beautiful and functional storage to your room.

Get ideas to help you design and build built-in bookshelves to add more beautiful and functional storage to your room.

I can’t believe it’s week 6 of the One Room Challenge. I’m writing this post the last day it’s due because majority of our work worth writing about happens on the weekend. So what have we completed this weekend? Big […]

Recently when I visitied Nell Hill's in Kansas City (see my tour here), the only thing I took home with me was a lot of inspiration! There was one thing I was tempted to buy, but I quickly realized it would be such an easy DIY. The store was full of colorful lacquered boxes...oh so pretty and handy for stylish storage on a table or bookshelf. I knew that I had one old box at home, and a quick trip to Michael's and $3 got me a smaller one. Here they are before: I removed the clasp locks on both because I knew I wanted something different there and filled the holes. I just used small pieces of painter's tape to cover the hinges in the back. Then, I used some spray primer to prep the raw wood box. I was afraid the coverage would be spotty if I didn't. When it was dry, that box got a light sanding, then I applied a few coats of Meadow Green to both boxes. Even though the green paint is a glossy finish, I used a clear spray acrylic gloss topcoat for an extra layer of shine. Remember the Christmas ornaments turned curtain medallions and backplates for my China Cabinet hardware? Now one is adorning my shiny green box! On the smaller box, I found a carved wood decorative piece at Hobby Lobby and sprayed it gold. Both have a crystal added to the center. To attach them, I used hot glue and secured them to only one section of the box... the lid for the little box and the bottom for the big box. They open and close unhindered and the ornaments help hide the spot where the old clasps were removed, while upping the glam factor! I'm enjoying the pop of green then carry over to this side of the room. It's a bit difficult to photograph the sheen, but you can see it a little better here. Nice and shiny! I can't remember how much the inspiration boxes were at Nell Hill's, but I'm sure I came out ahead by using what I had! What do you think? Are you in on the lacquer craze? Linking up with: The Shabby Nest, Thrifty Decor Chick

Elevating the art of traditional cottage styling, this bookcase is your heavenly home office realized. Antiqued two-tone aesthetic blends a chipped white with a distressed wood tone top for added charm. Clever balance of shelf and drawer space beautifully works.

Books come in all shapes and sizes. Discover what size your book should be and if that's comparable to the standard book sizes in publishing.

How to build a “custom” looking built-in with IKEA Billy Bookcases Hack This post will go over how to build a “custom” looking built-in bookcase using IKEA Billy bookcase shelving as the base. Essentially, you are going to wrap the top and bottom of the bookcases with a wood skirt that you will then attach…

5 Easy ways to upcycle and decorate with Vintage books. Old books can be inexpensive and with some creativity, are a great way to add character to a space.

Happy Saturday! I hope you are all having a wonderful day today! It sure is warm here in Arkansas. I'm going to get outside in a little ...

To ensure our lake cottage had room for all our books, we made some creative, and charming, design decisions ...

In case you missed the inspiration for this space and the initial details, you can find those here and here. If you follow me on Snapchat @themakerista you’ve seen the play-by-play of this build, but if not, I wanted to show you the process of the shelves today. Just to remind you, here’s the before once we cleared the room and refinished the ceilings… After getting an idea of what I was wanting, Micah headed to Lowe’s to get the first round of materials. As I’ve said, this hasn’t been a project where I had a clear vision from the get-go, so we’ve been buying as we figure it out. Each step has revealed the next, keeping my mind open and Micah a bit frustrated. But I had to see things to know what I liked, and my father-in-law played a good mediator amid the uncertainty. 🙂 Micah and John […]

Oh to be a college student again! My mother will tell you that while I was in college, I majored in Boys. She may be right. If I had it to do over again, I might not change my “major”, but I would definitely want to live in one of the three sorority chapter houses […]

As many of you know, I moved recently. Here are some random shots from the new house, followed by more organized ones from the old house. You can see more about the new house and SOURCES HERE: Living room: Bedroom: More to come!! Last House: These first images are from my home, followed by…

I stumbled upon the fabulous greek key chest (below) and discovered it was a fairly easy DIY makeover using an incredible product called O'...

Learn how to style abstract art in your home in 6 easy steps.

Learn how to arrange and decorate your bookcases to showcase your things.

Last week, I shared how I put together the bookcases, getting them ready to start this project. It’s gone in phases, with the next phase being getting them secured in place and screwed to the wall, ready for trimming out. We got that part finished this week and the only thing left trimming them out, which we got started on and have yet to finish, then I’ll paint it all out the same color as the bookcases and this will be a finished project! Can’t wait to get this done and that corner all finished, although I’m going to order some chairs for that area and that will be a few weeks out too.

In this step-by-step beginner's guide, we will show you how to transform a basic Billy Bookcase into a stunning built-in that looks like it was custom-made for your home.

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Yes, bookcases are utilitarian by providing much-needed storage, but they also add a major style statement to any room. They’re the perfect solution to a blank wall, lending a sense of height and spac

Three simple ways to anchor your bookcase and keep it from tipping

In case you missed the inspiration for this space and the initial details, you can find those here and here. If you follow me on Snapchat @themakerista you’ve seen the play-by-play of this build, but if not, I wanted to show you the process of the shelves today. Just to remind you, here’s the before once we cleared the room and refinished the ceilings… After getting an idea of what I was wanting, Micah headed to Lowe’s to get the first round of materials. As I’ve said, this hasn’t been a project where I had a clear vision from the get-go, so we’ve been buying as we figure it out. Each step has revealed the next, keeping my mind open and Micah a bit frustrated. But I had to see things to know what I liked, and my father-in-law played a good mediator amid the uncertainty. 🙂 Micah and John […]

Here’s the ultimate “shelfie”… A DIY customised bookcase that started its life as IKEA Billy shelf units and is now mistaken for expensive custom cabinetry. This project will show you how to save thousands on a custom-built bookcase, yet still achieve professional-looking results that "wow". Handyman/girl skills are all you need - no advanced carpentry skills or special tools required.

Breathe new life into your lounge room with this clever, custom-built bookcase. - by Better Homes and Gardens

In case you missed the inspiration for this space and the initial details, you can find those here and here. If you follow me on Snapchat @themakerista you’ve seen the play-by-play of this build, but if not, I wanted to show you the process of the shelves today. Just to remind you, here’s the before once we cleared the room and refinished the ceilings… After getting an idea of what I was wanting, Micah headed to Lowe’s to get the first round of materials. As I’ve said, this hasn’t been a project where I had a clear vision from the get-go, so we’ve been buying as we figure it out. Each step has revealed the next, keeping my mind open and Micah a bit frustrated. But I had to see things to know what I liked, and my father-in-law played a good mediator amid the uncertainty. 🙂 Micah and John […]

An easy step-by-step tutorial on how to cover a book with paper. Bonus - you can stamp the spines for a decorative look!

Framed intaglios are something that I have always loved! They are just so beautiful and pleasing to the eye. I especially love when multiple intaglios are grouped together in a large gallery. If you have ever shopped for framed intaglios then you know firsthand that they are so expensive! Most framed intaglios retail at $300+

Happy Saturday! I hope that you guys are enjoying yourselves on this gorgeous day! We still have each of you that have been affected by the storm in our prayers. Hang in there! Today, I wanted to share some of my favorite things from this week's Uncommonly Yours Link Party... 10 Beautiful Furniture Transformations I

My wife has been asking me to build her some built ins shelves and cabinets. I am excited to share the finished project! The cabinets are Pre-built from Lowes with spacers in between to give it a custom built in look. Baseboard and crown molding was also included for built in look. The shelves were … Continue reading "Built Ins Shelves | Built In Bookcase DIY"

In designing a new workspace within a heritage building - an old church hall built in 1915 - I needed a cost effective way to create 2 separate spaces. My solution was this vintage style room divider. I used 4 standalone shelving units from the BESTÅ range.