Almost Free Makeover

Before we moved into our house, the previous owner asked us if he could keep all of the shelves in the basement for us.  Uh…..yeah!!!   There are a lot of shelves, they are sturdy, and we have lots of bins full of stuff  miscellaneous items.  Of course we would keep them.  Who doesn’t love instant storage?????

 

There was one shelf that was a little bit nicer, a little bit sturdier than the others, and so we brought it upstairs.  It is no longer a storage shelf.  It is living its second life as furniture in the form of a bookshelf in our study.

 

We have been using it unpainted and  loaded with books and other stuff.  Our study is a mixture of his space and my space.  Mr. Spring has a desk and area, and I have my desk and area.

 

There is nothing special about this bookshelf, but it was free and works for now.  I decided our study needed at least one painted piece of furniture.  My desk is a beautiful antique roll top desk that I got from my parents.  Mr. Spring would be shocked to know that there are some things I wouldn’t paint, and the paint will not come close to the roll top desk.

 

However, I had no sentimental attachment to the shelf.  Its wood was not a very good quality nor was it in very good condition.  So, I attacked it with a paint brush.  Here it is all painted white, and it adds a freshness to the room.  The room is painted a very light green with white trim, and the shelf now POPS!!!  The green isn’t showing up too well in these photos.

 

I liked the white but thought it needed a little something more.  I almost added fabric to the back of our dining room hutch when I did its transformation last fall but decided not to. (You can read all about the before and after of the hutch here and here).  Well, the hutch escaped the fabric enhancement, but this bookshelf didn’t.

 

This fabric was on sale at Hobby Lobby, and I thought it had a little something but not too much.  Also, the green is perfect with the soft green walls.

 

I used these tools to  measure and cut the fabric.  Once I cut the fabric to size for each shelf, I used Mod Podge as a glue to attach the fabric and tried my best to smooth it out.  Once it was on, I then covered the fabric with a layer of Mod Podge.  Sorry there are no pictures of that step. It was a fast process, and this girl only has one pair of hands.

 

The fabric looks really great as a backdrop for our books and do-dads.

 

I didn’t try to follow any decorating rules when I put things on the shelves.  I did what looked right to me.

 

I am happy with the quick and easy change. It is now a fresh looking shelf.  Considering the shelf was free, I had the paint on hand, and I had a coupon for the fabric,  this little before and after cost less than $10 to go…….

……….from that to this.

 

 

 

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