See that little black bookcase? It’s been with me since my college days. Someone painted it before I inherited it, and even though you can’t tell in these pictures, it was quite chipped and worn. It also didn’t match the room’s color palate in the slightest.
However, it is solid wood and a great size for storing toys, so rather than replacing it with something new, it remained on my DIY To-Do list.
Like I said, I knew for a while that I wanted to update this little puppy but wasn’t totally sure what direction I wanted to go in. After perusing Pinterest one day, I pieced some ideas together and was inspired. Once that hit me, I couldn’t wait to get started! In fact, because it warmed up a bit last week, I decided to seize the opportunity. Forget the fact that it was the week before Christmas and already a little nuts around here!
Here she is, sittin’ pretty today!
The run-down:
Step 1: Sand the paint and rough edges until smooth.
Step 2: Paint one coat of primer.
Step 3: Apply four thin, even coats of paint (This happened to be a quart of paint I got at the Habitat ReStore for a buck when we first moved into this house. Little did I know it would go so well with all the furniture we now have in the room. SCORE!)
Step 4: Allow to cure for a few days.
Step 5: Stamp with orange and turquoise paint using a toilet paper roll. Isn’t it cute?!
I’m really pleased with how it turned out. I chose orange to tie the color from the pillows to the other side of the room. The splash of turquoise is the same paint used on the little side table.
I decided to fill in the turquoise circles because they didn’t make quite as bold a statement as I was envisioning.
I love how the circle pattern is repeated in the curtains and the throw pillows. (Anybody else wondering when I started thinking in designer terms?!)
Anyway, the whole project cost me just $3–for the sample container of orange pain (Behr’s Citrus Blast) since I already owned the off-white and turquoise paints and the primer.
There are still some finishing touches I’d like to do (for example, I’m scouting out more/different baskets for storage), but I’m really happy with where it’s at. Much improved, I’d say!
