26 January 2015

Girly Office Progress: Making Cheap Bookcases Fabulous




Hey, gals!

Now that we have officially finished the Master Bedroom re-do, we've moved on to the guest room/office. I don't know about you but I have the most ridiculous amount of stuff. Like odds and ends, books, files, mechanical pencils? It's amazing how much we've managed to stuff in this room with not the slightest bit of organization. I wish I had a total before picture to share with you in this room, but all I could find was this instagram from almost 2 years ago. Rest assured though, nothing has happened in this room until recently. 



There is still a long way to go in terms of getting this room together, but I wanted to pop in to share the awesome bookcases we put together which just make me giddy every time I walk in the room!

The bookcases are these from Walmart. Not even kidding, 2 bookcases for $65.00. You can't beat that, even if they are pretty bleh. We gave them a little facelift and now I think they're ready for their audition on America's Next Top Bookcase Model.

Before- 

I wish I took pictures of laying in the wrapping paper to the back, but it was truly so simple. Pick up a roll or 2 of some pretty paper you love (try Homegoods or TJ Maxx!) and cut it so size of the backing of your bookcase. Before you assemble, use spray adhesive to attach to the backing, and assemble the bookcase as instructed. Couldn't be easier!






Please try to pardon my junk everywhere. :) We did get around to hanging the gallery wall on the opposite side of the room, which is where all those frames on the floor ended up :)

To really bump up the makeover, we added crown molding to the bookcases and I would say this made the biggest impact without a doubt. I just LOVE them! There are 1000 tutorials out there in blogworld (I love this one by my blog-friend Abby!) but I will give you the gist-


You're going to need to cut your trim at perfect 45 degree angles using a miter saw (or you can use a miterbox and hand saw from your hardware store, but I really recommend investing in a miter saw if you can find it in your budget, they're a homeowners best tool!)


When you have your trim measured and ready to go, affix it to the bookcase with wood glue, and use finishing nails to secure it in place.


Use caulk to fill in any gaps, and fill in those nail holes! After the caulk has completely dried, sand it down and paint it a nice bright white!


Then you get to do the fun part, decorate! I love these hound-dog book ends. I can never find beagle anything so I figured this was at least in the hound family so it had to do :)





This little "K" box holds my nail polish collection. Can you believe I found it at Walmart? 14 bucks, y'all!


I haven't finished them quite yet, but those boxes on the bottom shelves are file boxes that hold the most important life-paperwork. and receipts. and just about everything else I never take time to organize. They started as an ugly kraft brown, I can't wait to share how I spruced 'em up!






and that my friends, is that! I still have a long way to go to make this room functional and homey for the few guests we get a year. (come on, friends, Arkansas is great come see us!) I'll be sharing how i'm fixin' up this desk and that glaring blank space in between the bookcases in a few weeks.

****I also just have to share with you that we're giving away the most ridiculously amazing prize via instagram @absolutelyarkansas right now! All you have to do is go to this image, "like" it, and follow along with the other fabulous bloggers in the loop for your chance to win:

1) Kate Spade Cove Street Provence Bag
2) Zara Blanket Scarf
3)...and if that isn't enough a FIVE HUNDRED dollar gift card to Anthropologie!...make sure to enter, the giveaway ends at 6:00 PM tonight!

 Thank you so much for coming by today!

Until next Time,
xo Kylie


                                                 



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34 comments:

  1. super cute! I did this a lot to my book cases in college/grad school and you are right, it makes such a difference!

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  2. Such a great DIY!! I have pinned this idea a 100 times and I really want to give it a try! I think it's a must if you have bookshelves! It really adds such a great design element to the room. Just stunning!! XO

    Anna
    alilyloveaffair.com

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    Replies
    1. DO IT! It was a bit of a learning curve since it was our first time, but I just love the difference it has made in the room. Thanks so much, Anna!

      xo,
      K

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  3. I love how girly you are and how girly you cute house! My husband would NEVER go for this amount of girliness anywhere hahaha my inner girly is practically screaming to have a baby girl one day so at least the nursery can be an explosion of PINK!! :)

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  4. I love it!!
    Great post, I need inspiration for my room and this was perfect :)

    ️www.chicpineapple.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Maria! I can't wait to pull the rest of the room together, it's so fun decorating a girly space! Hope you're having a great week!
      xo!

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  5. Those are just too cute! It's amazing how much of a difference little touches can make. Your office now looks fit for a Princess!
    xx, Mikkaela
    The Southwestern Prepster

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    Replies
    1. Thanks sweet girl! I love the girly space. The more glam the better ;)

      xo!

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  6. Love the little office:) Little touches can go a long way!

    xo Jessica
    ThePetiteDiaries

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Jessica! I'm so happy with the progress so far!

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  7. Such a great idea! Definitely something I will keep in mind! :)

    Stay fancy!
    xxx Kelly-Louise

    fancysince1992.blogspot.de

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    Replies
    1. Hey, Kelly! Thanks for coming by. You should totally do it! Such a small change that made a huge impact!

      xo!

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  8. That seems like such a simple way to complete redo a space, yet I would have never thought of it! It looks so pretty!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Stac! I love the progress in there so far. The girlier the better. :)

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  9. I love it! Last summer I finally redid my office to make it the perfect place for me, and I am so glad I did. If you ever feel like a blogging get together, I'm in Fayetteville! :)

    Also, I think the crown molding on top of the book cases is the perfect touch! You would never know that they were originally plain Jane book cases!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Madi! I'm SO excited to find another NWA blogger! I need to come by and visit! Redoing the office space has been such a breath of fresh air for me! I love how organized and girly it is ;)

      xo!

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  10. What a great DIY! They turned out so pretty!

    xo Kylie
    www.dressinsparkles.com

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Ky! I love them. I have to shout out the hubs for doing the dirty work ;)

      xo!

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  11. This is such a great project idea, I love it when people do this! It really helps add vibrancy to rooms, and makes a plain old bookcase look so chic!
    Great post! :)

    xx
    Kendra | It's a Bug's Life

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    Replies
    1. Thank you pretty gal! It really updated the space. Have a great weekend!

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  12. This looks incredible! Though I am confined to a dorm room for now, I can't wait to decorate myself!
    -Emma
    The Daily Dil-emma || http://www.emmasheehy.com

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    Replies
    1. When you're in your own spot you can get crazy with it! I have always wanted to full-on decorate a dorm room, I bet yours is adorable!

      xo!

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  13. Your office is so chic
    xo
    www.laurajaneatelier.com

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  14. B-E-A-utiful! I went with the same look for my girly office: simple white desk with two tall shelves on either side. We started that makeover a year ago and I'm still in love with it. Can't wait to see some more bits and pieces of your office/guest room!

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  15. I really love this idea. I started this idea a few years ago with a bookcase from Target but it was not very sturdy. How sturdy are these?

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    Replies
    1. Hey there! The bookcases certainly aren't the most sturdy in the world, but they've worked great for us! My husband used a bracket to fix them to the wall so there were no topples too. Thank you so much for coming by!

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