| | |

Bookshelves are painted and dressed!

I am very excited to have the “office side” of the loft complete. 
 The sun is shinning so I was able to 
snap some pictures today.
It still amazes me when paint completely transforms a space.  Although you heard me complaining a little, OK a lot, it was worth every moan and groan.



~Let’s take a look back~




Painted the backs using Annie Sloan paint,
you can find the post and color combo here.
I found this project to have a big impact
 and was the perfect solution to add
 a pop of color to the room.
 
For the bookshelves her is a list of supplies:

Oil based primer (Kilz works great)

Swiss coffee in latex semi gloss

Heavy duty cleaner

Assorted Sandpaper

3M Sanding Sponge

Wood Filler

Painters Masking Tape

Painter’s Acrylic Latex Caulk

All Purpose Tack Cloth

Plastic Drop Cloth

Foam Mini Roller

Angle Trim Brush

Putty Knife

 Directions

Remove all of your doors

Prep the room covering everything you don’t want painted

Remove all the hardware and hinges.

If your cabinets have gaps or dings fill them with wood filler.

Degrease all the doors, draws and frames. Tsp is a great degreaser as is vinegar and hot water.

Sand everything I used an electric sander with medium grit (80 or 100).

Prime with an oil based primer. Foam rollers will give you the look as though your cabinets have been sprayed.

Lightly sand

NOTE: Latex paint will adhere perfectly to oil based primer. Latex primer  over oil paint will not work at all.

Let it dry, buff out any drips and give it another coat.

First coat
 

Second Coat


Next part was styling the bookshelves, boy do I struggle with this area especially since I was on a strict budget.

I purged the office, shopped the house and went for it, I wanted the look to be clean and simple, no clutter.

The only item purchased was the pottery on the top which I found at Home Goods. The best advice I can give on styling your bookshelves  is to  step back and assess the overall balance of your arrangement.  If it doesn’t look right,  place certain items off-center or try an item that is larger or smaller, stand back and assess again.  Take things away if it’s to busy, keep doing this until you  are happy with the look. 



 

The chair was purchased awhile back at Marshall’s it was my inspiration piece.



Soon enough the whole space will be complete, just need to
complete the “TV Side” of the loft.

 

Similar Posts

104 Comments

  1. OMG Kristin I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!! What a transformation. I love how light and bright everything looks and that chair is the icing on the cake!!

  2. Kristin, I *love* it! I can hardly believe you started where you did. It looks spectacular – way to bring a vision to life!!

  3. It's so beautiful…what a transformation! I love that blue and white combo, and your styling of the shelves looks great. Job well done!

  4. You earned that glass of wine after all that work. It's obvious that a lot of effort and patience went into this project-and it really paid off! It looks so fresh and pretty.

  5. I love the look of the wood top with the painted white parts. Now let me bring over the mess off the top of my desk so yours looks lived in!

    ~Bliss~

  6. Kristin it is so beautiful! I love the colors and love how you styled it. That was a big project and you nailed it!
    xoxo

  7. HOLY COW, Kristin! Did that ever turn out GREAT! It was certainly worth all the work you did on it. It completely transforms the whole room. Love the chair, too.

    Congrats to Karena~ xo Diana

  8. Kristin beautifully simple and I too LOVE Behr Swiss Coffee, it's by far the creamiest white with no yellow, sometimes I almost want to drink it! The contrast is perfect and your collection fits swell, now get to work!

  9. Kristin!!! That first photo I actually first thought was your inspiration photo – it looks like it came straight from a catalog or magazine. You are fabulous!

  10. Jealous! It's SO pretty. I'd be 'installing' a wine rack on one of those shelves – with a spot for a SINGLE glass. Don't bother Mommy, she's "working". :o)

  11. Kristin, it is beautiful! What a transformation! You did a gorgeous job. It looks so light and fresh. Love the chair!

  12. Love the color of the backs! I love that you kept it simple and uncluttered. I am in the midst of restyling our library shelves. I've found it helpful sometimes to take a picture when it isn't quite right. Congrats to Karina!

  13. Oh my goodness I love it! You did such a great job!! Btw, like your carpet! Do you? We are putting down new carpet in the kids room {wood floors everywhere else}and just checked out this carpet sample to see how it would look!

  14. You did a spectacular job from start to finish Kristin. We have this same desk set up – slightly different finish/style – that we are storing but you've inspired me to possibly use it again (with an update of course!) The white with blue is beautiful.

  15. Wow I love it! What a big difference this is going to make now when this is what you see when you come into your home. Paint is amazing. It's funny how before it was like the opposite of your taste, and now it's like you just hit the jackpot of great built ins totally in your style! Great job Kristin, have another glass of wine to celebrate!

  16. Simple amazing! The styling made all the difference. Such great inspiration for a home office space. Thanks for sharing!

  17. Kristin!!! It looks AMAZING!!! Seriously!! Such a beautiful space!! I love the white & blue!! So bright & clean!! Enjoy your new office!!

    p.s. I would have totally had a glass of wine after all that painting!! 🙂

  18. Hi Kristin, your office looks amazing! What a fabulous job you did and I love the inspirational chair – beautiful colours. Well done! 😉

  19. Well, Kristin…you never cease to AMAZE me! This is a FABULOUS transformation. Gotta love white paint, it is amazing what it can do for a space or a piece of furniture! You are a lucky girl, that is one fabulous office space you have! ;o)

    Mary

  20. Wow, wow, wow Kristin !! I'm super impressed with what you (and your bottle of wine, lol) did in transforming this space !! The chalk paint was the perfect choice … truly makes it look custom. And, I know you're enjoying how much brighter this space is now. Job well done … thanks for sharing and inspiring us!

  21. Your office and shelves look fantastic, Kristin! I love how you arranged things that I would have probably cluttered up. It looks very sleek and chic! I love the blue chair, too. Perfect!

    XO,
    Jane

  22. Kristin thank you so so much I am so excited to win the Boutique de la Mer Gift!

    Your office looks amazing! I love it especially the chair!!

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

  23. Wow! Wow! Wow! I see desks like this all the time on Craigslist and pass them by not realizing their potential! Beautiful transformation!

  24. This is such a great transformation, Kristin! Wonderful proof of what a difference paint can make. That blue in the back of the shelves is wonderful and I love the inspiration chair.

  25. GORGEOUS!!! I'm so glad that you did not get rid of this piece…it looks stunning! I'm loving the chair too, simply spectacular. Great job.

  26. You're right, what a difference paint can make. You have a whole new room. Beautiful!
    Your newest follower, Mary Alice

  27. A-MA-ZING!!! Kristin they look absolutely stunning! So bright and fresh and that chair is fabulous. Well done my friend! 🙂
    Vanessa

  28. Hi Kristin~~~

    What a great transformation. I absolutely love it. The blue paint on the back of the bookshelves ads so much warmth to it. LOVE the chair too:)
    ~Cheryl

  29. I am SO in love with this, K! White, pale blue and chocolate are my must-haves at the moment. So wish I could unplug my laptop and plug it in on that desk – it looks GORGEOUS and so serene. Clever thing! x

  30. Where to begin? Umm, I want it.

    Love the colors, vibe & elegant feel of the room. The makever is fantastic. Paint still surprises me too. Every time.

    It's wonderful.

  31. Just gorgeous Kristin!! LOVE them in their new painted colors and you styled them beautifully!! 🙂

  32. I love seeing befores & afters… yours is amazing! Would you mind telling me what your wall color is in that office? I am using ASCP duck egg and old white in my LR and you have found the perfect match with your walls. Thank you!!! toushay73@gmaildotcom

  33. It's completely gorgeous! What a huge change. I would have thought it was a whole new set of shelving, rather than just the old ones painted. WELL DONE!!

    Sarahx

  34. OMG Kristin.. it's so beautiful!! I looove it … and also I like the chair a LOT! you have magic hands darling!
    Kisses
    Etta

  35. I love white woodwork and the cabinets look light and bright – the blue behind the shelves looks fab! Can't wait to see the other side of the room. A few more glasses of wine and you should be ready!
    Kelly

  36. I think you've got everything in the right place. It's an excellent transformation. I found your blog by chance, but I can see we publish so many common things. I've now added it to my blog roll on my own diy blog so I can remember to pop by again.

  37. Hi Kristen,
    You did a wonderful job. What a transformation. Can't wait to see what you do with the rest of the space.

  38. This is just wonderful! A huge congrats on the hard work and beautiful result–you've outdone yourselves yet again :o)

  39. What a great space! I'm sure creativity and tranquility ooze from you when you're in this gorgeous room.

  40. What a great space! I'm sure creativity and tranquility ooze from you when you're in this gorgeous room.

  41. Kristin, this is stunning!! SO beautiful and what an impact paint makes! LOVE the chair…love everything! Awesome!

    Lou Cinda

  42. WOW! Kristin, it is absolutely spectacular!!!! Magazine worthy! Great, great, great before and after. This is sure to be one of my favourite makeovers!

  43. Hello,

    It's a gorgeous space! I would be sitting there all day with a cappuccino and Pinning! So inviting and pretty!
    Take care,
    Claudia

  44. It turned out fabulous. I think transformations are my favorite thing to see on blogs because they inspire me so much! I would love if you would consider linking this up to "Drab to Fab" this Friday (tomorrow). The theme is taking the ordinary or simple and turning it into something fabulous! This post totally embodies that! I know my readers would get a kick out of seeing this! Here's a link to more info about the party.
    http://www.amynjesse.com/p/drab-to-fab.html
    Hope to see you tomorrow!

  45. Through all of your blood, sweat, and tears, Kristin – you created an extremely elegant and beautiful study!!! Wow!! 🙂

    xoxo laurie

  46. Kristin, what a beautiful and elegant desk you've created! I love the chair too, the fabric color and nail heads are perfect. The bookshelf styling is perfect! You're going to love working in your new space.

    I went through the brown to white transformation with a dresser a while back, I'm always amazed at how paint can transform an old furniture piece. Enjoy! 🙂

    Hugs,
    Karla

  47. Simply gorgeous! I love it all! I would love if you would share this at the Crazy Cute link party happening at Between U & Me right now! I've got a totally awesome giveaway this week, too!
    OOH! AND, I'm your newest follower! 😉
    http://www.betweenuandme.com

  48. Simply gorgeous! I love it all! I would love if you would share this at the Crazy Cute link party happening at Between U & Me right now! I've got a totally awesome giveaway this week, too!
    OOH! AND, I'm your newest follower! 😉
    http://www.betweenuandme.com

  49. Wow! All of you hard work painting paid off they look amazing. I kept looking at the before and I am still shocked they are the same book cases. Enjoy the new look. Hmm now I am looking over at my bookshelves in my office and visualizing white…

  50. You have got to be kidding me???? I am blown away. Of course I knew you could pull of an amazing transformation, but holy cow. Kristin, it is so fresh and stunning. What a peaceful, light and bright area from which to work. Congrats!

  51. What an amazing transformation Kristin!! I love it! Can I ask why you did not use Annie Sloan paint for the entire project? Just wondering.

  52. I am linking this post and referencing your beautiful bookshelves in my post that will be submitted late today or early tomorrow (Jan 30 or 31). They may be my future inspiration! 😉

  53. WOW! I need to get my paint out. I know it was a lot of work but it sure is lovely. Your whole home is just fabulous!

  54. Beautiful! I would never of guessed that was the same bookshelves and furniture! That chair is a great inspiration piece!

  55. This so completely lovely!!! Great job. I can use this to show a client why they should paint a bunch of stained wood (we are getting blocked by the husband).

    It would be fun to see this in person!

  56. they look LOVELY. Probably following your lead on that color combo for the back of the shelves. Beautiful.
    🙂
    shaunna

  57. Kristen – I think I’m going to paint the cabinets in my living room. How have yours held up? Did the stain bleed through the white at all? Thanks for your help!! Amanda

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *