In the winter I want to feel cozy in my home and in the summer (especially this summer when it’s already in the 90’s) I need some “psychological” cooling! I always want to get rid of everything when it gets this hot and just have a cool white minimal space. So NOT really going to happen! I love all my stuff too much to do that! But what I can do is go to a lighter palette without painting my walls. So to begin the process, I thought I’d lighten up my bookcases.
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If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know I like to use wallpaper, wrapping paper and fabric to back my larger pieces of furniture. If I used scrapbook paper it would take alot, alot of pieces of paper! I’m fortunate that I have a wallpaper store in my town and they have a whole wonderous backroom of discontinued rolls for under $5. So I always stop by there and pick up few rolls, especially toile.
I chose this soft romantic toile. You can see part of the pattern in the picture at the top. I almost chose a red and white toile but it didn’t make me feel cool! So I’ll leave that for fall or Christmas. I just love the muted tones of this toile next to the white of the bookcase!
I told you all that I bought myself a few things at Hobby Lobby that were 80% off. This is one of them. I bought a couple of things that were gold so I, of course, spray painted them white for the summer. I’ll probably paint them black or my favorite red for winter! Do try this if you haven’t yet. One can of spray paint goes a long way and it’s really a good investment because it’s such an inexpensive way to change the look of something.
Here’s the after. All the pictures will open larger if you click on them.
On the top shelf I used some of my mercury glass, the white finial is from the thriftstore and my white iron flowers from the Ballard Outlet.
The middle shelf I just used some of the white iron birds that I had on the screened porch buffet.
This bottom shelf is big because I usually don’t have books on it! I usually use this to do little seasonal displays. I like it because it’s like a big shadowbox and frames my displays. But for the summer I decided to put the books that I’m always pulling off the shelves to read or books that I want to read. The decorative doodads were all a different colors and painted by moi.
So when I looked that the pictures I thought I didn’t like the bottom shelf. It felt to busy to me. So I took the plant off (it’s real btw) and lifted one of the finials with a cakestand and some Ironstone plates I found at the thriftstore this week.
Then I decided I liked it the first way better!! Do you do that? Sometimes I drive myself crazy with fussing with things!
I know it may seem like daunting task to take off all the books but I enjoy it! I see books I’ve forgotten about and stop and look through them. Sometimes I realize I’m no longer interested in a particular book and I donate it to my library or pass it on to a friend. Plus this is a good time to give them a dusting!
Now I have to do the other bookcase and I want to re-arrange my china cabinet. I LOVE playing with my china! I should be posting those projects next week unless we have a break in this heat wave and I can get to some things I’m doing outside.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
I love, love, love the new look. I especially love how you used wallpaper in the back of your bookshelf. What a neat way to change something. Great job!!
btw – because of reading your blog, I decided to do some painting as well. I took an old dresser that I had bought for $4 at a yard sale years ago and re-painted it white. I'm not quite finished with it yet, however I love the outcome. I'll post pictures once it's done. Thanks for all your inspiration.
That toile is sooo pretty and it looks great in the white bookcase…… oh yes change is good… it just makes you feel better…… The new look is charming …..as is ALL you do…
HUgs
Linda
i like the toile…and i think it is a nicer look than the stripe.
when the fall/winter comes around you could use a different color toile?
Love it!! I just remembered some finials i have that I could paint white!! OOOOH, I am excited now!!
thank you!
Suzanne
I love it Manuela! I too love the toile and am all for placing paper or fabric in the backs of bookcases and cupboards 🙂 It looks great! I also love the little birds and the finials 🙂
Have a wonderful weekend!
~Sharon
That is lovely! I'm inspired to try it too!
I always like what you do. It's always a great thing to see other people's accomplishment and then try to improve on our own attempts at making things homey. Thanks Manuela, have a great weekend.
Lovely and elegant for summer!
Dear Manuela,
I love the summer look for your bookcase! I have a brown bookcase in my living room that holds all my husband's books…I have been wanting to lighten it up with paint and paper for a long time, I just might have to tackle that project!
Blessings!
~Nadine
What a wonderful summer look! Lucky you to find discounted wallpaper in toile!
I love the way you placed the iron bird bath on top of a pedestal…looks great!
Hugs,
Penny
I love your summer look! I really like the varying heights of the items on the shelf. Like you, I like to try many options before I decide on THE ONE.
Hi Manuela
I like to lighten up for summer too and get the urge to simplify, but like you that's not going to happen! I really like how the shelves look with the toile paper behind it.
Hope you have a good weekend.
Hugs, Rhondi
This is so beautiful!!! I love the toile!!! I also love the way you accessorized the bookcase…just lovely!!!
Enjoy!!!
XOXO
Cathy
I love what you have done and it didn't cost an arm and a leg. Would you like to link this to Buddy's Friday Manuela. It is so inspirational and it might create a creative spark in someone, I know it has here.
Margaret
The toile looks great. Got my trusty can of black spray paint out yesterday. 🙂
Glenda
I love it when you fiddle with books and china because then you share with all of us!
Very fun! I need a wallpaper store!
The new look does seem light and cool. I always love to see books on the bookshelves, as I'm nosy and must enlarge the pictures to see what everyone is reading. I've picked up some titles I would not have known about. Thanks for sharing. Sally
It looks cute as usual Manuela! Every time you change something it looks better. I need to check my wallpaper store for some discontinued rolls because I love the look it gives:>)
That looks so pretty! I love how you change your bookcases around with different things. I don't do that except with my foyer table all the time. It all looks great. Love that toile wallpaper. I don't even know where any wallpaper stores are over here.
I know…this heat, it's bad!
What a beautiful and refreshing look! Im always tempted to go all white for the summer too.
What a great compromise!
I love the way it turned out! I want to do something similar with my china cabinet or inside of my kitchen cabinets.
Thanks for the inspiration!
XXDenise
Okay, that's it. I'm going to check Sherwin Williams' discount wallpaper section. I just love the look of this. (I do have one little shelf decorated this way and I call it my "Ode to Manuela" shelf.
Your bookshelf looks so pretty and light! The toile backing is perfect. I've been thinking lately about how to make my home lighter and more summery. Thanks for the inspiration.
UGH! This heat is rough! Last summer we only had about three weeks the whole summer in the upper ninties and it was after the kids went back to school. This year it has started so early and seems to be unending. It's been three weeks since we even had a sprinkle here. We are hoping for a break soon as well. I miss my yard.
I love the changing of the book case. It does really change a mood when you change your decor with the seasons. The toile background looks sooo good. And white is such a clean color which immediately makes you feel cooler. 🙂
Have a great weekend and keep cool,
Jennifer
Very pretty Manuela!!
I love the toile wallpaper (shouldn't toile wallpaper just be called "toilepaper"? 🙂 Changing your bookcases seasonally is a great idea!
Amy
Love your bookshelves Manuela! How lucky for you to have a discount wallpaper place near!
Looks so fresh and summery!
XOXO
Jen
Ahhh, there is just something about white in the summer. Love what you did xoxo Clarice
It's beautiful! I LOVE the pattern you chose for behind the shelves! I am jealous of your wallpaper store~ in a friendly way of course! 🙂 I always enjoy seeing how you decorate; it's ALWAYS gorgeous and inspiring!
Have a fantastic (and maybe a bit cooler) weekend! 🙂
What a great change! I too, love to move things around. My husband just shakes his head and asks, "Are you shopping the house again?" Guess where he heard that. I say, it costs nothing! Have a wonderful summer weekend.
Charla
You are so smart and so energetic! I love how you paint and change things for the seasons. I always know if I see makeover beside your blog name, I'm in for a treat, and you never dissapoint me. This is fabulous! That toile wallpaper is perfect! I love all of your pretty white accessories on your shelfs. Okay, now I'm wanting to go change all of my bookshelves! Thanks for the inspiration (I think)! laurie
That is like what I had in mind for my living room wall unit, but your execution of your bookcase project inspires me to do toile in the back of my kitchen glass cabinets. I think it would look perfect. Thanks!
Love what you did with the bookcase Manuela. Lucky you with the wallpaper place. Wallpaper is not popular out here and so if I want wallpaper I have to pay a small fortune. That's why I've put off doing the corner cabinets. Love what you've done and I also love playing with my china and rearranging things.
Hopefully our heat wave will break (not) and I can continue painting. Supposed to be 113 tomorrow. I'll be glad for October when it cools back down. LOL. Already longing for fall and we just started summer. Take care and have a great weekend.
Hugs, Amanda
Perfect timing! I've been fiddling with some new (well, new to me!) bookshelves and trying to get the arrangement right. It is great to see how you chose to arrange your books and decorate your shelves.
~ Sarah
Your cute toile make-over changed this bookcase so completely.It's fun to use wallpaper in a variety of ways. Stay cool.
🙂 Sue
I love your bookcase. I adore how you change up the back with wall paper or fabric. Preacher just gave me two 5 foot wide and one is 7 feet and the other we are going to add to it. I felt a little bad when you said you give your books away. I do if they are just reading. But I have a lot of books. I cleaning up the shelves and they are going on each side of my old mirror mantel in the parlor, now it will be parlor/library. Hubby fixed a fridge someone gave us, I painted it and got the Monster fridge out of the kitchen. I painting a head board. Just tore up everything, getting all my old new stuff in. I love all your thrift store finds, and the Hobby Lobby one!
Oh my goodness Manuela…you always amaze me with your energy, creativity and organizational skills! I love how you inspire us with your life. Thank you for all you do. You are such a blessing.
Love,
Traceyxox
I love the toile background on the bookcase – it looks beautiful. I have always thought about doing something like that because I love the look, but I know zilch about wallpapering. Is it hard to do? I'm pretty handy with everything else around the house, but I've never learned about wallpaper.
Hi, I just came across your blog while searching for bookcase decorating ideas. I have been thinking of adding wallpaper to the back of a built in bookshelf, but am afraid of "committing" to a certain pattern (or of trying to sell the house in the future and turning off potential buyers if I use too bold of a pattern). Can you tell me how difficult it was it to apply a new wallpaper over an existing one?
Annie, You did not leave a way for me to answer you directly so I will answer you here. All I do is use double stick tape. I would never be able to change out the backs of all my cabinets as much as I do if I did something permanently. You could also just paint the backs a constrasting color that coordinates with the room if you're worried about pattern. But honestly, unless you have empty shelves, most of the pattern will be obscurred with books or whatever.
Manuela