Bookcases Restyled

Well friends, it all started with a tiny, little canvas painting I picked up at a local home decor shop, Indigo Market.

I have a thing for small canvases.  There’s just something really special about them to me.  Anyhow, it’s a bit of a pig and a pancake situation.  You do remember that children’s book right?  This beautiful, small canvas has sparked a decorating domino effect.  I brought the canvas home and immediately decided to display it on one of the bookcases in my living room.  Seems simple enough.  Set canvas on shelf.  Walk away.  Go about your usual business.  But as per usual with my crazy, decor-obsessed self, before I even knew what was happening I was in a full on restyling frenzy.  Nothing too major.  But you know when you restyle bookcases or really any shelves for that matter you have to hold auditions.  And decor auditions are much more hardcore than Broadway.  Y’all know I’m right.  My entire living room floor was covered with all. the. things.  Gracious may, was it a hot mess.  It wasn’t a complete decorating overhaul.  Just a few little changes.  The bookcases got restyled.  The pillow situation was changed up just a bit.  And as crazy as it sounds, the truth is it all started with a canvas painting no larger than the palm of my hand.  Clearly, my decor crazed self knows no bounds.  So long story short, today I’m showing you how I restyled the bookcases in a really simple yet majorly different way from how they had been styled last fall (after I finished painting them and wallpapering the backs).

Here’s how this bookcase has looked for months.

Here’s how she’s looking now.

My goal here was to make the books fall away so that the art and accessories could be the main focus.  In the midst of all the colorful book spines the painting really got lost in the mix, and I wanted it to have its own special spotlight.  So I turned the books around to face the spines backward which really allows the books to blend in to the background creating a backdrop that still adds loads of great texture.

I know there are some hardcore book enthusiasts that would disapprove of displaying books in this way, but I think you have to rock what you love in your home despite others opinions.  These books are all family heirlooms or vintage books I’ve collected over the years (I love old books!) but they aren’t referenced much.  This isn’t a reading library.  These books are really just here for display.  Plus, I know where the special ones are as the location of the poetry and old history books have been committed to memory.

I’m really digging this lighter, texture heavy look with touches of pink.  And I love that the accessories really stand out now.

Of course if I restyled this bookcase, I had to restyle the one on the other side of the mantel.

I’m planning to add another painting here where the open back frame is holding a place.

The really great thing about this styling change is that other than bringing in this sweet little canvas (aka the little match that started this fire) everything else I already had.  And the biggest design bang for the buck here was completely free as just turning the books around to have the pages face outward made the most visual impact.  It’s also an easy fix if I tire of this look.  I love simple and easy decor changes that breathe fresh life into a room.  Our living room feels completely different now, and I really like the simple, casual vibe this look adds to the space.

It’s kind of crazy just how much of an impact styling has in design.  You can really create a whole new look in a room just by spending an afternoon playing a little game of dress up with your accessories.  😉  I’ll show you a few more living room changes tomorrow.