Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Before & After: Living Room Shelves

I know it's been a while but in my defense, not having a working bathroom at your disposal really takes its toll on you. REALLY. So, to get back in the swing of things I thought I would go through and find some before and afters for you guys, starting with the living room built in shelves. Enjoy!


And here is what it looks like today! 



You can read all about our glorious thrift store (surprise, surprise) couch and the re-arranged living room here!




20 comments:

  1. Sooo nice. My 1987 house is straight up jealous.

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  2. Oh girl, at least your house is nice and cozy in the winter instead of all drafty. And I would KILL for your kitchen.

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  3. You're on Apartment Therapy! And the house is looking AMAZING!

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  4. I know!!! We are over the moon excited! Thank you!

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  5. BEAUTIFUL!!!
    This is the exact same project I've been wanting to build in my home (I have a very similar floor plan). Did you build the shelves yourself, or hire a carpenter? May I ask how much it cost?

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  6. The built in shelves you installed are fantastic and they frame those beautiful windows perfectly! The books give your living room a warm and inviting quality... stunning!

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  7. Yay R3! Do it! We can't imagine our house without these shelves. We did build them ourselves (my mom and dad did most of the work and my dad was a carpenter for 10 years when I was little) I'm not sure officially how much it cost but a rough estimate, paint and hinges and everything would be about $300.

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  8. Thanks Richy! The windows really are one of my favorite parts of the house, and most of them still have the original wavy glass in them. And I'd be lying just a little if I said I didn't design the shelves with that collection of National Geographics in mind.

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  9. Any behind-the-scenes, how-to's forthcoming? We are desperate to do same here. Did you re-focus existing bookcases or build from scratch? How? :)

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  10. There will be a little how-to here and there. We're going to do a wiring one next week for sure. But as far as the shelves go, there probably won't be : ( We started from scratch and it was just kind of "do a little here, do a little there" kind of stuff. We're not pros by any means! I might put together some more pictures of the process for a later post though! Thanks for stopping by!

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  11. Hi Katherine - what type of paint finish did you use for your black doors? We are currently renovating our 1943 home - walls are white, floors are a light oak, and we've got lots of walnut accented furniture ... have been dying to paint doors black but am scared to take the plunge!

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

    Jennifer in YYC

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  12. Hey Jennifer! I'm planning to do a post about the dining room doors later today and I'll talk about all of that good stuff! Hope it helps you take the plunge : D

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  13. Katherine, that is the most beautiful wall I've ever seen. I would love to see your whole house in person. Maybe one day Johnny and I can come visit. Love ya'll. Kathy

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    1. I hope so, Aunt Kathy! We have PLENTY of room : ) Love you guys, too!!

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  14. I have a house with a similar wall. The family of the original owners say the configuration was to fit a piano in the middle of the wall below the high windows.

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    1. Well that is just neat! I never considered that! The pictures we accidentally found of the house from the 1950s (this post: http://keepsmilinghome.blogspot.com/2012/08/wait-is-that-my-house.html) show two little chairs sitting beneath the window but I like the piano idea!

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  15. love it.. i have the same thing planned in one of our spaces.. except I have a large window where you have a mish mash of two.. so i hope to make it a window seat.. but you are brilliant to have framed the wall the way you have!

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    1. I would love to have a window seat! It's funny but while we were building these (before they had paint on them or anything), we had people over and everyone used them as a seat. I think if it wasn't covered in books and plants people would totally sit there! It makes me a little nervous, though because it wasn't really intended for that : /

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  16. Did you build the doors on the bottom of the book shelves yourself? These look great!

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