I've decided to take on a pretty big project - faux built-in bookcases and window seat in my master bedroom. When I was conceptualizing, I didn't think it would be that time consuming. But now that we've started the project, I realize there will be several steps involved to create the "built-in" look.
This is my first ever blog project series. This post will go over the initial project components/supplies.
Project details continue after the jump:
Why built-in bookcases?
Pretty soon, my husband and I will be living in the kid's playhouse in our backyard. It seems like the kids and all their stuff continue to seep into/take over each and every room in our 4-bedroom house. Three of the bedrooms have been claimed by the kids already: boy's room, girl's room and playroom. The formal room holds a desk for our son. He starts kindergarten in the Fall and needed a place to call his own to study and learn. And of course the living room is always filled with toys. The garage is packed with kids stuff too.
So far we haven't been evicted from our master bedroom by one of the kids. Although our room isn't huge I love the colors, minimalist amount of furniture and our huge, ultra-comfortable bed that's draped with a white chenille bedspread. One thing that's really lacking in our master bedroom is storage. Due to the layout of the room, we don't have the space to add another piece of
furniture. I was challenged since the only bare and unused space in our room is
around the window. Keep in mind, we don't have the option of storing our own stuff anywhere else in the house. B.K. (before kids) my husband and I each had an office and we still had a spare room leftover for guests.
One day, I came across these built-in book shelves over at Centsational Girl.
Perfect! I decided that built-ins would be a great solution to our storage problem and if done right, it could also add some style to our room.
Right now, we are in the beginning stages. But here's a brief recap of the supplies we've used so far. Two bookcases from Target that were on sale for $19.99 each. Some wallpaper that I fell in love with at Homedepot.com. And the much blogged about Expedit Ikea Bookcase (turned on its side) happened to be the perfect height for a window seat.
Let's talk pros and cons:
Pros: They were cheap.
Cons: Although the shelves are pretty standard the backboard is made of folded thin cardboard. Applying wallpaper to that was nightmarish. The wallpaper bubbled like a beeyach because the board was so flimsy. I spent a lot of time smoothing the big air bubbles out. If I had to do it all over again, I would purchase a better bookcase with wood or at least particle board for the backboard.
Wallpaper: If you are going to order wallpaper online, get samples first.
Pros: I ordered samples from Homedepot.com at 99 cents a pop and they were here within a week. Seeing the actual paper made a big difference in my selection. This paper has a pearl type finish. I'm really happy with this wallpaper.
Cons: Cost: $69.
Pros: Super duper easy to put together. Many styles of baskets are available for the cubbies.
Cons: Depending on your light source, you'll notice the color is slightly off-white. During the day, it appears to match the Target bookcases, but at night it really looks more off-white. Luckily in my situation, the wallpaper helps everything to blend and match with all the white, taupe and pearl shades.
Next up, pictures of our progress, some tips and another project supply list.
I'll also include a "before" picture in the next update. My little lady decided to unplug my dead, charging laptop as I was downloading pictures and I lost the whole album.
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