What if you could find a way to turn your sad corner into a stylish home for a collection?
When you group together all of your like items suddenly they are no longer piles of junk but an artful statement.
When we moved I lost my bookshelves for all of my interior design books. I needed an inexpensive solution that did not take up much floor space but could hold a lot of large books.
IKEA's Vittsjo bookshelf was the perfect answer except that the style didn't work in my living room, it needed to be dressed up.
In visiting designer showrooms for clients I was seeing X motifs everywhere. I thought it would be simple to add some Xs to the end of the shelves and bring the whole thing to life with gold paint. Anyone can paint the shelves gold but when you go the extra mile to actually change the design of the piece it makes a much bigger impact!
- 1 Vittsjo bookcase
- 4 8′ lengths of 3/4″ screen molding
- Loctite Power Grab adhesive
- Bright orange spray paint/primer
- Rustoleum hammered gold spray paint
- You will need to have a saw or a friend with a chop saw to cut the molding
Watch the video first, these instructions are meant to help you remember the order or answer any additional question
- First, I assembled the book shelf, leaving the glass shelves aside for installation at the end.
- Next I measured and cut the lengths of screen molding. I cut them one at a time
- I used the Loctite adhesive to put each piece into place before I cut the next length so I knew I always had the right direction of 45 degree angle because the screen molding has a right side and wrong side
- Once all the wood pieces were in place and the adhesive had set I sprayed the entire piece a BRIGHT orange. I found that the gold paint on the black looked dull but if I put a bright, warm color on first I had a warmer gold finish.
- Next, I sprayed the entire thing with the hammered gold paint (always follow the directions on your paint or other materials)
- I put the shelf into place inside the house and then added the gold shelves
Watch the video if you are confused about any part of this process, or comment and I will respond!
The OutcomeI love using the deep shelves for my design books. They are very heavy though so I had to brace the bookcase against the wall to keep it from leaning! The bookcase is not terribly sturdy. The Loctite adhesive is rock solid. I think it is more likely the wood would break if I pulled on the X than that the glue would fail!
$29 - Vittsjo bookcase ( got this price in the AS-IS department when they used to be $39, I noticed they are now $49 so watch for deals)
$8.76 - 4 8′ lengths of 3/4″ screen molding at $2.19 each
$4.11 - Loctite Power Grab adhesive
$3.79 - Bright orange spray paint/primer
$6.34 - Rustoleum hammered gold spray paint
$0 - I have a chop saw
TOTAL: $52
