Thursday, April 03, 2008

So Shabby Pink - How to Make a Bookshelf Disappear

I sure do miss Christopher Lowell. I know many of you remember him. I was a loyal fan when his show was on. I learned so much from him and it was his teaching shows that convinced me I could "do it too." He would always end his show with "You can do it." I would love to see him on TV again.

Maybe because of what I learned from Christopher, our home is always changing. My husband never knows what he is going to find. He went to North Dakota on a business trip long ago and came home to white kitchen cabinets. This is a man who is ultra traditional and does not like change. Bless his heart. He is stuck with little 'ol meeeee....

Since my husband is so traditional, I don't go nearly as far with the pinks, shabby chic and cottage looks as I would like. I am, however, learning to mix the two so that we are both happy. He has had to learn to live with some pink though.

When we ( I ) decided to brighten and lighten up our living room, I had a big challenge.
We have two large focal point elements on the same wall in our living room - the fireplace and a large bookshelf that is directly beside the fireplace.

Whenever I walked in the room, all I saw was this big colorful wall of books. It just made my head spin to look at it. Because of being positioned where it is, it took all the focus off the fireplace. Most importantly, is was not a pretty focal point.


My challenge was to take the focus off the bookshelf and put it back on the fireplace. We painted the bookshelf and the walls the same color white which made the bookshelf blend into the wall more. Placement of white and neutral colored accessories on the shelves, didn't draw as much attention as the bright books.

Here is the after:


This was a good change.


I found this nice nautical picture at a yard sale for $2.00. The frame was gray so I simply painted it the same color as the cream colored trim in the room.


I think the key to making any decorative display special is to actually populate it with treasures that are important to you. I love the beach, pink and white, so whenever we travel, I try to bring home a little something to add to the shelf.

It is important to note, however, that there is a point where you stop adding. That is really hard sometimes. I have had to take a few things off this shelf as it started to look like storage instead of display.

This is one of my treasures from a gift shop in Destin, Florida.


This redo of this shelf did satisfy the traditional in my husband in that it's neatly arranged and not cluttered. I love it because it's all neutral. Lots of white!

Thanks for reading today. Hope you visit again soon.

Warm regards to all,

Peggy

7 comments:

Cheryl Miller said...

Peggy, I love the change to that gentle white scheme. It's beautiful, and very beach-y!
Cheryl

Jenny Froh said...

WOW Peggy! That's an amazing transformation! I just LOVE LOVE LOVE it! That is so my style! You should submit those before and afters to HGTV! :)
Miss you!
Jennifer

karlascottage.typepad.com said...

That is so elegant!

I miss Christopher too. He was my first design star hero on TV and I used to laugh at his simulated audience (the same 20 people in every show, they must have been paid to sit there) but loved his over the top ideas.

Shabby in Pink Boutique said...

Hi Peggy,
Just stopping by to say Hello. Your blog is very pretty, I love the seashell box. Happy spring!
Pink Hugs,
Stephanie

FourSistersInACottage said...

Love those North Dakota Trips.....Bob is coming home from there tomorrow and is going to be WHOA'ed by the transformation of our livingroom/dining room....
it went from camp/lodge to Shabby Cottage Pink and Aqua.....LOL
I AM LOVING IT!!!
Hugs, Amy (Mom to the Four Sisters) and I LOVE your bookshelf!!! VERY VERY PRETTY!!!

Jan Thomason said...

peggy, the bookshelf is gorgeous.
i wish i could do that to the bookshelf next to our lr fireplace but the room's kinda Texas Hill Country and it just wouldn't work.
Darn!!
yours is beautiful.

Maggie V said...

Looks good but the point of a bookcase is to hold your books. A room without books is like a life without a soul.tr