It’s funny to see a space come together separate from a moodboard. Some of the same things are still there, but things like the rug and over-head light have changed. We purchased a cowhide from Ikea and returned it a few weeks later — it just didn’t feel right. Then I happened upon the Ikea 2011 catalog preview and saw this awesome chevron-inspired rug that hit home. While there was a tinge of worry that the space might feel claustrophobic because of the busy pattern, it turned out wonderfully. It’s flat weave so cat hair doesn’t show on it and on several occasions I’ve noticed Kira digging at it but no threads are coming up. Win-win-win!

So without further adieu, shall we? Let’s start with the last image I put up of the space, beware the horror:

This was the Monday after we moved — two days in — what a mess!

And this is what you walk into now! The wall color has shown itself to be much more grey than the tan it was supposed to be, but that’s okay — it works! One of the major design principles in every field (web, print, interior, etc) is repetition repetition repetition! So I hung three square frames that will someday in the (hopefully) near future house a few pieces of handmade artwork. The boyfriend and I are both designers by day, so we’re hoping to put some of our Illustrator skills to work!

The living area! The purple couch is throwing off the whole space, honestly. I’m trying to go for a primarily yellow and grey space here, and purple does not fit the equation! (The Ikea Varnamo sofa is NOT brown..)

We went with a CB2 Eden lamp because it was plug in. It’s not ideal, and the cord drives me bonkers, but it gives us much needed light! The coffee table, while awesome in it’s own right, is way to bulky for our space. And let me tell you, hanging curtains in that bay window proved to be a nightmare. Since the window is inset, there is not room above the window frames to add curtain rods, so we 1980′s that beast and used the white clip-rods that you used to see a lot. Not ideal, but super cheap!

Eventually the guitars will be hung on the blank wall right there and the amp and accessories will be put into a storage ottoman or trunk. I’d really like to see a danish credenza here for our entertainment equipment, but they are super expensive. The Markor (from Ikea) TV stand is great, but just too big, bulky and dark for this space. And don’t get me started on that lamp shade — it’s all about progress, baby.

The living room is very oddly set up, what with passages to the kitchen/dining room on each end of it, a utility entrance behind the camera (that we covered with a shoe cabinet) and the bay window — so setting up the space was tricky. While I am not 100% happy with the flow, I hate having a couch butt up against a wall if it doesn’t have to. This is the pathway into the living area, with a good full-on shot of the bookcase in it’s new white-glory. And a peek at our dark grey dining room wall. Yum.

A close up of the bookcase. We reduced the number of books we have to only those we might actually look at again and it freed up a shelf for family photos.

And the rug up close! It’s basically charcoal grey with the slightest hint of blue to it. Ties in the bluish tinge the walls sometimes give off, as well as the blue undertone the dining room wall has.

Over all, I think Kira approves. :)

So what do you think? I know there is still a lot to be done, but we’ll get there! We’ve been working on our office, our bedroom, the dining room and my dressing room as well, but the living room is by far the most put together. I’d love to hear your suggestions and comments.

This is what we started with:

So two weeks ago I decided to tackle the dark, heavy bookcase which would, in the end, help lighten the room up a bit. First thing’s first, remove all the CRAP from the bookcase. Make sure you give it a good wipedown with a damp rag, just to get the dust off. Don’t use dusting spray or any chemicals, as it might make the primer not stick as well.

After I taped off the doors, I pulled out the supplies I needed. Mine included some paint brushes (both bristle and sponge), some mini rollers, a drop cloth for the floor (since I was doing it inside, but helpful none-the-less), my primer and my paint. Oh, and gloves! Since the primer is oil based, it will be a pain to get off your hands, so just grab some latex gloves when you pick up your supplies!

By now you should have your bookcase lying down and ready to paint. Luckily the boyfriend had some cinder blocks in the back yard, so I used those to prop the bookcase up so I could get all around it without worrying about getting the floor.

Then it’s time to start priming!! I think I did 2 coats of primer and a third for touch ups. Mine wasn’t mixed very well — had I known when I purchased it, I would have had the paint counter shake it up for me. It’s a good time to warn about the smell and fumes. I don’t recommend doing this inside if you don’t have to. I was desperate to get it done (and stubborn!) so I went through with it — but it stinks to high heaven, and I had to take a couple breaks due to lightheaded-ness. That’ll bode well for future-me!

The primer didn’t stick as well as I would have liked, and that could have been due to the humidity or my lack of patience in letting it cure long enough. Regardless, the end result turned out decent enough.

Let me tell you — those doors were a pain! I almost said screw it, because they are double sided and the paint and primer kept seeping into the holes and just filling it up. Thank goodness for screwdrivers to clean them out later! (Invest in a powerdrill, kiddies!)

So I had 5 shelves and 2 doors to prime and paint. Hm.. How’d I do it? Well, initially, like this:

Books come in handy, yanno! ;) After that, I just lined them all up on a cardboard box on top of our dining chairs.

Also, make sure to sand between coats! It’ll cut down on the bumps and brush strokes you’ll have in the end.

I’d suggest giving at least 30 minutes between primer coats, an hour before painting and a half hour between paint coats. I’m sure elsewhere you’ll hear wait longer, but, well, I’m impatient, and that timing seemed to work out just fine for me.

In the process of redoing the bookcase I decided I wanted it farther away from the window, so it didn’t crowd that area as much. That really helped! Later this week I’ll show you our living room as it is today.

From far away it looks like a white bookcase, but up close you can see that it was painted, especially around the doors where some of the paint peeled off when I removed the tape.

But it’s made better by the sweet knobs the boyfriend spotted at Ikea in the as-is section for 2 bucks!

So what do you think? Much better, right? I would have loved to purchase a new bookcase, probably something like the CB2 kickstand bookcase, but this is much more economical — and we have a couch to save up for!!

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Here is a breakdown of my costs:

Primer: $10 for a quart — it was just enough, so if you have a bigger piece, get two quarts!

Paint: Already had on hand.

Brushes/rollers/sponges: $8

Paint trays: $2

Gloves: On hand already.

Painter’s tape: On hand already.

So for about twenty bucks, I repainted this bookcase, gave it a new look and helped lighten up our dark living room in one weekend! Hoozah! Stay tuned for an overall shot of the room to see how much it helped me lighten up the space!

I’m still styling the bookcase, but I wanted to share some teaser photos with you! It was a long, arduous process, but Billy is painted! I’m not sure how well it’ll hold, as I noticed some chipping while I was putting things back together, but the shelves are in and the books are on, and that’s the hard part! I should have a more thorough run down of my process later this week!

(We picked up the metal typeset characters at the DC Big Flea this past weekend — only $4!)

He is way too dark! In my old apartment he worked, but now that we have a lighter, airier feel to the space (not yet, that is), I want something lighter! So this weekend, I plan to tackle the bookcase with some primer, some paint, and git-r-done! I was inspired, and plan to follow Centsational Girl’s post on painting laminate furniture.

So Billy, get ready to meet your match! (Wish me luck, DC has been suffering some serious humidity so this’ll be an indoor project..)

Such a simple, yet versatile bookcase has been found in almost every home. Coming in all colors and sizes, you can customize it how you want, like I did with my curtain project a couple months ago.

So happy birthday Billy! Hope it’s a great one!