Built-ins? Yes, please.

When we walked into this house, the first thing that struck us was the nine-foot ceilings.  But as we entered the living room, this beauty had us at hello.

Hello.

It didn't look exactly like this at the time.  It was more like this.

 

As the painters worked, I kept waiting for the big day when the bookcase would get painted.  It was hard to be patient.

 

 

They did everything else in the house first.  The bookcase was the very last thing.

 

 

Once it was painted, we wasted no time in painting the back of the shelves in the wall color.  There needed to be some color other than white because so many of the things I planned on putting in here were also white and would get lost.  I thought about doing a different, coordinating color, but decided in the end that the continuity of using the wall color was the best choice. 

 

Oh, and by the way, these bookcases are five feet, six inches tall.  I know this because I had to stand inside them to paint them.  And I am five feet, eight inches tall. 

 

 

Now it was time for----more waiting.  I was very proud of myself.  I waited for over two weeks before putting the shelves and doors back on so that they had time to fully cure.  Nothing like moving a book off of the shelf and having paint stick to it.

 

 

I had so much fun putting the shelves together.  I would do one shelf, back away, observe.  Then I would change it all.  Apparently this is my idea of a good time.  Oh, I would love to go to that concert.  It sounds lovely.  Unfortunately, I have a date with my bookcase.

 

 

*sigh*

 

 

Each shelf is filled with things we already had.  There are pictures, sculptures my sister made, books, baseballs from Handsome Hero's younger days, figurines Handsome Hero and I gave each other when we had Ella and Jack {I got a necklace with Nate}.

 

 

Pottery by my friend, April of Eden Pottery, scripts from plays I was either in or directed, the rotary phone from my granddad's house.  All personal, meaningful stuff.

 

 

I am very excited with how it turned out!

 

 

Hobby Lobby had these awesome glass knobs to replace the painted wood ones from before.  Some of their stuff is flimsy, but these seemed very heavy and sturdy.  Hopefully they'll stand up to the use they'll get.

 

 

I love how the light reflects through them.  They are a really cool, blingy echo to the new dining room chandelier {pictures coming}.

 

 

All in all, a far cry from this:

 

 

To this:

 

 

I'm sure I will change out the shelves a lot as time goes by, but I'm calling this one done. 

 

p.s.  The TV is no longer up here.  It has found a new home downstairs.  The center cabinet is empty for now, but probably we'll get one of those new-fangled flat screen numbers one of these years.  Maybe.  When they're out of style.  Because that is when we tend to update our electronics.