A DIY accent wall, wallpaper, brighter paint, and a custom DIY built-in bookcase have transformed this guest room! Since Thanksgiving, I’ve been working to renovate the last guest/former kid’s room, and I’ve nearly completed it! A new DIY bookcase built-in was the last step!
I combined two new-to-me techniques to make this room special and cozy: the board and batten I used in Connor’s room renovation, and the self-stick wallpaper I first used in the “girls’ room” renovation in this Blue Room project. I love how it turned out!
The “Blue Room” is part of the original three-room dog-trot house, built in 1911. It was the room on the other side of the dog-trot open breezeway and didn’t have a fireplace. On the north side of the house, it was always called the North Room, until we added onto the house and I used a blue comforter set. Since the addition meant an extra couple of bedrooms (the Girls’ room, Connor’s room), it became the Blue Room, since the blue comforter was easily remembered. It was mostly assigned to no one, though we did sleep in there for a year or so, since the kids were still little enough I wanted to hear them if they needed me at night.
Starting in about 2013, this room was my home office for the photography business and client presentation room, so at that time we painted it rich, dark colors to enhance the big-screen viewing experience. It was time for an update!
We decided to tear out the built-in desk since no one was using it as an office anymore and it just attracted mess and junk. (Don’t know where to put it? Go put it in the blue room!) In a massive purge, I donated a bunch of books, and tossed a lot of paper, keeping just the most important. We also sold the barrister bookcase, so that was two cases full of books and binders for which we would still need a home. The binders of home business, scrapbook stuff, and dog and horse pedigree records are hidden behind the cabinet doors, along with just the barest essential office stuff like pens and envelopes.
DIY Built-in Bookcases
I researched DIY bookcases, and dived in, thanks to great directions on some blog posts by thriftydecorchick.com and others. Using stock upper cabinets from Home Depot, purchased wood, some of our own old-growth pine we harvested, and my handy miter saw (highly recommend getting “your husband” one for his birthday, like I did!) I was able to do nearly all this work myself!
I wanted to use a natural wood “countertop” over the cabinets like I used in the kitchen. These pine boards we had sawn on site more than a decade ago are HEAVY and you just can’t find that kind of quality at a lumber store! Plus, it makes it “ours” using wood harvested from our own land. So, I did have some help planing and ripping the old-growth pine 2″ x 8″s from woodcrafter extraordinaire Troy Dean, who is kind enough to help whenever I need some serious planing and ripping done. He even nods encouragingly when I show him what I am up to with my tiny little projects.
Worth the Wait
I love the way they have turned out, and after the extended painting time – delays caused by some really cold temperatures, and work, life, etc. The bookcase went up literally in one afternoon! The cabinets were in weeks ago, but I just couldn’t get to the final steps until last Sunday afternoon.
I am considering how to light them, and will probably do a puck light hack of some sort, since I don’t want to go through the trouble of running electric.
For today, in the small lamp, I used one of these handy rechargeable bulbs that don’t need to be plugged in. A great solution when you do not have a plug nearby.
Real Decor and Memories
I still need to caulk and touch up paint, but I just couldn’t wait to get some of the stuff we have had all over our bedroom floor back into the blue room.
I see a lot of “styling shelves” videos by influencers, but I feel really blessed that all my decor items are REAL, meaningful items, not Magnolia from Target, or from someone’s “Amazon favorites” list.
Board and Batten Wall
My inspiration for the wall was this, along with my oldest daughter urging me to do it. They did a board and batten wall in their nursery, after I did one in Connor’s room. We both love it! I did all the construction on this myself! It was much easier than the first project, now that I had the hang of it.
Color Choice
I pulled the grey wall color and blue accent wall color from this wallpaper I saw on a blog post. So it’s STILL the Blue Room! Even with this medium tone, the room is much brighter than it was, and looks so much bigger! Thanks to my local downtown hardware, Fairless Hardware! They are always so great to get me the best paint!
If you have considered using peel and stick removable wallpaper, go for it! After the first couple of pieces, you get the hang of it and it goes fast! It’s so much less mess than traditional wallpaper! I’m hoping it holds up better than traditional wallpaper has in my often “open to the outdoors” home; we love to leave some screens open and use the attic fan. Not too great for wallpaper glue.
