bookcases {a before and after}

There are a few projects I knew I wanted to do the moment we stepped foot in our house. The first is a laundry room redo - which we now know if NOT happening. So sad.

The next was the wall of collages I pinned before I had even picked out a house.

The third was a wall of bookcases in the family room, especially once Henry bought a new television when our 10-year-old one had to be hit to get a clear picture. Even at 2, Ryan knew to smack its side when it went static-y (.... i just made up that word in case you're wondering.)

See that lonely T.V. hanging up there on the wall with a puny little cabinet underneath? It just screamed for some company... (ignore the kids who are playing games)

We've been in our house about 18 months and in that time I've spent a fair amount of time on DIY blogs and Pinterest taking notes on how everyone's doing built-ins. I'm not sure who did it first, but one of the bloggers I followed for awhile used pre-made shelves to make her built-ins less expensive. Her husband finished everything off with some trim. 

Knowing our DIY limits, I started contacting carpenters to see just how much this was all going to cost. After getting a quote from a carpenter on custom cabinets, I knew supplementing with pre-made bookcases was in our future. Lucky for me, IKEA Billy bookcases fit rather nicely on either side. I scoured thrift stores and craigslist for a cabinet (old dresser or buffet) to go underneath the t.v., but wasn't able to find one in the dimensions I needed. So I ended up having the carpenter make a custom piece.  Here we are at the start of the project. 

I knew I wanted something that went to the ceiling so I had him make boxes to go on top of the T.V., something I saw in one of my Pinspiration moments. He trimmed everything to give it a custom, pulled-together look

Here's how it turned out. 

This is one of those projects that just tickles me pink. It makes such a big difference in the room. AND, most of the items on the shelves (other than the books) were acquired during travels to various parts of the world. When I look up there I see memories, not things... I see China, Mexico, Haiti, Nigeria, New Mexico, San Francisco, Bethany Beach, Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, and India. I see a day shopping a flea market with a friend and several estate sales and yard sales. I see the silver from my great-grandmother. And holes. I see holes where we can fill in more memories from travels yet to come. 

Style-wise, I see a t.v. that's no longer lonely, and a wall collage that is balanced by some much needed color. 

Ah... now that's much better!