I’ve had this set of Ikea bookshelves since Robert and I lived in our flat in London. They have moved four or five times and are nearly falling apart. Until they do fall apart I shall continue to use them because I like them.
However I wasn’t so keen on the grey and white striped backboard so I decided to add some wallpaper to it.
I used Farrow & Ball ‘Peony’ wallpaper and lay the bookcase on to its back to paste the wallpaper in to place a bit more easily.
After I’d wallpapered the shelves and let the paper and paste dry overnight I began to dress them. A great deal of my ‘stuff’ is still wrapped and in boxes in the other room so each time I take something out of a packing box I’m excited to see it again. This means that these shelves will change a great deal as the boxes are slowly emptied and I find more suitable ‘stuff’ to go on to them.
I’m still picking my hydrangeas way too early but I love them when they are still pink and green instead of entirely pink.
And you don’t need to fill a cup with flowers. A suggestion of them is all you need sometimes.
A type of daisy next to a picture of me holding my niece, Daisy, on my wedding day. One of the happiest days of my life.
I’ve added my own photography, printed and framed, and hung a heart shaped posy of silk flowers on the corner for a splash of colour.
And I placed a single, large rose in to a vase towards the bottom of the shelves. Single roses, brought indoors, take next to no maintenance and last a long time. The vase is in between a small frame that was once gold, but I painted white, and a postcard featuring my favorite artist, John Currin.
Here’s the other side of the same shelf. I’m a BIG John Currin fan.
I have some other cupboards that I may wallpaper the back of. It’s slightly addictive and a great way of really quickly giving something a whole new look.
I love you and thank you so much for reading.
Cherry x
************************************************************
Buy my Easy Jubilee eBook from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com or iBookstore today!
Join my Facebook page!
Feel free to add me to your links list. Here it is ! - http://www.cherrymenlove.com/
Facebook – Please feel free to join my page
Twitter – please feel free to follow me
Related posts:
Love this idea!
That bookshelf is lovely, just enough detail to give interest but not so much as to take away from the “stuff” you’re filling the shelves with.
Sue x
lovely Cherry,
my mum has that wallpaper on one wall in one of her bedrooms, I always one to sleep in that one when I stay.
more of the house pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese
jacqueline xx
What a lovely transformation – amazing what a difference the wallpaper makes, although you do have a particular flair for dressing a piece of furniture don’t you.
I have a single rose in a limited edition Diamond Jubilee Heinz baked bean tin at the moment in the kitchen. I put it there to perk it up(in boiling water as it was drooping), and was pleasantly surprised by how the pink looked with the slightly muddy turquoise blue, so i’ve left it there.
I do love the way you decorate with books too. I have a Persephone book like yours (grey covers) and a book called The Behaviour of Moths which just has the most beautiful green white and metallic sleeve. You’ve made me realise they are wasted in the bookcase.
Would love to see a picture of the whole bookcase now it’s done too.
Take care, Bex.x
Love the idea! It looks beautiful. I love the monochromatic choice! I’m with Kelly, I thought for sure there’d be a shot of the total view at the end…not bad Cherry when your readers just can’t get enough of you! I have been wanting to do something like this with my linen closet. When you make a closet beautiful it helps you keep it tidy…at least that works for me!
Meredith
Beautiful,,and the wallpaper is perfect,,
Devon
That looks lovely – but we didn’t get a photo of how the whole bookshelf looked when it was finished and decorated!! Thanks.
looks just fine. very pretty.
I did the same thing with a teeny bookshelf a couple of years ago, and I still love it. Simple makeover, but so effective.
x
I was given the exact same bookcase by a friend, to use as shelves for games and puzzles in my daughter’s room.
Funnily enough, I’m planning to change the back paper too – Harlequin do a beautiful paper with all sorts of little girl’s shoes and Chinese slippers on it, picked out in gold.
For the moment, I have strung the top with angel fairy lights..
Wow – that wallpaper is beautiful… Definitely a tip to keep for the dream house. Thanks Cherry