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DIY: Simple Bookshelves to Liven Your Living Room


I have been wanting to install bookshelves in my living room for months now. Both my husband and I have hundreds of books and are very attached to most of them. We had a set of bookcases that we had been using, but the look was a little too "dorm room" (after all, his sister did use them in college). We were on the hunt for an upgrade and so I began doing research.

Our living room in the early stages. Note the old yellow bookcases.

Unstained Wood Brightened Up the Room

I am all about sunlight. I don't care how small a space is, if it has a lot of natural sunlight, I'm in. I wanted bookshelves that would only enhance the brightness and knew that brightest rooms have white walls and shelves to reflect the light. So Taylor and I went to home depot and had fresh, unstained pine cut to size. We bought white brackets with coverings to match. Everything together cost only $122.00.

We hung the shelves the same day we bought them. I was so excited to get them up and have the room feel complete. If you'll notice in the photo of the bare shelves, you'll see a can of beans. That was our level. Taylor and I aren't the most handy people and don't own a proper level, but the can worked just fine. Ha!


Designing the Shelves

Once all six shelves were up, then came the fun part. I began to arrange our library of books.Taylor is an actor and owns several copies of different plays. I organized them by color and they make for a decorative rainbow on the top shelf.

We stacked some books vertically and topped with them with framed photos or important keepsakes. On top of one stack, I set the place cards from our wedding dinner. I arranged several plants on different shelves to serve as not only decor but bookends.

All of my language books are together, placed in order of height to create a nice line.

We placed our records and amplifier underneath and it adds a nice edgy touch to the entire display.

We are so happy with our end result!

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