Coastal Inspired Bookshelves

My mom had a 3 piece wood bookcase, it was nice but it was too dark and had a fake reddish cherry wood tone, which I didn’t like at all.  Oh how I love to change a piece of furniture with paint.

After 

First to make it easier I removed the backing, which turned out easier than I thought and it made painting so much easier because I could reach to other side as well as paint the back a lovely shade of grey.

It reattached just as easily as it was removed.

I distressed all of the white paint including the shelves, then applied furniture paste wax for protection.

Before

She really didn’t have any coastal inspired décor, so it was fun finding stuff at estate sales and scouring thorough beachy type stores at the beach. I also ended up making or re-purposing some of the décor.

I love how her room is turning out.

On a future post I will share a really cool oyster chandelier I made for her dining room.

Now onto some of the décor items.

I found the vintage shell painting at a garage sale for $2.00, It was nice but a little bright so I antiqued it with a thinned down brown paint to age it even more.

I glued the sea  fan to a vintage candle holder that I painted a bluish grey. We also found a ton of great drift wood pieces at the beach last week.

I love this birdcage that I also found at a garage sale, and for only $15.00.

This weathered looking sign I made out of a piece of scrap plywood.

Two of my fish prints framed in vintage oak frames.

I think the new bookshelves look great in her living room.