Instead of waiting a year for a “big reveal”, I’m giving you small updates along the way. (Hope you like them. Besides, it’s good blogging material!) Remember how my dining room-turned-office looked when we moved in:
The bookcases were finished a couple of weeks ago, and this is where we are now:
Yes, I need books. Lots of books. Besides yard sales, anybody have great sources for cheap books? (And by cheap, I mean fifty cents or less. . . ) I’m hoping to fill the middle shelves with books I’ll actually read and use, but the top shelves will most likely just be for looks.
I’m using the lower shelving to store fabric samples, magazines, office supplies, etc. I’ve been using these wire baskets from IKEA in several places around my house lately. (You can’t beat them at less than $3 a piece. I’m thinking of painting these in a muted metallic finish.)
And, several people asked what color I used for the back of the bookcases. It’s “Urbane Bronze” by Sherwin Williams. It looked really brown when I first opened the paint can but turned out to be the rich, charcoal gray I was wanting.
Next item of business? Hanging the lantern pendant I showed you here. It most likely hung in a foyer originally, and I’m hoping for this kind of oversized effect--minus the red. Mine’s just basic black and not quite this cool:
Tobi Fairley
By the way, if you live in or around Charlotte, I highly recommend my carpenter who built the shelves. I’m a fan. Check out his work here.
The built ins look amazing! I love the dark grey color as the backing. You know what
ReplyDeleteIt's GOOD stuff!
Keep the small dosage coming!!!!
Rashon aka Mr. Goodwill Hunting
Try the public libraries for cheap books. They aren't always priced the same between branches but I've bought hardbacks for crafts at the Independence Regional branch for 50 cents in the past. The Matthews Help Center sometimes has good deals or mark-down days, too.
ReplyDeleteLOVE, LOVE, LOVE those built-ins!! I'm a book lover, so I wouldn't have a problem filling the shelves (my current built-ins are overflowing), but I would ditto the library comment from Colin. I know our library does a sale once or twice a year and you can get books for $0.25. I'd also check out Craigslist in case someone is moving and doesn't want to take the books or cleaning out Grandma's house - that sort of thing. It looks delightful and I'm coveting those wire baskets! Time for another Ikea trip! :-)
ReplyDeleteWow - those bookshelves totally changed your room! Love the charcoal background!
ReplyDeleteI am drooling already. The bookshelves are amazing. Really amazing. I love the dark grey color too. As far as books.....my public library always has a huge sale twice a year and I use half.com as well.
ReplyDeleteYour bookcases look so good and will hold so much stuff. Goodwill always has lots of books for cheap.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful and so much space!!! I need one of these too!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteThe ikea baskets will look even better painted. Great find!!!
Enjoy your day!
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
I'm drooling over those shelves - enjoy them!! This solidifies the fact that I need an office in our next home.
ReplyDeleteThey look wonderful! I'm so jealous of all of your storage!
ReplyDeleteOh my gorgeous! I'm in love with those bookshelves! I think too that if you did ever want your dining room back they'd look great filled with dishes and serving pieces. I love this room as an office though! I really like that small ledge too- makes them so much more interesting. I'd check restore - I usually find lots of old books for $.25 or less.
ReplyDeleteThose built-ins are absolutely to die for! I love them! I want them in my home! Stunning!!
ReplyDeleteAh, I love the shelving! It's looking so so GREAT!!
ReplyDeleteIt looks perfect already!! Love the shade you choose for the background of the bookcases!! Perfection!!
ReplyDeleteI love those Ikea baskets too, I might have to pick up a few asap! Yup for sure painted a sliver metallic would look good
Looks Amazing! I know you can go to Half Price Books and ask for a "yard of books" and they will sell you a stack of the old readers digest books with the colorful spines, it is literally a yards worth of books.
ReplyDeleteWHOA!!!! Those are so cool....and totally make the room. Not to mention comepletly user friendly for a designer's office!!!
ReplyDeleteWhy'd you paint the room tho, I kind of liked that salmony goodness. ;)
Oh man, I need those in my office!
ReplyDeleteI love your bookshelves and the wire baskets below!! I am even more excited now to see what you do with my office!!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE built-ins, and yours look amazing! They add so much charm and character and have such a big impact. Also I'm loving the mix of the wood desk, upholstered chair and the metallic chairs. Creates a beautiful look with a lot of interest and texture. You are truly brilliant at what you do!
ReplyDeleteiT'S LOOKING GREAT. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE FINAL PICTURE.
ReplyDeleteWow, they are amazing!
ReplyDeleteSeriously DYING over that bookcase- it couldn't be better- love love the charcoal and yes please on the muted metallic baskets...also adore the farmhouse table as your desk...seriously in awe over this!!
ReplyDeleteWOW!!! Your office is looking increeeedible!! Love the added bookshelf wall!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLove your new built-in bookcase! It's gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteHave a great day, Emily!
Jessie
www.mixandchic.com
love the shelves! and i love urbane bronze... one of my faves. we used it in our house in seattle for exterior trim and for our fireplace mantel. check your local library for book sale events... you can always find tons of books there for small change.
ReplyDeleteLooks fantastic...I'd die to have built in bookshelves like that.
ReplyDeleteOh I have shelf envy! I love Urbane Bronze, use it a lot. Such a great color!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty! I have the opposite problem. I could fill those in a heartbeat! I need to keep myself from buying more books all the time--I have a problem. You should be able to find a good used bookstore somewhere.
ReplyDeleteLove them!
ReplyDeleteWe've found a lot of cheap books (some just cents!) on amazon. A lot of them are old Goodwill books that didn't sell. If you have an account with free shipping it is totally worth it!
The builtins look fabulous! So much storage. It has completely transformed the room!
ReplyDeleteI am officially jealous - not only do you get such a large space for your office, but those bookcases!!!! And the table!!! and the chairs!!! and the future light fixture!! Sigh.....
ReplyDeleteWell first I'll say that the bookcases look amazing. Next I'll say that as I was reading I was REALLY hoping this was going to be a diy project because I adore the look and wanted an inspired tutorial. Oh well, I'll just have to adore yours!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Goodwill and other thrift stores are great places for cheap books.
ReplyDeleteI actually gasped out loud when I saw these! They're so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteFor cheap books, try GoodWill. Granted, this will vary from store to store, but mine always seems to have a lot. And if there's a ReStore near you, they seem to have decorating books sometimes.
Love your built-ins, Em! Makes all the difference in the world PLUS they're so functional! Once I started filling my IKEA bookshelves, I didn't need as many books as I thought. I used bookends, pictures, little artificial ferns (yes!), painted boxes, and all kinds of knickknacks. They fill up before you know it! Can't wait to see the finished office!
ReplyDeleteWow, Emily. Just beautiful. What an amazing amount of storage for you office. Just love how it's all coming together and how great the table is. Excited to see the oversized lantern.
ReplyDeleteLooks great! You are so lucky to have all of that space to keep books and samples. Also love the color you chose.
ReplyDeleteWow, I love everything about this room! I can't wait to see what you do next. At most of our thrift stores you can buy a bag full of books for $1, maybe you could find one close to you that does the same...?
ReplyDeleteLoving the shelves!!! I have no doubt that you will fill those shelves in no time. ;)
ReplyDeleteI am a total book addict. I get most of mine at the Salvation Army Family Store or the Goodwill. Great stuff at fantastic prices!
ReplyDeleteOMG! That looks already fantastic!
ReplyDeleteCan´t wait to see the finished room!!!
A-M-A-S-I-N-G!;)
Lovely greetings...
http://pudel-design.blogspot.com/
It looks so great!! I love how it is turning out!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the shelves. Do you mind sharing a rough idea of what they cost?
ReplyDeleteThe Habitat Re-store on Wendover in Charlotte is having a huge book sale the weekend of 10/21. I bet you could get some great deals there! http://www.juliascoffee.org/booktentsale/
Emily your blog is like a slow trickling riverbrook....pleasing to the senses, thanks for sharing keep it coming at a slow pace.
ReplyDeleteHey Em, check out Goodwill or thrift stores. i got a bunch at a thrift store in chapel hill for the house i am doing there. also, you can get any book, ugly covers or not and rip the covers off, stack three together of various sizes, tie with twine and voila you have the stack of books that restoration is selling for $25.00 a stack...they look great in a bookcase...
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! Good to know on the color looking brown - I want a lot of charcoal grey in my next home and seeing the brown would freak me out a bit...beautiful progress - how exciting! :)
ReplyDeletehttp://bjdhausdesign.blogspot.com/
oh it looks amazing! i LOVE the built-ins, can't wait to see once its finished
ReplyDeleteRai xo
raianashanesedesigns.blogspot.com
I just love it! The bookcases are fabulous.
ReplyDeleteThey are glorious! I love the color on the back wall of the shelves!
ReplyDeleteCindy
Beautiful shelves. Now about cheap books for looks only. Hmmm...check with your local schools and libraries. They often will be throwing out old books they know are very dated. Try law firms or medical libraries asking for the same thing...old books. You can always add book jackets in colors or neutrals with fabric or paper to get the decorative look you want. On the other hand...don't worry about filling the shelves. My guess is they'll be full before you know it. Books are like that...they multiply on their own given a chance. LOL!
ReplyDeleteAre you ever near Baltimore? We have something called The Book Thing and all the books are FREE!!! You can take as many as you want! You would absolutley love it and fill the bookcases in no time :)
ReplyDeleteThe shelves are amazing! Love where this is going and can't wait to see the lantern in place!
ReplyDeleteThese are gorgeous ~ what a bonus to have such stylish storage and be able to showcase your taste to your clients in one fell swoop! Try local library sales for cheap books-- my son's youth group is having a book sale at our church in November, so look for one in your area too. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHeidi @ Show some Decor
Public Libraries often sell books really cheap. I usually go to mine and can get them for around 50 cents.
ReplyDeleteLooks great!! Keep with the teasers..love the elements so far! Thanks for sharing and congrats again on groing your business!
ReplyDeleteMaureen
YOU WILL DEFINITELY WANT TO CHECK THIS OUT:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.booksbythefoot.com/
You can buy books by color, size, age, subject and they are super cheap.... Maybe not $0.50 cheap but close!
Good luck, looks wonderful :-)
Urbane Bronze is one of my *favorites*! I think it is right on the edge of brown and gray. And I've added your carpenter to my list of sources. Excited to have another resource!
ReplyDeleteLooking great already! I definitely agree an oversized pendant and then I'd love a great area rug to ground the room and compliment the massiveness of the shelves. Awesome work so far! I say check with used bookstores and thrift stores for days they have extra discounts on books. Library or university/school library sales are another great idea! Love the tidbits!
ReplyDeleteMy local Habitat Restore has books available for free and so does the local recycling center. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteI didn't have time to look all through the comments, but I've gotten great cheap books at thrift stores (mine sells 10 for a dollar) and library book sales. you could always cheat and buy whatever books and cover them in paper to get the color or look you want. Good luck! I have the opposite problem - 20 boxes of books and no built-ins. We just moved in and they're on the "to do" list. :)
ReplyDeleteI have several rooms of floor to ceiling bookcases and love them! I collect books whenever I see them on sale, but found years ago that if you go to "Half Price" bookstore you can buy a "box" of books for $17.00
ReplyDeleteand the store that I used to frequent, allowed me to sort through them and mix and match until I found a box of books that I wanted. That way I not only filled my bookcases with books, but with books I was interested in
reading!!!
Amazing. That's all I have to say. Amazing!
ReplyDeleteEmily - this is SUPER fabulous. Great idea on leaking the pics. so cute.
ReplyDelete-Bethany
www.realhousewivesofpwcounty.com
Very nice! Love Urbane Bronze...one of my favorite paint colors!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks great!
For cheap books as filler, go to Half Price Books - you can buy them by the box for super cheap - even hardbacks with lots of character. Shelves look awesome by the way... :)
ReplyDeleteIt's already jaw droppingly beautiful. I may hit the floor when you show the finished product!
ReplyDeleteCamille
Love the bookcases!
ReplyDeleteWow! Such eye candy first thing in the morning. Can't wait to see your progress continue.
ReplyDeleteHalf.com was a great source for cheap books when I was teaching and needed extra copies of novels, etc. for the classroom. It's worth a look.
Have a great day.
Oh my gosh...this is a huge transformation and a pretty BIG reveal! I can't wait to see the progress. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI have major book shelf envy! It all came together so beautifully, you have a gorgeous space to work in!
ReplyDeleteGoodwill outlet on Freedom has super cheap books. I think they are 75 cents. But not positive.
ReplyDeleteGoodwill has TONS of cheap books!
ReplyDeleteLooks great Emily! How awesome to have so many shelves to fill! I've never used them, but one of my friends uses www.freecycle.net and one of my friends uses www.swap.com for free or cheap stuff.
ReplyDeleteJulie M.
(Sarah Drake's friend)
Amazing!!! I can't wait to see them all styled out!
ReplyDeleteLOVING those charcoal bookcases! WOW! If you find a great source for cheap books, please share! :)
ReplyDeleteoh.my.WOAH! Those bookshelves are positively, absolutely, STUNNING!
ReplyDeleteI want to put a little mattress in there and just look at them all day- they came out SO beautiful!!
LOVE the bookshelves, and I'm jealous that I don't have an IKEA near me. I could do lots with those wire baskets!!
ReplyDeleteEmily,
ReplyDeleteThe bookcases are beautiful! The carpenter did a good job. (I'm a little partial to him -- he's my brother in law.)
I've been reading your blog for years, and I think it's so cool that he's doing work for you :)
Your office in progress is gorgeous! Love the wall of book shelves, looking forward to seeing the completed project in the future!
ReplyDeleteI want your office the way it is!!! Those bookcases ROCK! Love the table/desk and how rustic it is!
ReplyDeleteYour built-ins are so gorgeous. Your office was actually the inspiration for my 'woman cave'. Contracting a carpenter ended up being too pricey for me (I'd rather spend the money on shoes, ha!) so we improvised with the IKEA Billy bookcases and lots of trim. While they aren't as stunning as yours, they gave me the look I wanted. Love your blog!
ReplyDeletewww.bmoreloveleigh.blogspot.com