DIY Foyer Bookcase Toppers

If you happen to have today off for the holiday, I hope you are having a great long weekend. My twitter feed is filled with pictures of BBQ food and beach days, you’re all making me jealous.Tomorrow is my first day back to work after a glorious week off and I can’t say I’m looking forward to it. So I figured I should catch you up on another project that has been crossed of the list.

If you remember back to this post, I recently built the bookcases for the foyer library. It was economical to use IKEA Billy bookcases since I already had a few at home, but they look like IKEA bookcases. Not bad, just unfinished in a way which was not the look I wanted. I could actually get past classic IKEA look, but I couldn’t get past the the view as I was going upstairs.

Awful…and that has nothing to do with the amazing amount of dust on top. My original hope was to have the bookcases look like built-ins and the unfinished bookcase tops made them look horrible. I considered painting the dark brown bookcases white (and I still might in the future), but that would not fix the look of the tops.

Instead I decide to build a simple topper to not only give the bookcase a finish look, but also add some ‘built-in’ moulding.

Construction was very simple. I took a piece of pressed MDF from Lowes and cut it down to the size of the bookcases. I then added a simple moulding to the side and part of the front. I couldn’t add the moulding to the entire front of the board because it wouldn’t accommodate the door. Above the door I added a piece of 1/2 round to give the board a finished edge.

A little wood filler, primer, and paint finished off the look. The greatest part was that they fit right on top and don’t need to be adhered to the wall or the bookcase. Easy.

Since I had the moulding and 1/2 round already on hand from another project, I only had to purchase the pressed board. I chose the pressed board because it was cheapest option. The boards are precut 2’ x 4’, so I was able to cut it in half and fit both bookcases. Overall this project cost me less than $10 for the pressed board.

I also did a little organizing (and cleaning) so it’s looking better all around. I can’t wait to see how much better it looks once I’ve refinished the hope chest and added some art.

Just one last look…

Before.

After.

Foyer Update

I finally forced myself to build some bookcases this past weekend so I thought now would be a good time for a Foyer/Library update. Especially since I’m a little torn on if I actually like the direction I’m going in. I can see the end result in my head, but this room definitely needs some work.

A look back…

This is what the room looked like after I moved in. Not bad, but no one sat down in this room, so it just wasn’t functional.

This room is primarily used as a pass through to the backyard. It gets lots of puppy traffic so I don’t want to fill it with furniture. I’d rather leave the space as open as possible so my thought was to use it as a Library/Mud Room.

A few weeks back I tackled the first project of painting the back wall. It’s a neutral beige with slight peach undertones. It’s the same color I have in the third floor hallway and plan on using as the general interior house color. For now I’ve only painted certain walls this color as several walls are 2-3 stories high and I’ll have to hire someone to finish the painting for me.

Next up, I pulled some bookcases that I already owned out of another room and set them up on the sides. In the middle is a hope chest I inherited from my grandmother. Plan is to refinish and reupholster it at some point. I’m not sure it will stay in this room long term, but it works for now.

Some fancy balancing on a ladder resulted in two bookcases attached to the wall. The floors are somewhat uneven in this house, so all bookcases must be attached to the wall. Not to mention that I live in the land of earthquakes.

Two Billy bookcases have been sitting in my foyer for nearly 2 months? way too long. These are obviously larger than the existing cabinets, and a different color. However, the white was marked down to $59 each which made them an easy choice.

About an hour later I had built both bookcases and attached them to the wall.

This is where the foyer stands now. I’ve filled in some books temporarily, but this room stills has a long way to go. The plan is to make the bookcases look like built ins, so I will be installing moulding and painting the dark cabinets white. I’ll keep the doors on the outside cabinets as they hide a multitude of DVDs and the garden supplies that no one really needs to see.

I think I’m also going to swap out the hope chest for a bench, add a shelf between the bookcases and hooks to hold jackets and dog leashes.

If I’m being honest, I don’t really like it right now. It feels very mix and match, and not in a good way. However, I think with a little paint, moulding, and decor it could actually end up looking like the library in my head.

Introducing the Foyer – Before

Before I had moved into my home, I had decided the purpose of every single room. I knew which one would be an office, which would work as a spare bedroom, I even decided to use some space to set up a workout room. However, I have one odd space that had no real purpose. at that point, it was simple a walk through to the backyard. 

I don’t use this space other than to let the dog in and out. Filling it with furniture would block the backyard doors, although I suppose it was probably setup in the model home as a ‘formal’ living room. I just have no use for a fancy living room, so I filled it with extras. When I replaced the couch in the family room, the old couch moved to the Foyer. I had a few screens that also didn’t have a home yet, so they ended up in the Foyer. As did an IKEA chair and a plant.

It was nice, but not very functional. I rarely ever sat in the couch or chair and family/friends never congregated in this space. We’d either be in the family room upstairs or outside.

To breathe some life into the space, I first tackled the French Doors and removed the blinds, painted the doors and installed privacy films. Just the simple change added so much to the room and let in so much light. Now, I’m on to the rest of the room.

This week we took the couch to the dump as it was so old it wasn’t salvageable for anyone else. Now I have a wide open wall where I can build my new Foyer which will double as a Library! I already have the bookcases that will be going in the space, they will be installed on both the right and left side of the wall.  I just need to paint two of them, and the wall needs a new color. I will also be adding some seating between the bookcases and some more storage above the seating.

A little inspiration…

Via

Via

Via

The inspiration is a little random, but I can see the finished room in my head and it will all blend together perfectly (I hope).