Fabric Lined Bookcase & Styling Tips

I am sharing my new fabric lined built in. I was inspired by PInterest to add a bold black & white graphic print.

 

…………………………the before

………………….pinterest inspired

Diane from in my own style added some serious pretty to her bookcase with this black and white graphic fabric. I knew I wanted to do something similar in my family room.

via pinterest via in my own style

I found my fabric at Hobby Lobby. I knew I wanted a smaller scale than Diane used because I only have two shelves and my objects on the shelves are pretty large in scale themselves. All I needed was scissors, a pencil to measure the fabric, a glue gun, and tape measure {oh, and don’t forget an extension cord if working far from an outlet!}.

 

My sweet hubby actually made this built in when we first moved to this house. He did an amazing job. He also happened to tuck these pieces of trim in each corner. Lucky for me they popped right out.

 

I knew they would be great to pop back over the fabric after gluing it to the back of the built in. I love the glue gun because if I ever change my mind, the fabric and glue can easily come down. Here is a look at how my work space was looking mid-project. You can see the strip of fabric I cut. I made sure it was the exact dimensions of each shelf. The nice thing is that with the graphic print, it was really easy to cut straight lines since they served as a guide.

And after gluing the fabric in place, I popped the trim back into place. Easy project for sure.

……………………..before styling

 

When styling shelves, I like to keep things minimal and clean. My three major tips are as follows:

Tip #1: Vary the finishes {use old and new}

One of my very favorite possessions is this old surveyor’s box from my grandfather. He was a builder and having this in my home is really so meaningful for us. Hi initials are carved into the top of it.  I paired the box with a new, ikat bowl for contrast.

Tip #2: Use books as art {stack them horizontally}

Grab books that are useful or have significance to you and your family members. When stacked they serve as a great platform for other objects. Books always bring warmth and personality to a space.

Tip #3: Stagger the Heights

I like to have different heights on the shelf when styling the space. It helps the eye move around and adds more interest to each shelf. Here the urn { a centerpiece from my dear friend’s wedding over 9 years ago} is resting on a stack of shelter magazines to add height to the space.

Tip #4: Use What You Love

Remember that no matter what, it’s always nice to fill a space with things you love. After all, you will be living with it and looking at it all the time. Be sure they are pieces that you treasure. There is no hiding that we have a big black box in the built in, but at least there are special pieces above to look at!

 

And here is a full shot of the room {sorry you can’t see the built in. . . it’s to the right of the blue chair} so you can see how the black and white graphic print feels at home in the space.

To see details on the living room you can click here. To see fabric lined cabinets in my kitchen click here.

Thank you again to Diane for the Pinterest Inspiration. And you can check out a crazy amount of inspiration over at these other blogs:

Check out Kate, Sherry, Katie, and Michelle today for major inspiration!

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