August 15, 2013

"Antique" blue books

I needed a bookshelf for a corner of my living room but the black one we had didn't match the blues, grays, and whites of our living room.  So we painted it white! But just look at it. It looks so empty, so bland sitting by the beige couch and the gray wall.


It needed more color but I didn't know what else to add so I turned to Pinterest and found my inspiration! Books! Blue books! It was a bookshelf after all!  I especially loved the vintage French books.


FrenchBlue & Co
Houzz
 
I went to antique shops looking for blue books and discovered that they were a bit expensive! One of them that I liked was $50! Eek! I couldn't justify spending that much on books that I wasn't even going to read! (Side note: Mr. H was not too impressed with my plan to put books I hadn't read on ANY bookshelf in our house. He thought it was too hokey.)


Solution: used bookstore!  I found these books and paid $3.50 for all four. I simply removed the jackets on the ones that had them. (Second side note: to counter my hokiness, Mr. H picked a book he actually wanted to read. And who says I am not going to read "Change of Heart"?)



Here is my bookshelf now. It looks much better, don't you think? I am still on the lookout for blue books to fill it up some more and I might actually read one or two!


7 comments:

  1. The books are very cool on your shelf. Great job painting it too!

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  2. I like your idea. Books..., sound so simple, but really eye catching. Great job

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  3. Hello Khammany, What a nice comment you gave on my blog about the lavender and my cabinet, thank you so much for your compliments.
    I love writing in english because I'm still learning a lot and I love to see what other women all over the world are doing...so that's the same how you think about it ;)
    I like your blog too and how nice (and cheap) you handled it with the blue books.
    Love those ideas :)
    Lovely greetings, MJ

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  4. Khammany, I love blue and green books! Yours are lovely. I have the best luck finding them at thrift stores and yard sales! Thanks for visiting my blog and your lovely comment! I am looking forward to following your projects! Have a lovely day!

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  5. Hi Khammany,

    Yes, your bookshelf looks fabulous, but in a quiet way, the way bookshelves should 'look', after all, they are meant for books, and quiet time! A nice balance of accessories and your star pieces, make this a very charming vignette!

    Poppy

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  6. Great finds dear! I too buy a lot of books for 'display'. Particularly fond of the old hard-bound Reader's digest. The hunt is part of the fun, so good luck with more blue books for you cute shelf!

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  7. Very nice! I recently thought of painting book covers or covering with linen, but the hunt is always fun, too! Have a great Sunday.
    xo Nancy

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