Good morning friends! If you’ve been following me on Instagram (@honeywerehome), you know I started a new job last week, so by the time you’re reading this I’m probably knee deep in legal motions and trying very hard to look like I’m not still nervous:)
Your input last Friday on what color to paint my home office was very helpful- thank you for weighing in! The choice was between gray and white and the overwhelming majority of you voted gray, aptly pointing out that my white furniture (desk and bookshelf) would “pop” against a darker color. I completely agreed with that, but decided to do the inverse- paint the walls white and add dark drapes and a dark color behind the bookshelf to make them stand out.
For the paint, I used Sherwin Williams Divine White– the color I had left over from when our house was originally painted 2 1/2 years ago. All of our trim, cabinets, and ceilings are Divine White flat. My painter didn’t prime the office walls, he simply painted one coat over the previous light yellow, so the color may be slightly warmer than if he had primed first. Divine White isn’t stark white anyway, it’s more “soft white.” I must say that I’m loving the bright, clean look of the white!
Regarding the bookshelf, I briefly considered painting just the large wall behind the bookshelf dark, but am not usually a big fan of accent walls. So, wanting the easiest, cheapest, and quickest solution, I simply taped a Twin Flat black sheet to the back of the bookshelf. It literally took 5 minutes.
The 5-tier Ikea Expedit measures 72×72 inches at the outer edges, and the Target Twin Flat sheet I got measured 68×96 inches. I knew it would be just a few inches too short, but figured the contents inside the shelf would cover that part if it was on the bottom.
I just cut the excess off of the long side.
Below you can see where the sheet is just shy of covering the entire bookshelf.
I tried to tape the sheet taught so that it wouldn’t buckle.
Of course, you could use any patterned sheet or color that fits with your decor and change it out when the mood strikes.
Voila! It reminds me of our painted kitchen cabinets.
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If you wanted to cover the Expedit completely and not have those couple inches showing, you could easily use the excess you cut off and sew it to the bottom or just buy a larger sheet.
You can also see that I moved the cowhide rug up here – musical rugs and musical lamps is one of my favorite games:) Yours too?
Make it a great week friends!
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Today on Honey We’re Healthy, I’m talking about time management and the daily routines I use to make the most of the hours in the day. People ask about this a lot, so if you’re interested, head on over!
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It looks really great, brilliant idea!
Meghan,
This is such a good idea. I am trying to sort out how to make our expedits a bit more shall we say stylish, so will definitely be pinning this!
-Kate
Good job! That's much easier than painting a panel for the back, which was what I was going to do for my expedit. It seemed like too much work so I just opted for the drawer and cabinet inserts, lol.
What a quick and creative solution! Great thinking!
Adorable! I love two tone shelves. I would have never thought to use sheets though! Awesome.
I love how you styled this bookshelf! Who said that an office shelf need to be boring? 😉
What a fabulouso idea Megan! LOVE it. The black really makes your colourful magazines pop. Great job!
Such a great idea! Love how you've organized everything within the shelves!
-Sarah
Genius indeed! I love how the things on the shelves pop against the black and white. I also really like how the shelves themselves don't pop against the wall color. (Does that even make sense?)
PS Congrats on the new job, how exciting!
Lovely! It's such a simple concept, while it completely changes the look. Genius.
http://www.1lady3males.wordpress.com
xo,
Ana
Love it! Looks great and I love that it isn't permanent as I love to change things up quite often.
What a genius idea! Kudos to you! I would have never guessed that is what you did :0)
I absolutely LOVE that you added a black sheet to the back of the Expedit. Looks awesome!
Looks great! Such an easy fix too!
Champagne Lifestyle on a Beer Budget
Such a smart idea! How are you blogging x2 and going back to work? Busy bee 🙂
Have been following your blog for few months and just want to say Hi! This is such a GREAT idea, I am so going to do that for my home office too! Thanks for sharing.
Stella
I love this! Totally genius!
WOW that is fantastic. I voted for white and this makes it beyond perfect!
What a smart idea and an easy one to boot! Love it!
I love it!
Congrats on the new job!! Motions = no fun : )
It looks so good! Really pops off the wall and changes the entire look!
Ahhh! I have the same shelf in our guest bedroom and I think it TOTALLY needs this little pick me up! Genius!
You always come up with the best ideas! Love this shelving!
What a clever idea! It looks great. Congratulations on your new job Megan!
What a great idea!
Looks great Megan. Everything in the bookcase pops against the black. Smart girl going with the sheet!
Such a great statement. I love it. And the sheet idea was genius!!!
What a great idea. I can't wait to see the room come together and see the color!
Such a good idea to use a sheet! And I'm loving the color coded magazines!
Letting out the hems on each end might cover the extra length too, would just take some patience and ironing! Stephanie
I love this idea! I have a small expedit bookshelf and feel that it needs a little pop of color to show off my collectibles. I'm going to have to go and find a funky colored sheet to show attach to my shelf. Love your blog!!
What kind of tape did you use? 🙂
I used white duct tape.
That's a great idea! It looks fabulous! You could also use a shower curtain, – I think they might even be 72" square.
A shower curtain is a great idea! There are so many awesome patterns/colors too.
Looks awesome! Where did you get the three baskets on the bottom right?
Hello Megan, first post ever from avid reader in UK. I just love your home and you have a beautiful family. There are many differences in product names/ home layouts compared to England, but you inspire me so much to make my home beautiful every day. My first "project" (we normally say "going to have a sort out"!) is my guest room bookshelf, which is a billy one from Ikea. I have organised into sections and bought some storage boxes…thanks for the tips and inspiration x
Emily, thank you for reading all the way from the UK! That is so cool! Thanks for writing!
Your new bookshelf looks great! Love the look.
LOVE IT! I really love that "I LOVE YOU BLOGS and COFFEE", too! Did you make that? I started a blog in January [this year], still learning as I go and have lots of improvements to make (I'm not that computer savvy!) but I am obsessed with BLOGGING now – especially reading other bloggers for inspiration. Yours is definitely an inspiration. I will HAVE to make that "I love you blogs and coffee" for sure! A Pinterest DIY, if you will!
http://thepinteresthousewife.blogspot.com/
Love this! Dumb question – does it matter what kind if tape you use? How's it holding up?
Jenny
http://Www.simcoestreet.blogspot.com
Hi there,
Love this project! 🙂 Just curious…love the light blue boxes and paper trays. Do you happen to remember where they're from? Thanks so much!
Hi!
Just found your blog and will be an avid reader! Love your home decor!
Do you remember where the tan bins are from? And what you're using to organize your stationary (on the right)?
Just found your blog and LOVE it! Can you tell me where the tan baskets are from? Also where the organizer that your using for the stationary(on the upper right)? Thanks!!
Just found your blog and this is amazing, so creative. I love accent pieces and this is definitely a perfect idea since I have a hard time making permanent decisions. Thank you!!!
anata1401.blogspot.ca
I looked on Ikea's site to find that "Expedit" bookcase, but cannot seem to find it. Any other suggestions?
@Lauras mom : the Expedit was the old model, now it's called Kallax.
Hi there! Love this idea! I am also wondering where you got the blue paper boxes that fit so perfectly on the shelf? 🙂
Thanks Melanie! Those are from a website called See Jane Work.