I’ve got a bit of eye candy to share with you on this *almost* holiday weekend. You have probably heard me mention a time or two that we’d love to eventually add built-ins to the back wall of our living room. The one that currently looks like this.
I think built-ins would be a great use of space in an area of our living room that doesn’t get much use, and to be honest, I’m ready to recycle some of the images from our gallery wall to other areas in the house.
Unfortunately built-ins can be expensive if you pay a contractor to build them, time-consuming if you build them yourselves, and can look cheap if they’re not done right. We’re mulling over some ideas to get the look we want for less (including searching Craigslist for several solid wood bookcases we can modify on our own) and dreaming of what this wall might look like someday in the future.
Since I’ve been spending lots of time looking at built-ins on Pinterest (email me if you need an invite!), I thought I’d share a few of our favorites and our thoughts on the different styles out there. If you’re curious about any sources, just click on the picture and it will take you there!
Floor-to-Ceiling Shelves: These would be the easiest to do if we bought bookcases and modified them ourselves. We want white built-ins, but we’re considering painting the backs of the shelves to add interest.
Square vs Rectangular Shelves: We wouldn’t be against going square if we came across a great deal. It looks like these shelves could even be removed if we wanted to take them with us when we move.
Concealed Storage Below: Who are we kidding? As soon as there are little Heards running around this place, we’ll probably want all the hidden storage we can get! This style might take a bit more time and money, though.
Built-in Desks or Seating Areas: One option to cut costs on the hidden storage solution would be to add a desk or seating area in the center of the built-ins, reducing the number of shelves and material necessary to get ‘er done.
Do you have a favorite image above? Any favorite built-in images I’ve missed, or styles we might like? We’ll continue our hunt for the perfect solution to our built-ins, and in the meantime I’ll be squirreling away favorite images so we’ll know exactly what we want when the time comes!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend. To those of you in the US or Americans abroad, I wish you a happy and safe 4th of July! Check back on Tuesday for the lastest and greatest from Heardmont.
