How DIY Built in Bookshelves Transformed our Living Room

Since our fixer upper is *kinda* done on the interior, I thought it would be really fun to go through each room and show y’all the before and after. Today I wanted to share our living room!

When we bought the home, the living room had popcorn ceilings, no lighting, gross old carpet, and brown baseboards. It was just blah and brown.. see below!

We immediately tore up the carpet. It was the very first thing we did after we got the keys! We scraped the popcorn ceilings and refinished them to be nice and smooth and white. Just that act alone made a huge difference – the smooth white ceiling made the room feel so much bigger!

The carpet was replaced by laminate flooring (we used this specific one by Pergo Outlast), and we painted the walls Shiny Luster. We also replaced the baseboards with nicer white ones.

Check out Ryan skim coating the ceiling below! For some reason I remember this night vividly – it was a Friday and we (…okay I) was raging to Taylor Swift haha!

One weekend my parents came into town to help out and see the progress we’d made on our fixer upper. My dad LOVES home projects, so he and Ryan decided to install the built in bookshelves. Here’s what we got from IKEA to make our dream a reality.

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We cut the legs off the bottom of the bookshelves to create a flush “built in” look. The bottom bench pictured above isn’t exactly what we purchased, but this bench with drawers is really similar.

We added a layer of bright white paint to really make the bookshelves POP! These shelves are adjustable – except for the middle shelf. It is fixed in the middle and does not easily move up or down.

We also added rustic shiplap to really make the wall feel like an accent wall. I absolutely love the finish we chose. It plays into the beachy vibe I was going for! The ends of the boards are randomly staggered along the wall – it makes the shiplap blend well and look more natural.

***UPDATE! Click here to see what this space looks like with the TV mounted and the mantel hung!***

We would still love to:

• mount the TV
• add a mantel below the TV
• add cushions to the bench to create additional seating.

I can’t wait to complete those tasks because I know it will really make the room feel finished, but for now I just wanted to share where we are at. 🙂

To create a more finished, built in appearance, we may also add:

• trim between the edge of the bookshelves and the wall
• crown moulding at the top

faux plant // basket // wooden ball // wall art (similar) // circular wooden platter (similar) // rug

leaf wall art // good day sign // faux potted plant // baskets

Although this room isn’t completely done, I do love how it’s turning out! It’s amazing what a few pieces of furniture from IKEA and some shiplap can do!

Thanks so much for reading! Hoping this gives you some inspiration if you’re interested in creating DIY built in bookshelves of your own.

***UPDATE! Click here to see what this space looks like with the TV mounted and the mantel hung!***