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Young House Love » Our First House » If This Were Your Bookcase…

| By John Petersik | April 9, 2008 | 32 Comments

If This Were Your Bookcase…

…what color would you paint it?

Painted Bookcase Options

We adopted this snore of a bookshelf in Manhattan about three years ago and it’s one of about ten pieces that made the move to Richmond with us in a minivan. We’ve always treated it like an “until we get something better” piece because there’s nothing terribly special about it, but somehow it has lasted this long, so we figure it’s about time we make it work.

We’re going to give it the ol’ Young House Love paint job (the wood is a little too red for our house anyways). And seeing a pretty painted green bed on google gave us the confidence to try something other than white… but we need your help picking the new color (and truly feeling confident about it).

Our top three color contenders (shown on the left side of the pic above) are:

1. A grayish-purple reminiscent of the print above the bookcase.

2. A muted blue inspired by our bedroom and kitchen.

3. A dusty green to complement the sometimes purple undertones in the tan wall color.

Or do we quit messing around and go with what we know: white.

Do you see why we need you? We’re practically paralyzed with indecision. We don’t want to go too bright since the rest of our living room is pretty neutral:

Living Room

So cast your vote for one of the colors above or feel free to throw some other options into the mix. Thanks in advance for the help and, of course, we’ll post the after pic as soon as we get ‘er done.

More posts from Young House Love

Filed Under: Our First House

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Comments

  1. Avatar for AimeeAimee says

    April 9, 2008 at 10:20 am

    i’d pick number 3, but then i love green. i do think it would look nice with everything else though, a good contrast without being to big of a contrast.

    Reply
  2. Avatar for WendyWendy says

    April 9, 2008 at 10:30 am

    I like the green too, especially since you have green dishes across the room.

    Reply
  3. Avatar for FrecklesFreckles says

    April 9, 2008 at 10:46 am

    I vote for #1 to pull together the framed print above it, but I still love the white idea. You guys really “work the white” and do it beautifully!

    Reply
  4. Avatar for JuliaJulia says

    April 9, 2008 at 11:15 am

    I like 3 the best too! Or maybe a darker tan, like the chair, to offset all those pretty white things on the shelves?

    FUN POST. :)

    Reply
  5. Avatar for KimberlyKimberly says

    April 9, 2008 at 11:26 am

    I vote for #2 or #3. Why? You definitely rock the white, but I think that side of the room has great dashes of white already and a bit of color would set the white off nicely. I am leaning toward #3 to serve as a subtle echo of the green accessories on the dining side of the room. You might even be able to go a tad green-er without disturbing the neutral palette. Can’t wait to see the finished product!

    Reply
  6. Avatar for CoreyCorey says

    April 9, 2008 at 11:29 am

    If you really must paint it, then a white would be nice for the supports and paint the shelf tops your first paint color above. If you are feeling especially bold you could paint the shelves a green similar to your vases on the floating shelves. Either choice the white objects on the shelf will create visual contrast with the shelves.

    Also, another option is to paint the supports white and then use a wallpaper or shelf paper with a green and white pattern on the shelves. I don’t see much in the way of patterns in your house, so this limited use could look nice. Specifically, I think ferm-living’s wildflower pattern 131 (in collection 1) could look good.

    Reply
  7. Avatar for brynalexandrabrynalexandra says

    April 9, 2008 at 11:41 am

    Definitely #3! I feel the other two are too feminine.

    Reply
  8. Avatar for Copy CatCopy Cat says

    April 9, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    Green, green all the way :) Ditto the others in the fact that it will tie in with all of your green accents. Or I might even paint it taupe (kind of like your sidebar on the right). And that way it ties in with your neutral color scheme, but isn’t washed out. AND if you decided to change your accent color from Green to say…Orange, then it will still mesh. :)

    Reply
  9. Avatar for modernemamamodernemama says

    April 9, 2008 at 12:34 pm

    Black paint or ebony stain. I think the colors are great, just not in the living room with your other furniture, otherwise go with white but I think a stronger statement would be better.

    Reply
  10. Avatar for Mrs. QueridoMrs. Querido says

    April 9, 2008 at 12:56 pm

    My vote is for #2. I think it complements the framed art above as well as the wall color. Not too mention, there is a piece of art on the bookshelf that has that blue tone to it. The blue will be soothing but will also make the items on the shelf POP :)

    Reply
  11. Avatar for SandySandy says

    April 9, 2008 at 1:27 pm

    What about trying to match the color of your dining table?

    Reply
  12. Avatar for ElizabethElizabeth says

    April 9, 2008 at 1:46 pm

    i vote for a dark stain or paint similar to the dining table and coffee table or white/beige.

    Reply
  13. Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

    April 9, 2008 at 1:53 pm

    Oops… what everyone can’t see is that behind me as I took the picture of the living room there’s a big console table that’s the same color as the dining table and chairs- and we also have two end tables on either side of the couch in that dark brown wood color as well.

    So we thought with all those dark wood objects (especially the console table in such close proximity) it would be nice to lighten things up when it came to the bookcase.

    Originally we thought about replacing it with a new white bookcase, but you know us… why purchase when you can repurpose? So this is our humble attempt. Thanks for all the votes and keep ’em coming. Hopefully we’ll reach a decision soon.

    xo,
    Sherry

    Reply
  14. Avatar for JackieJackie says

    April 9, 2008 at 3:00 pm

    I like #1. I think it will go great with the picture and give a little bit of symmetry to the fireplace with your dog statue.

    Reply
  15. Avatar for lindseylindsey says

    April 9, 2008 at 3:15 pm

    i’m sympathetic to not wanting too much dark wood, but i think the current choices are too light to emphasize the white objects you have on the shelf. is it possible to go one to two shades darker using one of the three tones you’ve selected? (i’d pick the middle one.)

    Reply
  16. Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

    April 9, 2008 at 3:35 pm

    Lindsey,

    The more we think about it the more we agree that we should get a little gutsier and go with a slightly darker shade. It’ll definitely help the white objects pop and we can always paint it again if we don’t like it. Not much to lose! We’re leaning towards a deeper gray-green color right now, but who knows where we’ll actually end up…

    xo,
    Sherry

    Reply
  17. Avatar for JuliaJulia says

    April 9, 2008 at 4:32 pm

    What are those things hanging to the left of the fireplace there? Just curious!

    Reply
  18. Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

    April 9, 2008 at 5:32 pm

    Hey Julia,

    They’re three little wall mounted teardrop vases from CB2 that have some pretty grasses in them. It was such a cheap little project- the vases were only $3.95 each! Here’s the link to ’em:

    http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=583&f=2906&q=teardrop+vase+floating&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1

    xo,
    Sherry

    Reply
  19. Avatar for Kristy HallKristy Hall says

    April 9, 2008 at 5:41 pm

    I like #3 – green.

    Reply
  20. Avatar for ShaunaShauna says

    April 9, 2008 at 6:39 pm

    I actually think it would look nice with a rich coffee brown color to pick up on the colors of your coffee table and dining table. Anyway, I look forward to seeing what you decide on!

    Shauna

    Reply
  21. Avatar for PangTamaPangTama says

    April 9, 2008 at 8:21 pm

    I’d go with white or make it the same colour as your dining table :). Good luck, can wait to see the result!

    Reply
  22. Avatar for JenniferJennifer says

    April 9, 2008 at 8:31 pm

    i would vote for #3. we have a similar bluish gray in our bedroom and it works really well with browns and other neutrals. :)

    Reply
  23. Avatar for JuliaJulia says

    April 10, 2008 at 9:34 am

    Love those CB2 vases, thanks for the link!

    Reply
  24. Avatar for JustineJustine says

    April 10, 2008 at 10:25 am

    I love your blog! Your ideas are so fresh and it has been giving me a lot of inspiration to tackle projects I thought would be too hard in my home! You guys have a gift! Thanks!! :)

    As for the bookshelf, I am totally feeling the green, but like Lindsey, I was thinking something a little deeper as well….Can’t wait to see what you pick!

    Reply
  25. Avatar for MeghanMeghan says

    April 10, 2008 at 11:07 am

    Hey Sherry, where is your coffee table from? Just curious. Thanks!

    Reply
  26. Avatar for EastEndEastEnd says

    April 11, 2008 at 4:53 am

    I’m thinking it should be black. Or a really vibrant unexpected color like chartreuse. Or, paint it white and hang it on the wall……

    Reply
  27. Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

    April 22, 2008 at 8:33 pm

    Hey Meghan,

    So sorry we didn’t respond until now. We scored our coffee table at a thrift store for about $35. Wish we could tell you where you could pick up one of your own, but the closest we’ve seen are some side tables at Pottery Barn (although you probably won’t get those for $35, unfortunately).

    Let us know if you find its twin somewhere else. We’re curious ourselves.

    -John

    Reply
  28. Avatar for SarahSarah says

    September 25, 2009 at 1:00 am

    Late add here, but where is the “You+Me” print from? I love it!

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 25, 2009 at 8:13 am

      Hey Sarah,

      The print is from Village – you can find it here. Hope that helps!

      -John

  29. Avatar for JoyJoy says

    March 8, 2010 at 4:01 pm

    I have that same bookshelf in a lighter shade of wood! I also have always treated it as an “until we get better” item. It’s actually been in my son’s closet for over 2 years since his clothes are all so short. You’ve just inspired me to paint it & find another use for it when we move into our next house later this year!

    Reply
  30. Avatar for DalennaDalenna says

    September 6, 2012 at 2:54 pm

    Just an FYI that the link on here to the painted green bed is broken.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 6, 2012 at 3:41 pm

      Thanks for the tip! That old post is somehow missing so we took it out :)

      xo
      s

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John and Sherry smiling against pink backgroundHey, we’re John & Sherry. We’ve fixed up 7 homes, written books, designed products, started a podcast, and then downsized & moved to the beach! Here you’ll find over 3,000 DIY projects & home updates. More about us…
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