Decorating Bookshelves

     Hello everyone.  I hope your New Year is starting off on the right foot. Today I thought I would share with you my built-ins, which surround our TV in the living room.  We were in our house for over a year before we decided to take the plunge and hire someone to build a custom entertainment unit.  We toiled with the idea of just buying a pre-made unit, but were unable to find one that utilized the entire space without busting our budget.  We lucked out when we met Jean Paul! He is, by all means, a true craftsman and has made a business out of designing custom built-ins.  We think he executed our vision beautifully.  Plus it added some much needed storage space to boot! Woohooo!

     Here is a view of his final product....

     Now for the fun part...Decorating!!!! Our living and dining room flow into one another so I kept the same color palette for them both.  I have to admit, when it comes to decorating my own home I tend to be a bit color phobic.  Not to say I don't appreciate color in other homes, because I do.  I just tend to find that neutral colors bring me peace.....ohmmmmmm (recite your favorite yoga mantra here!).  The colors I chose for this space are brown, tan, cream and green. 

     Here are a few items I picked up at some of my favorite stores (a.k.a. "The Usual Suspects"): Home Goods, Michael's and Target.

   A little pottery....

Artwork is always key....

  

A few wooden and straw balls always add some much needed texture to any space.....

And what space is complete without baskets....LOVE THEM!!!!!

     Now, when I decorate I tend to arrange, rearrange, and rearrange again before I think the space is just right. Let's just say it is a process. 

     Here is what I came up with.......

So just in case you forgot what the BEFORE photo looked like, here it is one more time.....

And here is the AFTER.....

Let me know what you all think! Until next time........

                                                               -Molly