Bedroom Makeover: Large Bookshelves

Guest Bedroom Makeover

Day 5: Beautifying Large Bookshelves (or "How to Back your Shelves with Fabric")

**Note: This is part of a 12-step bedroom makeover series. Find the previous steps at the bottom of this post.**

 

 

Sometimes I do a tutorial and then, at the end, I'm like, "Was that really necessary?" This is one of those times. Probably any and all of you could easily add fabric backing to your Ikea billy bookcases without blinking an eye and/or reading this post.

 

(I'm comfortable in encouraging you to do a very looooong blink as you scroll through this thing. See ya at the bottom!)

 

What, still here? Okay, well, I took the photos and even added grammatically inconsistent statements onto them, so here they are. Cluttering up cyberwaves that could be used sharing important info about, say, global warming. Sorry polar bears. I owe you one.

 

 

 

I laid the newly removed bookshelf back on the floor, face-up, with my fabric ready to go on top of it. Worked in about 2' sections, spraying adhesive and then laying the fabric on top of the sprayed area and smoothing it out.

 

 

You should try to end up with 1-2 inches of fabric overhang on all sides, if possible. (I didn't do this and learned the hard way...thus passing my newfound knowledge onto you and making this tutorial TOTALLY helpful and relevant. Yesss!)

 

 

 

 

Folding over the fabric edges, you could either spray-adhese or tape them to the back simply pull them taut once your back is slid onto the bookshelf frame. Because my fabric overhang was so bite-size, I taped occasionally as I slid the back into the slits.

 

 

 

(That last step would be pretty easy or maybe even unnecessary altogether if you left enough fabric to grip and pull taut from the back. Like I didn't.)

 

 Anyways. Into the bedroom she goes. It's a girl now. Because of the flowers. (Fabric: Richloom Hathaway Damask Upholstery Fabric in Horizon, from here.)

 

 

I literally just threw stuff that I had on-hand up here. I'm trying to keep things as simple as possible in this space and not overdo it on decor. (Obv.) However, I will likely switch things up a lot on these shelves before I'm satisfied.

 

 

Clean towels and washcloths are at the ready. Because it's a guest bedroom, and there's nothing worse than being a guest somewhere and having no clean towels at your disposal...

 

 

...except maybe having no toothbrush at your disposal. That's probably worse.

 

 Come back for Day 6: Anthropologie-Inspired Curtains. These are awesomeness incarnate, if I may say so.

Check out the previous steps to this bedroom makeover:

Day 1: Inspiration Board

Day 2: Paint Walls

Day 3: Ikea Malm Dresser Makeover

Day 4: How to Make a Pallet Headboard

 

{shared Boogieboard Cottage, Craft-O-Maniac, Creating my Way to Success, DIY Showoff, I Gotta Try That, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Keeping it Simple, Lines Across my Face, Making the World Cuter, Sew Can Do, The Girl Creative}