Bookcase Makeover Ideas

Paint

• Putting on a coat of paint can really transform the bookcase. Add color to a room by painting your bookcase an electric orange, bold black, bright white, cherry red or pretty pink. Then, tie it in to the décor with similar pops of color throughout the room: rug, curtains, pillows or wall art colors. If the bookcase has already been painted, remove the paint and sand it down to the wood; then finish with a coat of stain. Or try crackle paint.

Pictures

• You can also use paint in more whimsical ways. Paint stripes up and down the sides of the bookcase, down the front of the shelves and on the inside back panel. Paint on polka dots, random blocks of color or stars. Use stencils to paint on butterflies, sunbursts, cowboy hats, sports-related items or animals. Or paint on a mural. Cover the bookcase with constellations, a field of flowers, an underwater seascape or a ferocious dragon.

Presentation

• Perhaps the simplest way to give the bookcase a makeover is to change what’s on it. Remove all the books and any clutter and use the bookcase to showcase whatever you like. Neatly arrange on its shelves your collection of seashells, cuckoo clocks, dolls or sports memorabilia. Or just place a few attention-grabbing pieces here and there: a piece of driftwood, wicker baskets, matching vases or a set of metal sculptures. Install lights to the underside of each shelf to illuminate the items on display.

Paper

• You may not immediately think of wallpaper for a bookcase, but it can be used to great effect. Select a wallpaper with colors or a pattern that you really like and apply it to the inside back panel of the bookcase; then paint the outside and the shelves of the bookcase a complementary shade. This unconventional and creative makeover yields a dramatic result and will take the furniture from boring bookcase to eye-catching accent piece.