The Bookcase (Part 1)

(This post has been sitting in my drafts for probably 2 weeks now.  I just haven't had time to finish it, so I figure I might as well post half of it.  Here's the first part...second part to come later.)

The bookcase in the den was one of the first things I loved about the house.  Right when you walk in the front door, you walk straight ahead and see a large built in bookcase and a lovely fireplace.  This is what it looked like when we first walked through the house:

Picture is a screen shot from the listing

And here is what it looked like on closing day:

We decided to carry over the blue from the kitchen (BM New York State of Mind -10%), but only on the backs of the bookcases.  So, that was the first step...

This is from one of the first few days in the house, and if you can't tell, the den was the central spot for all tools or really just anything.  Looking at this stresses me out beyond belief...I am so thankful it is gone!

Once that was done, we added back in the shelves, painted the cabinet doors, added new hardware to the doors and I started adding things to it.  I wanted to only use a few different colors in the bookcase, and that color ended up being red.  I initially (before Tony had even closed on the house) gone to a used book store and purchased about $60 worth of used red books.  I didn't want them to be just any books, because no one wants random books in their bookcase.  My concentration in college was in Art History, and I have always loved everything about it.  It just so happens, most of the Art History books were red, so I lucked out.  I also got a few architectural/engineering books for Tony and even a Catholic hymnal book to remind him of his days in Catholic school :)  Little did I know, that it was the exact same hymnal he used in elementary school.

So, once I had the books, I slowly started adding random pieces I found.  I first picked up a few from Hobby Lobby, and realized how much stuff it was going to take to make the bookcase look full.

A few more items added, and Tony painting the ceiling.  Not the color of the ceilings before in contrast with them now...makes the room feel so different

Then, one day Tony convinced me to go to a little shop in Overland Park called Great Finds.  Now, admittedly I was hesitant, but went with an open mind.  It was SO much better than I expected.  Great used furniture at even better prices.  While we didn't find any furniture, we did find a painting that we both loved.  While it is a little small, it will do for now.  I believe it was marked at $60 and we got it for 1/2 off.  We ended up paying $30 for a very pretty original oil painting.  The canvas is a little loose, but not too bad.  The frame is even a great blue color which made us love it even more...oh, and it has sailboats...which means I obviously love it.

Sorry...iPhone close-up

I think that's enough pictures for one post.  I will finish the "bookcase post" later on...