Library Makeover with Paint

Our vintage home living room has just enough space to create a library!  One step at a time and we’ll get there with this library makeover.

Little by little, we’ve been bringing new life back to our 100 year old home.  Adding “us” to this house that holds so many stories is such a blessing.  By living in this house, I’ve been able to study my family and one by one, make over a room to suit our needs…in this current season of life.

And so, today, I want to share with you the paint makeover of what we are now calling “the library.”  It’s a sweet little addition to the front of our living room and it’s seen a few different looks over the past year.  Each one was exactly what I needed though to realize what would not work, in order to gain a vision of how this room could best serve our family.

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Why a library?  Well, we love to read.  And quite honestly, we don’t need it for any other reason.  As bedrooms and other living spaces are transformed, they’ve been able to meet a specific need.  This little 100 square foot room is an added bonus.

LIBRARY MAKEOVER BEFORE

Let’s take a little peek at the before and then see what it looks like now.  And I promise to share my vision for the next step in our library makeover too!

That last picture goes way back to when our living room floors were newly sanded and stained.  At that time, I had no idea how this house would serve us best, but I was willing to try and fail.  And try and fail again.

One of the first steps in realizing how this library could serve our needs best was to put this sweet little game/puzzle table in here.  I have watched my kids read, play games, and build puzzles here.  It has given me the next step in wanting to meet that desire my family has to connect.

LIBRARY MAKEOVER DURING

The painting of this room occurred at the same time as our living room.  It made much more sense to just make a mess and live in chaos in the entire space for a week, rather than drag it out.  {You can see all the amazing before and after pics of our living room HERE.}

LIBRARY MAKEOVER AFTER

Looking in from our living room, the library looks fresh and clean after being painted.  (Behr Swiss Coffee in flat is on the walls and baseboards, etc are Behr base white in satin.)  But I have a little secret that you can’t see from this angle.  It’s one that freaked James out a little bit when he saw what I was about to do.

LIBRARY STATEMENT WALL

I painted a wall black!  (Sherwin Williams Tricorn color-matched in Behr Premium in satin)  {If you missed our entryway makeover, click HERE.  And the staircase makeover, click HERE.  Can’t forget the dining room, click HERE!}

It felt so “dramatic” to paint a statement wall black and I was flipping out in my mind when I first started.  But after three coats…and a night of sleep…I absolutely love it!

It did take a little getting used to, but my favorite thing about it is that you don’t expect and can’t see it from the living room.

These sweet candle sconces are original to the house and even though it’s not what I would chose, they are staying!  {Plus they hold sweet memories of that week I spent alone sanding floors…it was the only lighting on this side of the house.}

Now stay with me here because I want to share my future plans.  You know, little by little…and paint was the first “little.”

HOME LIBRARY PLANS

At some point {hopefully sooner rather than later, but it all depends upon time and budget}, James is going to build shelves for either side of this arch.  After looking at this wood cabinet against the black, I have decided that the shelves will be a stained wood.  I just love the warmth of a wood tone with the deep black.

{More about this amazing upright piano HERE.}

He also “gets to” build a table.  The plan is for it to be the length of the built-in underneath the long set of windows.  The dimensions will match that and the width will be just enough {and a little wiggle room} to build puzzles upon.  We will then put a few chairs on the other side, so that the table can serve as a game, schoolwork, or even an extra dining space.

Oh, my heart just gets all pitter-pattery over it.  That’s how I know I’ve hit the sweet spot of the vision for our library.

LIVING ROOM LAYOUT

Before I end, I want to share the layout of our living room with you.  It’s a little, well, not common for the 2000’s, but I love the character our old home has.

The arched wall comes out about four feet in the library on either side of our living room.  It offers plenty of space that makes the room feel very open.  But just enough to give us a little space for those future bookshelves.  In the meantime, I did add a few vintage books to the top of our lawyers cabinet.  {Oh!  That used to be my great-grandpa’s!}

Spending time studying my family and doing what works for us in each room is always the goal.  I never want my home to feel like a store show room, but rather a lived and loved in home.  My hope is that you choose the same.

SHOP THIS LOOK

MOTIVATING “WORSHIP WHILE YOU WORK” PLAYLIST:

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