I picked up an Ikea Expedit bookcase from Craigslist, along with some coordinating boxes from Ikea. While putting random stuff into boxes may not sound like much, it did take some advance planning to figure out how to most usefully divide everything, where it should go, and what kind/size of boxes I would need.
After spending more time than I am willing to say looking for the right clock, I found the teal clock, which perfectly matched the accent color I was looking for, on the Crate&Barrel website. Even better, it was on sale and arrived at my house in no time.
The vase was the finishing touch (only $2 at the local Goodwill). I filled it with some seashells I gathered on my vacation to Florida last year. Sure, I could have easily bought some random trinket decoration vase thingy instead, but that seemed artificial and impersonal to me.
I like the sleek black look for now. Eventually, I plan to layer it a bit more, whether it's with some art on the wall over the bookshelf, putting some pretty paper on the boxes, or adding a paint trim to the bookcase (possibly teal or dark gray). What do you guys think?
Here's what it looked like before. See all that stuff in the corner and on the bed? Most of that is now stored neatly in my new bookcase or in my desk.
2 comments:
I have had my eye on that iKea bookshelf! Are you pleased with the quality? I looks fantastic!
Yes, I too, coveted this bookshelf for a long time! I've seen it used so many different ways, and I was always impressed at how versatile and classy it is. The expedit is definitely one of their more classic pieces. It seems to be holding up pretty well so far. I bought it from someone on Craigslist who had already put it together and used for awhile, and it was still in great shape. I didn't take it apart though, because I didn't want to risk loosening the screw holes. The paint isn't the most scratch-resistant stuff (like most IKEA stuff), so there were a few small scratches on the side where I think it had been resting on a wall or floor. I just "painted" over those with a sharpie though :) You can't tell the difference unless you are looking for it.
If you get one, definitely look around on Craigslist - someone is bound to be selling one. I got mine for $65, but that was when they were $90-$100 new at the store. They recently lowered the price to $70 at the store so you can probably get an even better deal now on a gently used one.
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