Book Shelves Flanking The Couch
Well, I’m to the point now where I will show you what I’ve done with the book shelves and couch in my living room so far. I’m sure I’ll be tweaking, but here it is for now…
The book shelves are partially behind the couch. There is a matching book shelf that is shorter that I have right behind the couch.
It wasn’t tall enough for my needs, so I headed to Lowes. I finally came up with an idea to help raise the shelf via the suggestion of a Lowes employee.
They have these free pieces of wood, about two inches by however long. They use them, he told me, to help do something with the forklift. I’m sure he told me exactly what, but I don’t recall.
He said they’re free to customers, and he would cut however many I wanted to my specifications.
Free! That’s speaking my language.
So that’s underneath the shorter book shelf in the middle.
So all I needed was a longer laminate piece that fairly matched the two at the end, because the short book shelf was only 33 inches wide. And I wanted 48 inches so the cow painting wouldn’t be crowded. The shelf was under $10.
Israel drilled a couple of holes in the back of the tall book shelves the other day so I could thread cords through it.
I took one shelf out to accommodate lamps. They look better to me against the brown wood than against the white wall.
It was already hard to get pics before the couch got moved up a foot. So now it’s really hard. But you get the idea.
I really don’t have adequate light in here, so I opened the front door and turned on the lamps. Maybe at another point in the day I can turn the lamps off and get better shots.
Plus the color goes so well with my cow painting.
For once Charlie isn’t on the move, so I got a quick photo of him.
I think what I need on the shorter shelf behind the couch is another plant. It seems to need something from nature.
So if you want a shelf behind your couch, it is doable. It doesn’t have to look too spiffy because who’s going to see it with the couch hiding it? And if you need to raise it higher, there are ways to do that as well.
This made my couch, across from my white dresser and two wicker chairs opposite, almost the exact same space apart. Which is what they call a good conversational grouping.
I brought the white trunk in from the bedroom because it just seemed to need something white with a little more bulk there. It isn’t an exact science of course!
I’ll be showing more changes that resulted from this one later in the week.
Really nice and innovative. I love that you kept the shelves the original stain, we need to get away from white and in some cases, bright colors…eeek!
Great job!
Jane
Amazing as always. I really like the book shelves.
I love it too Brenda…it looks even better than I imagined…Those lamps look great on the bookshelves..You never disappoint Brenda…
I love the new arrangement and I love that you mix painted pieces and unpainted ones.
Cozy!
This is such a great way to add coziness and great looking functionality, too!
Lovely, Brenda!
I like your arrangement! And leaving the shelves stained seems to go with the sofa and gives a cozy look. I like your green chest under the window too! Sheila
Looks great. I was expecting the sofa to be against the wall since most of your inspiration photos had the sofa against the wall. Good job getting the free wood to raise the shelf.
I knew this would turn out great but it's exceeded all expectations! You are honestly a creative genius!
I really like it! Where did you get the cow painting?
Brenda, your living room looks great…so cozy and inviting! Love all the red!!!
Everything looks great, you can always pull off anything, Brenda where in the world do you keep all your things, things I always loved and thought you must have gotten rid of then here it comes out. I have always coveted that red and white quilt and have looked for one everywhere, could you please tell me where you got its,
I tried to email you, but seems you are a no-reply blogger, so I couldn't. I got the quilt at JCPenneys, but don't think they've carried it for years.
Looks very nice! Love what you have done!
Brenda, I love everything about your new arrangement! And I think Abi and Charlie do, too! Seriously, great contrasts and colors. A green plant behind the couch would be great, as well as maybe a few more on your shelves or maybe on top of your bookcases. There are some great faux plants if you're worried about lighting or the dogs.
Brenda , I love it..You did an excellent job.[free wood to fix your shelf…yea] The cow picture is beautiful, and it has really brought beautiful things to your living room. I love all the details you added to the shelves. So well balanced.
The green cabinet is beautiful, love the white trunk too..
The room looks so relaxing..
Puppies are adorable.
The lamps look so cozy on the shelves. Nice!!
I really like this look!
Brenda….you should be in the design business, the precious gift you have of making use of what you've got is FABLOUS …..sure wish you lived near me!!!! Such an inspiration…..LOVE IT!!!!!
I love it! Perfect spot to spend an afternoon with a good book.
I'm totally digging it.
Your doggies are SO cute! I like the new arrangement a lot, and I think the contrast between the darker bookcases and the light walls adds significantly to the cozy factor, and I like how their color plays against the darker color of your lovely sofa, too. The space feels anchored and centered. A low wattage bulb in one of the lamps in the bookshelves turned on in the evening will really up the cozy ante! I love how my living room looks at night with a dim lit lamp or two turned on, you may like the effect too, especially when watching TV.
I don't have a TV in the living room. I have a small one in the bedroom. I'm never in the living area at night. At 6 p.m. I take a shower and feed everyone and I'm back in the bedroom to watch TV or mostly I like to read.
Love it Brenda!
I have to agree with all your readers–your new arrangement is very nice and so well done! I think you upped the coziness quotient by several notches! Love the white trunk. It has me looking at my brown and black trunk with a new eye! I'm looking forward to seeing more of your living room.
That trunk was a sad brown before I painted it white.
I love how this looks! and I love the idea of another green plant behind the sofa…>I need to do that, add more green plants! I would love to know the name of the book pictured near the lamp!!! It looks amazing. Your pupsters are the CUTEST Brenda!
It is called Home Outside – Creating The Landscape You Love by Julie Moir Messervy. I bought it at a nursery while living in TX.
I really like what you have done here Brenda. You always seem to know what to do ALL THE TIME…Bookshelves and books just make a room. I think too, that adding a plant (I would do faux, I have no green thumb) to the back of the couch would be nice..but you already know that…Warm and inviting, with the lamps, perfect for reading and relaxing.
Looks really good!
Love it Brenda! I LOVE bookcases and the lamps make it perfect and cozy!
~Bobbie
Very nice! I'm just wondering…is there space between the back of the couch and the bookshelves (especially the smaller bookshelf in back of the couch) to be able to get to the books that are there?
I'd have to scoot the couch away from them. But that's easy on a vinyl floor. I put books there I'd already read, or things I don't use often.
What a clever use of space and color…and money! I love it when people decorate with things they already have. Beautiful job, Brenda!
I like it, it's very cozy and everything looks like it is easy to get to. I really like the cow picture, it seems to tie things all together!
A less than $10 shelf and I bought an ivy plant. I think it's fun to see what you can do with what you already have. Kind of like a puzzle.
Love it!
I see the pupsters trying to steal the show but cute as they are they did not…how cozy this looks with the shelves and the lamps lit, etc. Lovely! 🙂
You really are a genius at decorating! I absolutely love this new arrangement. Very creative! And adorable photos of the pupsters.
In a space this size, there's only so much you can do. So I have to get REAL creative!
I like it, Brenda. The bookshelves add character to your room and they will be fun to change out accessories. Cute pics of the pups too!
Your new arrangement is looking good. I like the shelves and agree that a plant would look nice on the shorter shelf. Abi is such a cutie!
I love what you did. It looks really cozy with the shelves behind you sort of like a study. xoxo Su
I love this space, the bookshelves make look so cozy and comfortable. That white trunk as your coffeetable is perfect, you did a great job of making this work!
Shopping in your home with all your beautiful things makes your living room with the book cases more warm and cozier. Love the cute pictures of your pupsters. Kathleen in Az
Love the cow and the red accents!
Love the changes. Great decorating, as always!
I always love your use of color! That cow painting is perfect!!
That cow painting has started this whole thing.
I love it!! I knew I would because I just adore your decorating style but wow, I seriously think this just looks so amazingly cozy – what a great idea you had, Brenda!! Is that a new plant on the trunk? It looks so happy there. Of course, I would have draping pathos on both bookcases but that's me with my plant obsession. Can't wait to see the rest of the changes – great job, my friend!!
I have to watch where I put plants. The pupsters have never been nibblers, but don't want to take a chance.
Love this new arrangement. It looks great.
It looks great Brenda. I love the lamps on the bookshelves instead of tables. Keep going you are on the right track for sure.
Linda
I just didn't like beige lamps against a white wall. I guess I'm kind of anal that way.
That looks really good!! Girl, if you would learn how to use your camera, that you told me you haven't, you would know how to let in more light with the camera. 🙂 Wow, how nice getting the wood pieces for free.
I know. I'm lazy…