A $600 One-Wall Makeover (Plus Thrift Finds!) Make This Living Room Much Cozier
Kait Kash (@prettypennystyling)’s design vision for her living room was a common one: warm and cozy. But the “before” was far from it. Yes, it had cozy bones, with built-in bookcases and a fireplace. “I loved the wall-to-wall brick,” Kait says. But the bookcases weren’t actually sturdy, and the fireplace fell a little flat.
“The bookshelves were wood veneer, and the insulation in the back of the built-ins was covered in faux wood paneling,” she describes. “There was insulation popping through, and the whole situation wasn’t great because I knew the shelves — in the state they were in — wouldn’t hold books or heavier objects well.” (Not to mention, the poor insulation job made the room drafty.)
In addition to the bookshelves and the fireplace, the room needed fresh paint “and adding in layers of decor and our furniture/light fixture that we already had,” Kait says. Here’s how the room transformed into what Kait had envisioned.
The fireplace wall got a $600 revamp.
“The fireplace wall was very empty” before, Kait says, and two major fixes helped with that. Kait and her husband (with some professional help) repaired the shelving with the proper materials, and they also mounted a mantel to give the room a more polished look.
One of the hardest steps was figuring out how many shelves the Kashes wanted and needed, and the spacing for each. “I think one of our favorite tools is now a nail gun!” Kait says.
They also caulked and painted the shelving and the brick in the same refreshing white color as the walls (Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace). Kait’s DIY tip? Make sure to let paint on built-in shelving dry a few days before accessorizing. “Old me would have painted them and thrown the books and decor in immediately after the paint dried, but new me waited the recommended 30 days so the paint had plenty of time to cure before setting items on top,” she says.
“Painting built-ins is so tedious,” she adds. “But it will be even longer if you don’t do it right the first time because you’ll have to go back and spend more time on it down the road.”
The furniture in the room is an eclectic mix.
Kait says in furnishing the room, she saved money by shopping secondhand. “We moved with our sectional as the main furniture for this room. I sourced the brown plaid armchairs on Facebook Marketplace, and I scored the gold campaign trunks secondhand, which are great for storage — especially top storage and blankets!” she says. “The large art I painted myself using Plaster of Paris and wall paint. The gold frame was the frame to a sign at our wedding. I love decor that can have multiple uses for years,” she says.
One newer item in the space is the five-globe Renee chandelier from Mitzi. As for the shelving, “Some books were thrifted, some were given to me from my mom or grandparents,” Kait says. “I have a pair of Abe Lincoln brass bookends that used to be my great-grandmother’s! A lot of the shelf decor is special to me, found antiquing or thrifting, or neat gifts.”
Kait says the whole room’s storage is now much more functional, but her favorite detail is definitely the shelving. “I’ve always wanted shelves like this so I could have a spot dedicated to books and special little things I’ve collected over the years,” she says. “And I really enjoy being able to seasonally dress up my mantel however I want!”
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