So, when you walk into my house, the first thing you see is… my home office. Yep, front and center. That’s why I wanted it to look good — not just neat, but like, actually nice. And of course, it still had to work for me day-to-day. That’s when I got the idea to focus on built-in bookcases.
How It Looked Before
Before I started fixing it up, the shelves were honestly a disaster. Piles of boxes everywhere. Half the time I couldn’t even remember where I’d put things. There was no system, no organization — just stuff everywhere. It made the room feel way messier than it needed to.
At some point, I realized: okay, I need a better setup. I wanted to hide the clutter but still have everything easy to grab. That’s when I thought, why not add some drawers at the bottom of the bookcases?
The Drawer Decision
Funny thing — at first, I almost skipped the drawers to save a little money. But man, I’m so glad I didn’t. They ended up making the biggest difference!
Now all the little random stuff — tape, hole punch, random cables — it’s all hidden away, but still easy to find. Plus, the drawers gave the whole shelf setup a clean, tidy base. I also grabbed some gray Ikea boxes to go along the bottom, and they just tied everything together.
Styling Time
Once the bottom was sorted, I got to the fun part: making the shelves look nice.
One thing that bugged me was how mismatched my books looked. So, I wrapped them all in gray kraft paper (yep, all of them) and used a white pencil to label the spines. Simple, but wow, what a difference!
And since I didn’t want to spend a ton on decorations, I got creative:
- checked out thrift shops
- moved stuff in from other rooms
- hunted for clearance deals
- even made a few things myself, like painted vases and DIY boxes
Keeping It Balanced
I paid attention to color and texture. The room has these soft aqua and gray tones, so I stuck to a similar palette but mixed things up just enough to keep it interesting.
On the top shelves, I put stuff we barely ever use. Narrow shelves held little objects, and the wide ones became mini display spots where I grouped together favorite pieces.
I used some easy tricks like stacking, layering, and setting things up in triangles — same little hacks I’d used when decorating the mantel before. Adding personal bits made the space feel more “me,” you know?
Final Thoughts
Now, the office feels both useful and pretty. Those built-in shelves aren’t just storage — they’re kind of the star of the room. Every time I walk in, I just feel happy seeing how put-together and calm it looks.
Oh, and a cool bonus? My office makeover actually got featured on a big home decor blog! That was such a fun surprise.
Anyway, next up I’m planning a dining room makeover, but I’m really glad I took the time to turn the office into something I love. With the right mix of storage, creativity, and a little DIY, even basic shelves can turn into something special.
If you want, I can jot down a quick checklist for styling shelves — just let me know!
