…what color would you paint it?
We adopted this snore of a bookshelf in Manhattan about three years ago and it’s one of about ten pieces that made the move to Richmond with us in a minivan. We’ve always treated it like an “until we get something better” piece because there’s nothing terribly special about it, but somehow it has lasted this long, so we figure it’s about time we make it work.
We’re going to give it the ol’ Young House Love paint job (the wood is a little too red for our house anyways). And seeing a pretty painted green bed on google gave us the confidence to try something other than white… but we need your help picking the new color (and truly feeling confident about it).
Our top three color contenders (shown on the left side of the pic above) are:
1. A grayish-purple reminiscent of the print above the bookcase.
2. A muted blue inspired by our bedroom and kitchen.
3. A dusty green to complement the sometimes purple undertones in the tan wall color.
Or do we quit messing around and go with what we know: white.
Do you see why we need you? We’re practically paralyzed with indecision. We don’t want to go too bright since the rest of our living room is pretty neutral:
So cast your vote for one of the colors above or feel free to throw some other options into the mix. Thanks in advance for the help and, of course, we’ll post the after pic as soon as we get ‘er done.
Aimee says
i’d pick number 3, but then i love green. i do think it would look nice with everything else though, a good contrast without being to big of a contrast.
Wendy says
I like the green too, especially since you have green dishes across the room.
Freckles says
I vote for #1 to pull together the framed print above it, but I still love the white idea. You guys really “work the white” and do it beautifully!
Julia says
I like 3 the best too! Or maybe a darker tan, like the chair, to offset all those pretty white things on the shelves?
FUN POST. :)
Kimberly says
I vote for #2 or #3. Why? You definitely rock the white, but I think that side of the room has great dashes of white already and a bit of color would set the white off nicely. I am leaning toward #3 to serve as a subtle echo of the green accessories on the dining side of the room. You might even be able to go a tad green-er without disturbing the neutral palette. Can’t wait to see the finished product!
Corey says
If you really must paint it, then a white would be nice for the supports and paint the shelf tops your first paint color above. If you are feeling especially bold you could paint the shelves a green similar to your vases on the floating shelves. Either choice the white objects on the shelf will create visual contrast with the shelves.
Also, another option is to paint the supports white and then use a wallpaper or shelf paper with a green and white pattern on the shelves. I don’t see much in the way of patterns in your house, so this limited use could look nice. Specifically, I think ferm-living’s wildflower pattern 131 (in collection 1) could look good.
brynalexandra says
Definitely #3! I feel the other two are too feminine.
Copy Cat says
Green, green all the way :) Ditto the others in the fact that it will tie in with all of your green accents. Or I might even paint it taupe (kind of like your sidebar on the right). And that way it ties in with your neutral color scheme, but isn’t washed out. AND if you decided to change your accent color from Green to say…Orange, then it will still mesh. :)
modernemama says
Black paint or ebony stain. I think the colors are great, just not in the living room with your other furniture, otherwise go with white but I think a stronger statement would be better.
Mrs. Querido says
My vote is for #2. I think it complements the framed art above as well as the wall color. Not too mention, there is a piece of art on the bookshelf that has that blue tone to it. The blue will be soothing but will also make the items on the shelf POP :)
Sandy says
What about trying to match the color of your dining table?
Elizabeth says
i vote for a dark stain or paint similar to the dining table and coffee table or white/beige.
YoungHouseLove says
Oops… what everyone can’t see is that behind me as I took the picture of the living room there’s a big console table that’s the same color as the dining table and chairs- and we also have two end tables on either side of the couch in that dark brown wood color as well.
So we thought with all those dark wood objects (especially the console table in such close proximity) it would be nice to lighten things up when it came to the bookcase.
Originally we thought about replacing it with a new white bookcase, but you know us… why purchase when you can repurpose? So this is our humble attempt. Thanks for all the votes and keep ’em coming. Hopefully we’ll reach a decision soon.
xo,
Sherry
Jackie says
I like #1. I think it will go great with the picture and give a little bit of symmetry to the fireplace with your dog statue.
lindsey says
i’m sympathetic to not wanting too much dark wood, but i think the current choices are too light to emphasize the white objects you have on the shelf. is it possible to go one to two shades darker using one of the three tones you’ve selected? (i’d pick the middle one.)
YoungHouseLove says
Lindsey,
The more we think about it the more we agree that we should get a little gutsier and go with a slightly darker shade. It’ll definitely help the white objects pop and we can always paint it again if we don’t like it. Not much to lose! We’re leaning towards a deeper gray-green color right now, but who knows where we’ll actually end up…
xo,
Sherry
Julia says
What are those things hanging to the left of the fireplace there? Just curious!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Julia,
They’re three little wall mounted teardrop vases from CB2 that have some pretty grasses in them. It was such a cheap little project- the vases were only $3.95 each! Here’s the link to ’em:
http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=583&f=2906&q=teardrop+vase+floating&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1
xo,
Sherry
Kristy Hall says
I like #3 – green.
Shauna says
I actually think it would look nice with a rich coffee brown color to pick up on the colors of your coffee table and dining table. Anyway, I look forward to seeing what you decide on!
Shauna
PangTama says
I’d go with white or make it the same colour as your dining table :). Good luck, can wait to see the result!
Jennifer says
i would vote for #3. we have a similar bluish gray in our bedroom and it works really well with browns and other neutrals. :)
Julia says
Love those CB2 vases, thanks for the link!
Justine says
I love your blog! Your ideas are so fresh and it has been giving me a lot of inspiration to tackle projects I thought would be too hard in my home! You guys have a gift! Thanks!! :)
As for the bookshelf, I am totally feeling the green, but like Lindsey, I was thinking something a little deeper as well….Can’t wait to see what you pick!
Meghan says
Hey Sherry, where is your coffee table from? Just curious. Thanks!
EastEnd says
I’m thinking it should be black. Or a really vibrant unexpected color like chartreuse. Or, paint it white and hang it on the wall……
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Meghan,
So sorry we didn’t respond until now. We scored our coffee table at a thrift store for about $35. Wish we could tell you where you could pick up one of your own, but the closest we’ve seen are some side tables at Pottery Barn (although you probably won’t get those for $35, unfortunately).
Let us know if you find its twin somewhere else. We’re curious ourselves.
-John
Sarah says
Late add here, but where is the “You+Me” print from? I love it!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah,
The print is from Village – you can find it here. Hope that helps!
-John
Joy says
I have that same bookshelf in a lighter shade of wood! I also have always treated it as an “until we get better” item. It’s actually been in my son’s closet for over 2 years since his clothes are all so short. You’ve just inspired me to paint it & find another use for it when we move into our next house later this year!
Dalenna says
Just an FYI that the link on here to the painted green bed is broken.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip! That old post is somehow missing so we took it out :)
xo
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