Bookshelf Styling and A New Piece

I was running errands in Carthage the other day and stumbled upon a great flea market. I had never been in so we decided to pop in and see if there was anything good. It was a pretty good one and I found some nice pieces....some candle holders, a small mirror, a small vase and this plaster architectural piece. It was a nice statement piece and a great size, just over 3 feet long. I knew just where I wanted to hang it.

Just to give you an idea of where the bookcases are, this is a small wall just to the left after you walk in the front door. They are facing the fireplace. I keep referring to them as they because it's actually two of a kind that I have side by side. They have lived on this wall for a while, but I like the fact that I can break them up if I want to. They are each 32" wide and are just over 6' tall. They do a great job of balancing out the fireplace wall and fit well on a small awkward wall. The computer desk is adjacent to the bookcases and I use some of the lower cubbies for officey type things, but there is nothing wrong with mixing decorative living room items with functional office ones. When you live in a small space, you gotta do whatcha gotta do, right? :)
Back to the piece. I didn't touch the finish, this is exactly how I found it. It is made out of plaster and pretty heavy. I think I was drawn to it because of the egg and dart motif, I've always liked that detail.

I was thrilled when the finish was so close to the wall color, I knew I was hanging it above my bookcases and didn't want too much contrast with the wall color.I wanted the contrast to be with the bookcases themselves, so that was a great that I didn't have to paint it.


Well, you know how it goes, one thing leads to another, once I hung the new piece.....I had to clean and dust everything, which lead to a complete redo of the bookcases. The domino effect. :) It needed to be done anyway, I hadn't restyled the shelves for a while and it's nice to clean and freshen things up a bit.

Shelf detail:

Look at my new little baby owl perched on a book. I found him at the flea market too. He might get a coat of spray paint, I'm not sure...I'm kinda liking him like he is.


The bookcases are so modern, which I love, but I also love how the new piece softens it up a bit. I typically have framed art up there (take a look HERE) but it was just more boxes on boxes on boxes. Once I had hung the new piece, I was happy with the decision.

Of course one of my favorite things to do is mixing modern elements with rustic things, so I used a pair of glass vases (you've seen these on the mantle before), perched one on top of my painted pedestals, and my hourglass vase. I put moss in the vase and just love how that looks. Very simple.


I hope you're inspired to restyle your bookcases or built-ins! Thanks for stopping by!

I'm still working on the master bedroom, if you read my fabric saga, you know where I am on that. I've ordered the "new" main fabric, so hopefully it will be here shortly! I hope I like it! LOL!

If you'd like to take a look at some more pictures take a look HERE.