Monday

DIY CHINOISERIE ETAGERE

My tiny little apartment suffers from awkward corner syndrome. In 425 square feet, there are five doorways/doors, a bump out, and numerous soffits. Some of the corners even have corners. So, part of my challenge has been finding pieces of furniture that will fit the space. One such spot was an 11 inch deep corner leading into the closet area. I REALLY needed to use the space for storage, but without making it feel even smaller. An etagere seemed like the perfect answer, but all the beautiful vintage pieces I found were just too deep. So I decided to MAKE an etagere. By which I mean:  go to IKEA and alter something they sold.

Here it is! A Chinoiserie etagere.


IKEA makes this VITTSJO shelving unit for $70. The open concept and glass shelves would keep the space from feeling overwhelmed, and there was plenty of room to stack books. The only problem was the black color, which didn't play nice with my green walls.

So I broke out the Rustoleum...

And then emailed Danika Herrick, founder of the fantastic company O'verlays, to ask if they had anything that would suss up a plain iron shelf. A week later, these arrived:  greek key corners! 

BEFORE

AFTER!

Seriously, O'verlays are the best thing since sliced bread. "Transforming" my shelf required about 10 minutes, some gorilla glue, and masking tape (to hold the greek key pieces in place while the glue dried). I waited an hour for good measure, whipped the tape off, and enjoyed my new Chinoiserie etagere. The O'verlay pieces are paintable, so you could customize them to any shade. I was lucky that they were already white!

A "through" view of the shelf. I love how spacious it feels, without blocking the view into the living room.

Check out all the other amazing O'verlay patterns HERE, and you can find my greek key corners HERE. A few more patterns and ideas below...

An O'verlay pattern under glass, dressing up a plain hall table. They also look great over mirrors.

On an ikea chest of drawers (also, Danika painted that wall herself. She's very talented).



/Images/ my own/ black shelf image, IKEA/ O'verlay patterns, O'verlays/

17 comments:

Laura Collins said...

That is amazing, I am now thinking of how I can incorporate that into my space- wow!!

Laura

lauracollinsdesgin.com

julie said...

SF this makeover is incredible...I LOVE it - I recently bookmarked that very same shelf in the Ikea catalogue but thought it looked a little plain!Now I am completely inspired....
Thanks for sharing
Jules

The Visual Vamp said...

*F*A*B*U*L*O*U*S*
xo xo

Kim@Chattafabulous said...

In awe of your brilliance - both of you!

www.chattafabulous.blogspot.com

Beth @ Free Stylin' said...

Every time I am referred to your site, it is for pure genius. I seriously love your home. It has more style in its 425 sq feet than my whole house. Thank you for another inspiring post. LOVE this idea!

Anonymous said...

LOVE! How sturdy are these pieces? Aren't they foam? Would they hold up if knocked or do you need to be really careful?

Andrea said...

You are so clever! I'm totally stealing this idea!

XOXO,
The Glam Pad

Linda {Calling it Home} said...

I have missed a lot on your blog. I love the new header. This corner idea is brilliant.....those O'verlay's girls are really smart.

Anonymous said...

Love this idea to make a bookshelf more your style/personalized and cuter! Thanks for sharing this- great idea!

Anonymous said...

I really like your blog. You have such good ideas. They're simple enough that even "unhandy me" could do them. :)

Nicole Scott said...

Awesome!! I just bought the skinny version of that shelf for a clients space I'll see what she thinks of your overlays. I think it's brilliant! Great job.

Lisa Campbell said...

This is so my style. I love everything chinoiserie and fretwork, plus I love white furniture, so it's just perfect. Great job. Your whole home is inspiring.

Laura Dro said...

whoa...adorable...I don't even have room to do a piece like this but I must find a way!!!!!

Great great job!

www.lauradrodesigns.com

Valarie Edwards said...

I am new to reading your blog and I just love your apt. So much in such a small space w/o feeling crowded. Would you please share your wall color and source? Thanks. Am bookmarking this page as one of my favorites.

Melissa Corre said...

I LOVE THIS, it looks fantastic! The white paint really brightens the space a lot and adds a nice contrast to the black table/chairs. I love the O'verlays Greek Key Brackets too, looks seamless, you would never know it wasn't born a chinoiserie etagere!

xx Melissa
www.madeherlook.net

Emily A. Clark said...

Such a smart idea! Mind if I share it on my blog? :)

Laurel said...

Fabulous idea!!! I am a complete and utter sucker for anything Greek Key. BTW, I found you doing a search for a pair of small Chinoiserie chests. (not that easy to find, actually!) I've used the overlays before and they are amazing! They made a custom design for a client's door. best, Laurel

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