Ikea Billy Bookcase, Painting the Living Room and Tips on Executing Projects Over the Weekend.

Ikea Billy Bookcase in Beige

How gorgeous is this bookcase? I have been looking at different bookcases for some time now. Since our house is so small I kept leaning towards floating shelves or a ladder shelf to keep a more open feel, but for some reason I couldn’t keep my eye off this book shelf. It wasn’t until I saw Cara Irwin, owner of Instagram account @goldalamode, use one in her living room that I decided I had to pull the trigger. And can I just say I am so happy I did.

BOOKSHELF | LAMP WITH SHADE | WATERING CAN | CHAIR | PILLOW | SIMILAR COUCH | SIMILAR RUG | VASES | PRINT | OTTOMAN

The color of this this bookshelf is effortless. I just can’t get over how pretty it is. Carter helped me assemble it and that was very easy. I would have to say this is one of the easier items I’ve put together from Ikea. I love the size of it, slim and tall! Utilizing my small space perfectly. You can find this book shelf here. It comes in both red and navy blue.

Painting the Living Room

Saturday morning, I decided we needed to paint the living room. I have been wanting to do it for some time now, but I have been waiting until I had the bulk of my furniture in. Waiting to pick paint color last is always a good idea because there are thousands of colors to choose from. Finding a color that works with your items is easier than finding items that work with your paint color.

Current Paint Situation

The current paint color was pretty. It was already in the home when we moved in so since I didn’t hate it, I decided we should leave it until we decided on a color ourselves. My biggest problem with the current paint was the weird colors that it would show in different lighting. Sometimes there was an organey or purple undertone that was just off putting. So, it was time.

Painting a House from the 1940’s

What we had to worry about was flaking paint. After some investigation we learned the previous owners slapped some cheap latex paint over oil-based paint without a proper primer. This is bad news for us! Eventually we are going to have to strip the paint down to the oil-based paint and start over, but until then we scraped the spots that were bad, added a primer and repainted. Note: In old houses always do some research on your project because they used such different products then. This will save you time and money in the long run!

Alabaster Sherwin Williams Paint

We decided to go with a warmer white. Ultimately we decided on Sherwin Williams color, Alabaster and we are in love. We keep saying how we should paint our other two bedrooms this color. I read up on this color and learned that it needs to be in a room with plenty of light or it can look dingy. Our living room gets enough natural light so we didn’t have to worry about that. It looks so inviting and we are really happy with it. You can find their paint here. Now we are deciding on window treatments… Comment below if you have any input!

3 Simple Tips on Executing a Project Over the Weekend.

Make a Plan!

This should really be a no brainer, don’t wing it! Winging projects means more than one trip to the store and only completing half the project until you can get back to it several months from now. I like to write out every step that needs to be done and make an estimate of time for the project. This gives me a good idea on what I will actually will be able to get done.

Start first thing in the morning

Make your list a few days in advance or the night before so you can prepare to get up and start. Things ALWAYS take longer than you anticipate so having a plan and starting early is something you will be happy you did.

Get rid of distractions + set a timer

Put your head down and crank that music up! I like to set timers for 90 minutes at a time and then I allow myself some sort of mental break. Whether that’s a meal or catch up on social media. After a 15-minute break I am back to it until it’s finished!

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