Built-in Reveal...FINALLY!

  Hip hip horray, it's Friday! I've been stringing you along for awhile now. Thanks for being patient as I've worked out the details of our TV niche built-in. It has been a work in progress and let me tell ya, friends, it hasn't been the easiest thing. Designing and decorating is HARD! 

It all started here. I was sick of looking at the mismatched hodge podge we threw together and decided to draw a design to fill the space. After you check out the fun pictures below, you have to come back and click on my original design to see how it looks absolutely nothing like what we ended up building! 

I was very excited when my husband jumped on board and decided to appease me make the magic happen. He used his awesome woodworking abilities and took this boring space from this...

To this...

AFTER

My "after" shot is pretty dark. I've been trying to wait for a sunny day to take photos, but it's been cloudy all week. I couldn't wait any longer so bare with the dark tones!

My 9 y.o. daughter painted this pug portrait. It provided inspiration for the rest of the accessories. You should have seen her face when I asked her if I could display it in the built-in!

This round ball "spoke" to me on at least two occasions while shopping at TJMaxx before I finally decided it needed to find a spot in my home. 

The hour glass is a favorite among my kiddos. They love to pull it down and use it when they're doing their homework. Hey, whatever works...I'm a fan of anything that makes homework less of a struggle!

Like the "trimwork?" I was impatient when it came to adding this detail so I improvised and used black grosgrain ribbon. Just slapped a little tape on it and no one would ever know it's not wood. What a great little tip to save time and money!

The background is beadboard, painted grey, then I added a black and gold, ikat chevron. Boy, this sure would have been easier if I had of figured out the design BEFORE we installed the beadboard! I was literally laying on my stomach painting zig zags. I felt like I had had a crazy workout the next morning. Who knew decorating could improve muscle tone?!

Gotta tie in the pug painting with one more pug accessory. He's my husband's favorite part of the styling!

I'm drawn to the simplicity of this little set-up. You don't have to add a million knick knacks to make your shelves look pretty.

I'm sure the styling of these shelves will evolve as I find fun new accessories. In the interest of finishing the project, I worked with what I had and what I could find to keep it budget-friendly. All of the accessories came from TJMaxx, Salvation Army and Tuesday Morning.

I hope to find 3 baskets to place on the floor eventually, but until then, the dogs are loving their "new home!"

Lighting would make this area killer. Maybe one day we'll have an electrician come in and wire it, but until then I found a little solution that was more cost effective...battery-operated touch lights from Home Depot. 

  

One more shot of the completed project...

So, friends, I hope it was worth the wait. It's fun and funky and my husband is a ROCKSTAR for helping my visions come to life. Let's give him a little love for the hidden wires, for building the false backing covered by beadboard and of course, for those wonderful floating shelves!

If you'd like to have something designed for your own home, contact me.

Happy weekend, friends!

Linking up to the following fabulous sites: Be different act Normal
The DIY Showoff        Hope Studios                   The Shabby Nest
Tip Junkie                    Blue Cricket Design
Savvy Southern Style   Somewhat Simple
House of Hepworths    Fireflies and Jellybeans