Feeling Bookish?

We are! I think I finally found a permanent home for the bookshelf Mike made. If you recall, it spent a brief amount of time in the office/guestroom, but that just wasn't working out. So I brought it down to the living room to add some height to the space. The only problem?

It was this awesome shade of green-y pine. My husband is a self professed hater of finishing, which left this otherwise handsome bookshelf in need of a serious makeover. It just didn't fit with our other more mahogany colored furniture.



I emptied it off in preparation for the main event: some stain.

I had some leftover Minwax Polyshades Bombay Red Mahogany from when I refinished my dresser, so I whipped it out along with some foam brushes, rags, and fine steel wool. After a single coat to take the edge off the just-been-pressure-treated look, I was happy with the warmer reddish tone.



Now the bookshelf plays nicely with our other furnishings, and I still feel like the handmade character was left in tact. Bonus: Having books in the living room makes us look really smart! :)