Antique Bookcase Makeover and Styling

This antique bookcase has been part of the family for around thirty years. It’s had several incarnations, the last being tool storage in the shed. At various times, I painted it grey, white, and blue. Now it’s set for a new life in the office come bedroom of the cottage. But before that can happen, it needs some love to create a look that’s pleasing and fits the vibe of our home. This antique bookcase needs a makeover.

How I Restored this Antique Bookcase

Obviously, the bookcase was not in good shape, mostly from many paint jobs of the past decade. But I love this piece and know it’s an antique pine underneath, so I knew it would be perfect for office space once I’d restored it.

The first step in this antique bookcase transformation was to remove the shelves and give everything a wipe-down. I wanted to assess what I was working with and decide how to remove the paint.

I started by sanding away the layers of paint and varnish. There were only three layers of paint and one of varnish, but it proved time-consuming and not as easy as I’d thought. So, I went on the hunt in our storage container for the heat gun, which eliminated the layers of paint with ease. I then used the smaller multi-tool sander for the details and sanded the last layer off with the orbital sander.

Having removed the paint and varnish, I went over the entire outside of the piece with a 240 grit sandpaper to ensure the surface was nice and smooth. I also sanded the shelves back and discovered two of them were blackwood, not pine. You can see the bottom shelf with a more chocolate colour in the progress shot. That’s the blackwood. I like that the tones of the timber are not all the same. It makes the furniture piece seem more rustic and authentic. I painted inside the bookshelf using a left over sample pot of paint in the colour Linen Beige by Dulux. I had planned to strip this too, but it was impossible to get the paint out of the grooves, so I went with a fresh coat instead.

Then I finished the exterior with a coat of clear beeswax. I adore the dainty sheen it gives to old pine furniture.

Adding Pretty but Functional Storage

To style my shelves, I collected different open-and-closed storage options, some of which I already owned

• Rattan document holders with lids.
• Wallpaper covered cardboard boxes. I used remnants from the guest room makeover to give my scheme cohesion and add another layer of pattern.
• A thrifted picnic basket on top of the shelf, which was the perfect size for the large tax documents I want to hide
• Other baskets and magazine holders to hold cords and items I use a lot. They add texture and interest to the shelving.

As you can see, my Cricut machine and the printer are on show, but I don’t mind this. The machines don’t stand out to me when surrounded by pretty accessories.