Anyone Can Decorate: Before and After - Pottery Barn Wall Unit Makeover

I've had this Pottery Barn pine wall unit (armoire and bookshelves) since the 1990's. I was completely tired of the pine, and pine is no longer in, so this baby has been begging for a makeover for awhile! We finally got around to giving it new life. Since it was already located in our master bedroom (which is upstairs), we painted it while it was still in our bedroom. We just covered the floors (carpet) with tarps to protect it from paint splatters and spills. We used brushes and rollers to paint it. I love seeing the before and after. It looks like a completely different piece of furniture. Isn't it amazing what you can do with a little paint?!!

We started by putting all of the shelves and drawers on the floor and painting them with two coats each.

After the white was dry we painted a mocha color on the back panels of each piece to contrast the white. Then I heavily distressed the edges of each piece using a scraper and sand paper. I was going for a vintage chic n shabby chippy painted look. I think we accomplished that.

Initially I was going to put the doors back on the center unit (to hide the television). But the doors don't recess and so when they are open they hide the shelves. Since we use the television in this cabinet often I decided to keep the doors off (for now). However, I reserve the right to change my mind... which I tend to do often... Lol :)

At this point the unit was done being painted but I still hadn't found hardware for the drawers. I put some accessories (thrift finds and a finds from Home Goods) and a few books on the shelves and just played with them until I liked the way they looked. I felt the shelves still needed a few more items, but I wasn't sure what yet.

Then I found the hardware. I used glass knobs. They give the look of antique glass hardware but they are actually new. I love the touch of sparkle that the knobs provide!

So here is the makeover, completely finished. I added a few more books to the shelves last night and I am very happy with the final outcome. I hope you like it too!