Lazy Girl “Built-in”

One of my favorite little vignettes in our house is this nook next to our fireplace. Isn’t it every girls dream to have a custom built-in that she can style for every season? No? Maybe not everyone….definitely mine! I was determined to turn this previously useless space into a functional shelving unit where I could display all of my favorite pretty little thing-a-ma-bobs. I was also determined NOT to pay for a custom built-in, but also not to have to do any custom woodwork or any super difficult manual labor. I wanted the look, without paying the money or doing the work, and guys I figured it out! Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I present to you what I like to call “The Lazy girl’s Built-in”…

Instead of installing true bead board, I bought this textured bead board wall paper by Graham and Brown, and it’s freaking AHmazing!

You truly can’t tell that it’s wallpaper. Everyone who sees it in person is shocked when I tell them. Because the wallpaper is actually textured and grooved and not just shadowed like some faux wood wallpapers are, it not only looks like bead board, but feels real too. Of course it is soft to touch rather than hard like actual wood, but since it’s in a place where people aren’t going to be touching it, it doesn’t matter. A closer look in the pics below.

We put up the wallpaper and then anchored these extra long floating white shelves atop the wallpaper, and voila, that’s it. Instant built-in look without any of the woodwork.

A few Pro-Tips: “Pro”-tip 1: Measure and map out the placement of the shelves twice before anchoring (once they’re anchored on top of the wallpaper there’s no turning back, unless you’re ready to re-wallpaper).

“Pro”-tip 2: If using the linked floating shelves from Houzz I recommend using these E-Z anchors instead of the anchors they come with.

“Pro”-tip 3: Install the shelves upside down for a straighter look.