There's this thing called Google... you can find just about anything with it. Try it out. :)

agreed. some other design sites i visit are design*sponge and desiretoinspire.

Hollywood visions...check out the blog, "making it lovely" and I actually look at the blog this post is from....young house love..and I truly enjoy it:)

It's nice. But it's old. Painting the backs of bookshelves has been a feature of design/decor magazines for ages. It is almost expected.

Why is this one special? I find it uninspiring and a very safe choice.

I don't see the after as an improvement at all. The darkened wall behind the shelves makes turns an otherwise bright, open space to claustrophobic.

More than enough book storage below? Wow. Not a family of readers, then. Books dominate my spaces. Gotta have'em!

@hollywoodvision:

Websites and blogs can pay Google a fee to move a website to the number 1 spot when you search it.

So much negativity in the comments! Sheesh people.

I think this visions person is a troll. Just ignore them.

I like the bookcase, gave the room some definition. Highlights all the things the homeowner cherishes, so it works for them. And I don't mind that it's a recycled post, I think I missed it the first time.

I must have missed this one, so I'm happy to see it re-posted. I personally love the look of the dark paint. It makes a lovely shape framing the door/entrance. And it does indeed set off the collection of objets d'art. I think it makes a mini gallery of what could otherwise be a cluttery collection.

I really like the after! Mainly because the items they used to fill it up look beautiful :)

(and I'm ok with negative comments... what's the point of a comments section if you can't express your opinion?)

I LOVE the dark color. I also LOVE the framing of the desk. What a great motivator for keeping your workspace clean!
<3 <3 <3

I'm with whomever above - this family cannot be readers. I would need the lower cabinets times three or four to get all my books in.

Joem2 - Agreed.

@Jenn Zyn , "not a family of readers" is very presumptous and unfairly implies this family lacks knowledge.

Perhaps her books are located some place else in her house.

I sincerely doubt if anyone on here cares about where you put your books.

Until you bring something interesting to showcase on AT of what you've done in your house show the people who do more respect.

The book cases are fine, I like them, but there is a problem with the spaces. The desk is too small for the area, should that be a dining room? What is the purpose of the room with the builtins. they are lovely but the room is empty

if you read their blog, this couple just bought this house, barely moved into it, and most of it is a work in progress. this is probably the first thing they did in there!

@labchick: As with everything in John & Sherrys' house - it is a work in progress. Sherry has finally found the perfect table and is waiting for delivery.

I love it. And I think they put the desk in front of the window so they can sit at the desk and look out the window. Iwork at home at my desk and a window view is essential.

Who knows, she may even own a Kindle or read her books on her IPad.

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wireless-Reader-3G-Wifi-Graphite/dp/B002FQJT3Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297707745&sr=8-1

Disclaimer: This is not a generous endorsement of the Kindle or Ipad.

Hollywood Visions has a valid point. Are these posts for the purpose of discussion, or just an opportunity for the poster to receive a lot of fawning adulation?

hollywood visions: lots of good suggestion on the homies nominations. but then you'd know that if you really read the site.

I do enjoy this site, but it really seems more like a "see how nice it looks when you tidy up your house" blog than a design blog.

@hollywoodvision:

Check out Griege design site. Her list of design blogs on her blog is very impressive.

http://greigedesign.blogspot.com/

This is where I go when I'm bored of AT.

I also really like design sponge and desire to inspire as some else suggested already.

I don't mind negative comments, everyone has an opinion, but what does "This isn't a family of readers" have to do with design? Maybe they go to the library! I don't remember seeing the post before on this site. I did see it on John and Sherry's site and I think it looks great! The "after" is very clean and uncluttered. I think I remember from their site that this is going to be the dining room, am I right?

I, too, agree with Hollywood Visions. I recall this from the post a few days ago- I liked the post so much I actually went to YoungHouseLove's site, so I've DEFINITELY seen enough of this by today. I think AT could benefit from fully utilizing a feature that seems to inspire more than one topic for them, one time around. Readers can always search the archives if they want to view it again on the same topic. But to use it twice in one month (as has happened often in the last few months, by my count), suggests the site is running out of material or inspiration. I certainly hope that isn't the case.

I'm with Hollywood Visions on this one.

As I scroll through the site, I assume I've fully caught up on the new posts when I see the photo from a post I've already read.

It happens regularly (thought not too frequently) that a photo or entire recent post is recycled, and I only later realize that I've missed other posts because of it. It's not that big of a deal, but it is a bit irritating.

As for the purpose of a post like this, how about inspiration? Sure, we've seen shelves with contrast backing before, but maybe not everyone has, and maybe some particular element of this one will help you conjure up a new idea.

http://interiordec.about.com/od/coolstuff/qt/The-Best-Decorating-Websites.htm

Decor8 just shared the above link on facebook

I'm a "regularly" drinker of the AT koolaid.

However, I've never seen this post before.

Frankly, I don't see anything wrong with recycling some of the post as there's probably some new readers and people like me who sometimes miss post.

But that's is an interesting comment above that speaks to what's the real mission of AT, other than selling commercialism and consumerism though advertisements,
as it relates to it readers participating in the discussion of the post here and home owners receiving praise or disparangement from the reader who view their homes in one dimension.

I think AT could really benefit from a section on AT to allow readers to weigh in on reader generated or even AT staff topics like this, instead of having to do it on a post like this.

I love that this post has sparked such debate among the AT community. Who would have thought that paint and shelves would have such a long-playing dialogue.

@sgable I completely agree. I was hoping for an innovative after picture.

@hollywood visions: Often, blogs you enjoy viewing will have a "friends" list (so to speak). Peruse the blog's friends list and you may find a blog you can enjoy.

I love it!!!

I love the deep inky colour used on the back of the shelves. I think it's bold and beautiful.

As for people who are against 'negative comments'.... welcome to the real world.

Seems like a good day for projects that looked better in the "before" picture. But then, I do not grok people who take book shelves and turn them into display space, with few or no actual books in them.

I actually love the after and hadn't seen this post before. I do agree that AT does recycle too much. Painting the backs of built-ins may not be the most innovative design idea, but I'm not a designer and I don't come here for professional designs. I come here to see how other humble homeowners/renters make their spaces into beautiful homes. I also enjoy the vigorous conversations and suggestions that each post generates. I often read all the comments!

Anyway, this was delightful and unexpected especially since the color was so moody and dark. I love the color. It's beautiful. I love built-ins and other architectural details, they can inspire so much creativity!

@Hollywood Visions--this does not mean that you must comment in response. As a matter of fact, I'd prefer that you don't. After multiple unnecessary posts I think we get your point.

Hm, I don't really like the "after" colour. Seems rather dated and makes it space feel heavy, which is depressing to me. I wonder whether wall paper might have been a better choice.

@rabbitrabbit I was thinking the same thing. Wall paper or maybe a brighter color to really make their turquoise pieces pop!

This post is a good reminder that bold doesn't always equal a neon bright pastel. I'd still prefer a milk glass-y color myself though :)

re. repetition
I browse the main AT page, so I've come to expect inevitable repetition as different regions glom on to the same topic/post/source.

That said, I'd defnitely prefer less frequent, more substantive posts over a quantity of repetitive, lesser quality ones. I commend anyone for sharing their homes and lives with us posters, but did site editors really feel the need for so many recent "I cleaned/organized my room/closet" posts?

I still find a lot at AT worth coming back for and it's always a super pleasant surprise when a post targeted to my nano sized apt demographic isn't a 3 sentence directive to consider a loft or murphy bed.

I look at the reposting of popular topics as being similar to cable tv channels that repeat the same program several times during the week - yeah it can be boring if you've already seen the episode earlier in the week, but if you missed it the first time around, you have another opportunity to catch it later.

I don't have time to read AT every day or to scroll back too many days if I've been away for more than a couple of days. I'm sure I can't be alone on this. Re-posting the more popular posts means folks like me have a chance to discover it the 2nd time around. If I come across a post I've already seen before, it's easy enough to scroll past it.

Back to the topic at hand - I like the deep teal colour. It's not overwhelming in the space because it's used sparingly, it complements the colours of the display items and ties in beautifully to the furniture that's visible in the next room, which gives continuity to the space as a whole.

Hollywood Visions = Drama Queen! Get a Snickers bar.

Good site for the everyday person!

ohhhhhkay... negative comments: its a free world, and to disagree isn't always to be negative. recycled posts: ehh, would rather they not be, but no one is perfect. young house love - what is the hype??? looks like west elm meets ikea meets cb2 meets pottery barn with a little anthropologie mixed in. nicely done and with personal style in a big box generic kind of way.

wooow

Anyone ever frequent Houzz.com? They don't post quite as often as AT (2-5 a day), but there are TONS of inspirational photos that can be saved to personalized "ideabooks", as well as, professionals (their portfolios and contact info) and a questions and answers section. I, too, do not feel quite as inspired by AT posts lately, but I also feel that way about several other design sites I frequent. Not sure why...so many ID photos are all starting to look like organized clutter to me.
At least at Houzz, I can spend hours perusing different design styles.

*chuckles* The best thing about this post? Getting some great suggestions from readers for other design sites. Thanks guys! ;-D

For those who say this idea is 'tired'...well there are always new eyes looking for ideas which are new to them even if the idea itself isn't revolutionary. A kid-friendly(ish) way to display trinkets etc. is just what I was looking for.

I still need book space as well as trinket space, but I prefer to spread my books out throughout the house so that I'm always just a few steps away from a delightful read.

I think people are getting too personal with the negativity on here. If the design doesn't work in your eyes, that's perfectly fine but how about we stop insulting the people involved?

pretty :)

There's enough negativity in the world, no need to spread that around. I don't look at this everyday so it was new to me anyway. I like how simple, inexpensive changes can make such a big difference. Well done!

Wow, for a second I thought this was 13 year olds battling it out on youtube... Sometimes it's best to say your piece and just leave it alone. It's really unnecessary to keep posting and just makes you look silly.

Anyway, I love Sherry and Jon, I like that they are choosing more color this time around, and I like the color. If I'm not mistaken, the previous feature of these was just a pic in connection to the Homies winning thing. I know this comment is totally late, but I'm behind on reader and just had to comment....lol.