There are some among us who add color to a room with bold fearlessness: a rich color on the wall here, a color contrasting couch there and some brightly hued throw pillows in yet another shade thrown in for good measure. For others, choosing how to brighten up a room is a more difficult decision.
A project that could make members of both groups happy is one that can be easily re-done: from color to black or white for those who lean towards neutral shades or to another color for those who favor bright shades. An inexpensive DIY involving IKEA shelves and spray paint might be just the thing.
In a post for Better Homes and Gardens, Nicole Balch of the blog Making it Lovely explains how to achieve this look with a set of IKEA Vittsjö shelves and a coat of yellow paint.
Keeping the lines simple and the look sleek allows a bold color to enhance a room without overpowering it. If you tire of yellow (or whatever color you chose), simply spray over for another look.
Via Making it Lovely
(Images: Better Homes and Garden)
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yes- this is so bright and fun! I LOVE yellow things in moderation.
Pretty! I really like these shelves from Ikea. Something a little bit nicer than particleboard and they're not that expensive. With a touch of paint no one would guess where they're from. Great update :)
These are a dream!
I would love to do this to some of the shelves lurking in my basement!
I was actually thinking of getting these shelves but spray painting them a bright turquoise instead or teal
Great idea! Turned out nice!
The room looks so happy! What a great idea.
there isn't a link to the how-to instructions from the "Make It Lovely" blog--could someone please post a link to the specific post?
oh i see now the link to the BH&G. nonetheless, the BH&G post only lists the supplies needed. could someone post some step-by-step instructions, please? i'm new to painting and have had several mishaps with not preparing different surfaces properly, leading to many a chipped paint projects, so i can use all the specifics i can get. :(
Here's my suggestion for painting:
1) Set aside the glass.
2) Buy some high-quality spray paint primer. Follow instructions carefully to prime the shelving well. (Primer makes stuff stick - it makes a world of difference! They may suggest roughing up with fine steel wool first... depends what you use?)
3) Follow instructions carefully to spray on the paint. MANY THIN COATS rather than one thick. (Do it outside, with drop cloths.)
Spray painting stuff is really pretty easy - as long as you have space and a little time to wait between coats. (And dry weather!)
This is a great idea for those of us who arent allowed to paint our walls.
Here it is in gold too:
http://home-styling.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/catalogo-e-sugestoes-store-resources.html
Here's how Kate from Centsational Girl painted hers white (with tutorial): http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2012/07/ikea-shelving-modified/
Others have gone the gold route for a glam look. Rub 'n Buff would give a textured look, as would a hammered metal spray.
I don't see the glass though in the yellow shelving--am I missing something??
I see the glass in the gold version.
@PEARLGRL: I think the glass is either painted (if that is possible) or the glass shelves were replaced with something else (possible wood or maybe mdf) and those were painted. Anyway, the shelves are now the same yellow as the frame.
I agree with Snowdin- awesome idea for people who can't paint their walls! I love the sunshine-y yellow, but any bright color like robin's egg blue, emerald green or a magenta would really add energy to boring shelving!
WOW! These look amazing.
Very nice. It's also all about the placement of items in the shelves.
Awhile ago, I brush painted the Ikea Antonius powder coated laundry stand a very similar yellow using Krylon acrylic latex enamel. I didn't prime, just slopped the paint on and it eventually stuck. The stand looks fine, but if I was to do it again, I would definitely prime first.
More recently, I repainted a black metal section frame set silver. It's not the same thing as the shelves above, but the materials would be similar. With everything unassembled, I primed the pieces with Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Water Base primer. I like the water base stuff because I can use it inside without my brain melting. I let that dry for a day and then took the pieces outside and gave them a few passes with Krylon metallic brilliant silver spray . The primer did its job and the silver paint stuck like a dream. The hardest part of the whole thing was I had to do the spraying in the middle of the night because it was right in the middle of the July heatwave and the middle of the night was the only time the temperature went under 90 degrees.
These shelves look amazing but the middle shelf is not like the idea shelf due to the missing middle piece. Does anyone know if you can remove the middle easily? It looks much more high end without it!!
Amazing.
Those shelves pictured from BH&G are not Vittsjos, they're from Room & Board I believe.
http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?productGroup=7576&catalog=room&category=rm_living_spaces&subcategory=bookcase_shelves
Thanks Gilliane for linking to my project! I also did a follow up post on several variations of Vittsjo the next day if anyone's interested: http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2012/07/versatile-vittsjo-more-ikea-hack-ideas/
The Vittsjos can give you the same look for less - they do have glass shelves - I removed them after assembling our Vittsjo shelves and spray painted them with a few cans of RustOleum spray paint. We replaces ours with wood shelves but the glass will look great with the shelving spray painted any color you like. A great way to add color without committing to painting your walls.
~ Kate
I have the same question as JHED7908. None of the articles address why the support column is missing in the wide shelving unit. Wouldn't this be a problem?
How would an apartment dweller pull this off? I have no outdoor space for spraypainting - is there a way to do this with a brush?