This Room Is a Book Lover’s Dream Thanks to an IKEA DIY and Cozy Details
Book lovers, get ready for a makeover that will steal your heart (and this one goes beyond just bookcases). This room started as a beige box catchall for Jessica Nickerson and her family, but it did contain a lot of books and what Jessica calls “random furniture.” But a year after living in their home, they were ready to turn this catchall into a cozy, functional reading room.
Jessica envisioned dark, earthy colors on the walls, paired with monochromatic seating — a look that she was able to kick off with some secondhand finds. “My vision came to life when I scored two great chairs on Facebook Marketplace for $130 for the pair,” Jessica says.
She Chose a Paint Color to Match the Secondhand Chairs
The velvety green chairs are where it all started. Inspired by their color, Jessica chose a soothing mossy green paint (Sherwin-Williams’s “Retreat”). “From there, my face looked like that heart-eyes emoji, and a plan was born,” Jessica says.
She Wanted to Create a Special Space for Her Husband to Read
“I love my husband, and he loves reading, so I wanted to give him the most special space I could,” Jessica says. That started with ripping out the old beige carpet and installing a new rug on the floor with a faded vintage look.
Of course, the walls got their green paint-over, and Jessica ended up taking over the ceiling, too. “My original plans did not include painting the ceiling, but I really wanted this space to feel relaxing, calming, and cozy,” she says.
A sleek new ceiling fan replaced the dated flush-mount light, and faux leather on the louvered door panels makes the set look brand new.
She Customized an IKEA TARVA Dresser
The hefty new bookshelves were DIY — their wood finish offers a warm contrast to the green walls. In between, Jessica added a dresser for yet more storage. She’d fallen in love with one that topped $600, but didn’t want to spend so much.
Instead, she created this one by customizing an IKEA TARVA dresser, which costs just $249. Jessica also added sconces from IKEA to the bookshelf wall to provide some soft lighting.
On the wall by the door, Jessica added some unique custom artwork: framed salt shakers that belonged to her grandparents. Jessica used IKEA frames and glued the salt shakers to a background made from a thrifted linen shirt.
She DIYed as Much as She Could to Save Money
The project took six weeks, and although it wasn’t cheap, Jessica was able to save a lot of money by DIYing as much as possible, choosing secondhand furniture, and buying large items — like the new rug — on sale. The result is a “moody, functional reading room” that Jessica predicts will get lots of use.
“I wanted to give my husband a place to put all of his books and for him to enjoy reading them in a kind of sanctuary,” she says. “I picture him in this room for years to come, and it makes me smile.”
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