Bedroom Tour: Reading Nook With an Awesome IKEA Bookcase Hack

** This IKEA Bookcase Hack post was updated: 4/3/20

Now that we’re all stuck in the house and doing a bit of spring cleaning, I figured I would finally update this post that ended up gaining a lot of traction on Pinterest!

This was my first “big girl” apartment that I had in Arlington, VA — it felt amazing to finally have a space of my own that wasn’t a dorm room or a campus apartment. I had a lot of fun decorating this space, and I can’t wait to show you more of my current home in the next few weeks.

What I love about this DIY Ikea Bookcase Hack is that it was super easy to complete, and it really makes your space look a lot more polished and elevated. If you’re looking to refresh your space on a budget, I’d highly recommend giving this project a try over the weekend!
 

DIY Ikea Bookcase Hack

This post was initially part of my bedroom reveal series in 2016. You can also view my office and bedroom reveal from the space, and see it in its entirety on The Everygirl!

Before I redid my bedroom, I had a clunky, black IKEA bookcase. And zero bookcase styling. It looked a little amateur and wasn’t really a fit for my personal style. I was browsing other bookcases and I had intentions to invest in a higher-end bookcase, but my interior designer Raquel from The Petite Decor suggested doing this awesome DIY IKEA Bookcase Hack since I wasn’t finding shelves in my budget. This IKEA bookcase hack was pretty easy for me to do by myself, and I would highly suggest it to anyone who’s decorating on a budget.

I’m also a big fan of the way Raquel styled my shelves. I told her that while I wanted a place to store my books and magazines, I wanted to give it a bit of fashion girl flare. I’m also somewhat limited on handbag storage, so I placed some of my favorite bags up at the very top. Who says purses can’t be decor?

What really finished off my office area were these prints from Minted. I opted for a fun gold foil print and a large paintbrush print that went above my (very fun!) pink chair. I love shopping for prints at Minted because you can choose art that’s framed or unframed, it ships super quickly and you have a ton of smaller artists to shop from.

When you’re attempting this DIY IKEA Bookcase hack, I’d highly recommend sanding down the shelves and priming them first. You’ll also likely need to do a couple of coats. Spring is the perfect time to tackle this project — if you’re spray painting the bookcase outdoors, you’ll want to ideally do so in 50°- 85° F degree weather so that the paint will stick.

Shop My Reading Nook Area:

IKEA Shelves (DIY Hack tutorial here)
Pink Chair: World Market (Sold Out, Similar Chair Here)
Mirror: Kirkland’s (Similar Version Here)
Minted Art Pieces (One & Two) ℅
Gold Starburst: Z Gallerie
Purses: Hobo the Original and Vera Bradley
Succulent Holder: Homegoods
Stripe Magazine Holders: Target (Sold Out, Similar Magazine Holder Here)
French Bulldog Tape Dispenser: Target (Sold Out, Similar Figurine Here)
Giraffe Figurine: Kirkland’s (Identical Figurine Here)
Black Vase: ℅ BoConcept (Sold Out, Similar Vase Here)
Black Greek Box: ℅ Mintwood Home (Sold Out, but these boxes are a great option!)
Gold Skull: ℅ Dormify (Sold Out; Similar Version Here)
Gold Bowl: Target (Sold Out, Similar Bowl Here)

Photos by: Lauren Joseph

Thank you to Raquel from The Petite Decor for the fabulous room design!

What kind of Ikea bookcase hack have you seen before?  Let me know in a comment below!