Back It On Up!

Spring break has officially ended for me, but in true Colorado style, this morning greeted us with a snow day!  After a week of gorgeous 70-80 degree weather, it is now snowing big, beautiful flakes on April 3.  Funny how it evaded us all of February and March… In between answering student emails about literary analysis and putting our new crib together (it arrived on our porch yesterday—hurray), I thought I’d fill you in on my latest bookcase hack. 

Awhile back we purchased the Expedit bookcase from IKEA.  I love the clean lines, chunky edges, and functional storage options.  But after putting the bookcase together, the open back bothered me.  Notice the three—yes, three—electrical outlets? 

Not attractive.  Not to mention that an open back begs for some applied creativity. 

So I started brainstorming ideas.  My first inclination was to purchase some thin pressed board from Home Depot for about $8, cover it in a cheerful fabric, and then adhere it to the back of the bookcase.  Apparently this is a common solution to the open backing of the Expedit bookcase, along with wallpaper, etc.  Sadly, after browsing the fabric at JoAnn’s and online, I realized that my favorite finds were a bit…pricey.  Since I didn’t want to spend much money or time on the project, I decided to keep my options open.  Enter: Target!

There is something about perusing the aisles of Target that never fails to inspire me.  This trip was no exception.  While walking past the placemats, these geometric vinyl mats caught my eye.  Hm. 

Hmm.

Hmmmmm…

I must have a thing for vinyl placemats, because while I can’t say I fancy them on the dining room table, I’m drawn to them as wall art.  Remember these guys?  They’re still gracing our living room walls in all their green, textured glory.  I figured if I like framed placemats, I might like them as bookcase backing, so I snatched up eight mats at $1.99 each and bustled home to test my theory. 

You know I love changing things up, so I was very happy to find that blue painters tape—which is easy to remove from surfaces—was all I needed to adhere the placemats to the back of the bookcase.  It’s not a permanent solution, but I love knowing that they can be switched out at any time without leaving lots of holes in our bookcase. 

I chose not to cut my placemats, just in case I want to use them elsewhere down the road, so the bottom ones on the very bottom shelf overlap a bit. 

But unless you’re lying flat on the floor and looking directly at that spot, it’s not noticeable, especially since those slots are being filled with storage baskets.  I think I secretly like knowing that I’ve jimmy-rigged parts of our house décor.  A custom look doesn’t always require lots of time and money, which is good news for this gal. 

A peek at the backside…

I’m not done styling the bookcase, but for a few “after” shots I threw in some baskets (also from Target—oops, forgot to remove the tags) and a few clearance items that I’ve been collecting on the sly.  Mister Owly might be getting himself a new coat of feathers, as hunter green isn’t exactly my fav and I’m jonesing to break out the spray paint when my mom comes to visit.  TBD.

So am I the only one who finds uses for vinyl placemats?  This could be my new addiction…