Family Homes

A $15 Project Turns an “Ordinary Corner” into a Major Design Moment in This Living Room

Sarah EverettLifestyle Editor, Special Projects
Sarah EverettLifestyle Editor, Special Projects
I organize the Before & After series and cover DIY and design. I joined AT in October 2020 as a production assistant. I have an MA in Journalism from the University of Missouri and a BA in Journalism from Belmont University. Past editorial stops include HGTV Magazine, Nashville Arts Magazine, and local magazines in my hometown, Columbia, Missouri.
published May 28, 2025
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Black painted brick fireplace in living room before renovation.

Joanna and her partner, Michel, have transformed much of their 52-year-old bungalow into a cozy, pattern-filled space with DIY projects, down to small details like the shelves in their little living room niche. “They were already here when we moved in,” Joanna explains on Instagram. “They’re just basic pine boards turned into shelves, really.” After painting the living room walls and fireplace Farrow & Ball’s Setting Plaster (lightened) and the trim light blue, and furnishing the room, Joanna decided to make a feature moment out of the shelves. 

Inspired by a striped wooden antique piece she’d seen online, Joanna decided to DIY her own stripes using painter’s tape and stain. She sanded the shelves for a smooth surface to paint on, taped off chunky stripes using Frog Tape, and then used SamaN’s One Step Wood Stain and Varnish in walnut to create the new look. 

The project, which took only a couple of hours for all four shelves and about $15 for the can of stain, gave the shelves “a whole new life,” Joanna says on Instagram. “I love how this little project turned an ordinary corner into a fun and eye-catching spot in our living room,” she says.

For more dreamy living room shelving ideas, check out this $500 project and these green shelves. And to see the rest of Joanna and Michel’s home, check out the full home tour.

This article originally published on Apartment Therapy. See it there: A $15 Project Turns an “Ordinary Corner” into a Major Design Moment in This Living Room

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