Before & almost after

I know I've been leaving you hanging with the office makeover, it's moving along much slower than I would like, partially due to my indecisiveness.  But, it will get there.  So as to not keep you hanging any longer...I have decided to show you some progress I've made on the hutch.  You'll notice one thing is missing...the doors!  Part of the veneer is missing on one of the doors so I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do with that.  So anyways, here's my "doorless" for now hutch.

Reminder of the before

then, the first "after".  It just didn't feel right to me, like it needed something

I painted the inside purple just for fun

Then, I decided to paint the back gray, just to give it some more dimension and I think it did the trick.

striking the perfect balance when dressing a bookcase can sometimes be a challenge.  Here a few things I always try to think about or include to keep it looking balanced.

Something personal, this is my sweet nephew

something quirky/eclectic to keep things interesting

something vintage, like this old bird picture from a book I bought at an antique store

something bright (like this bowl I madeover)

here's the before...

and after a little spraypaint, I like that the inside is a different color than the outside

and of course books, I always try to go with books that color coordinate with the room.  That's not always possible so, in this case, I covered several of the books with white craft paper for a more cohesive look.

and the less attractive books found a home in the cabinet below.