Last week I made a quick stop at Lowe’s. Several employees asked if they could help me find what I was looking for and I replied with fake, cheerful, confidence: “No thanks. I’m fine.”

I marched the aisles like I knew exactly what I needed even though I had no clue and was too embarrassed to ask where the tiny, pretty, brassy, corner thingys were.

How could I tell the savvy home-improvement gurus that I was looking for jewelry? For my bookcase.

Months ago I found a humble wooden bookcase at an antique store for $25. It was the perfect size for our foyer.

When you are living large in a small space, everything has to do double duty. I can’t waste space on a lovely occasional table that holds lamps and picture frames and candles. Form and function rule the roost around here. It’s just the way it is.

That means my entryway is the library / art gallery / foyer. My “occasional table” is a hardworking holder of books. Lots of books.

There’s a bit of a shelf shortage in our home.

I have books stashed in the hutch, on the nightstands, beside the kids’ beds, and in baskets amid the Playmobil and Legos.

And there’s still a box or four in my attic from my old office. Believe it or not, I’ve actually gotten rid of a lot of books in recent years. Still, it’s just sort of bookish around here. I hope it always will be.

I dream of this:

 

And this:

 

Let’s face it. I really just want to live here. {My heart skips a beat. The Abbey Bookshop, Paris.}

But in the meantime, I’m content with my $25 slimline shelves. And while she’s practical…she’s a bit plain.

Back to my story. I remembered seeing some brassy hardware recently as I strolled the aisles of Lowe’s and it hit me: “Those hardware thingys would sure look pretty on my Plain Jane foyer bookcase.”

Here’s what I bought.

$1.96 a package.

Here’s the before BEFORE. {She was originally brown and I painted her some shade of aqua.}

 

Here’s the most recent BEFORE. {She fell prey to the great white-out, same as all my shelves and frames.}

And here she is AFTER a bit of brassy embellishment.

It’s a small change but I think it makes her a little more legit, especially since she sits in the foyer all welcomey and important.

A word to the wise: Remove your lovely succulents sitting precariously on the top of the bookcase before you hammer away at your shelves.