How to Add Curtains to Bookshelf- Bookshelf Makeover

When we moved from New york to North Carolina months back, we were on the hunt for furniture in yard sale and garage sale. We got these bookshelves for $20 in total including delivery. I know I can tackle those holes it came with and add some curtains so that I can store my electronic cutting machines and other craft supplies. Let's see how I did.

Step 1: ​Materials Used:

• Americana decor chalky finish paint
• Contact paper
• Fabric for curtains
• Sewing machine
• Paint brushes
• Nails
• Varnish
• Hammer
• Curtain rod
• Curtain holdbacks(optional)
• Painter's tape

Step 2:

Disassemble the shelf and wipe it clean with all purpose cleaner. Paint 2 coats of chalky finish paint for the whole shelf expect for the back portion. In some places, it took three to four coats to mask the stains that were already there.

Step 3:

Once the paint is dry, attach the contact paper to the back portion of both the shelves. I just used a piece of paper folded in thirds to block the holes while sticking the contact paper.

Step 4:

As I thought the fabric I got to make curtains for this bookshelf(Llama printed fabric) had many colors and the bookshelf seemed to be too plain.To bring a balance, I decided to create a pattern on the trim of the bookshelf. For this, I used washi tape(That is what I had on hand) but you can use painter's tape. I made a pattern similar to chevron(as the trim was small for a whole chevron pattern) as the fabric had chevron in it.

Step 5:

Paint the pattern in desired colors. I used 3 to 5 coats of acrylic paint for the triangles and gray chalky finish paint which had leftover from Dressing table makeover for chevron pattern. I used black sharpie paint pen to outline the pattern on the trim. Completed it with a coat of varnish(Soft touch varnish from Americana decor)

Step 6:

Now it is time for curtains, the whole idea for curtains is that I had all my machines (silhouette machines, sewing machine, laminator) on the table top in my previous craft room and it gets covered in dust quite often so I thought if I cover this shelves with curtains I can use them to store my machines and also prevent them from dust. For this, I hammered nails into each corner of the trim to make curtain rod

Step 7:

To make the curtain rod itself, I used the materials I had in hand to make as curtain rod but if you are buying stuff mainly for this I advise you to buy some strong and thick wire to act as a rod or a curtain rod itself. Here, I folded a leather cord to form a loop and secured it by winding a piece of wire. Repeated the same on the other side.

Note: I am not going to open and close the curtains constantly, I planned to use them half opened(as shown in the pics) or fully close. So I don't have any issues in using a leather cord as my curtain rod. It's been 7 months and I did not have any problem with this setup.I used the top shelf to store my machines as it is closed

Step 8:

To sew curtains, I just folded 1 inch to create a passage for curtain rod on the top and stitched. Folded and stitched the sides & bottom as I did here. Once I put the curtains, the rod sagged a little bit, so I hammered a thumb tack in the middle to give a support. (I did not want a nail in the middle so opted for thumb tack, sagging problem solved!)

Step 9:

Still, one more thing to do but it is optional, to keep the curtains away you need a curtain holdbacks. For this, I hammered a nail on the sides and used a bulky rubber band which I purchased while trying to figure out how to make this Camera lens buddy. Surprising how things this like this come in handy in a way you never imagined. That's it !! The colorful and cute bookshelf is now ready to hold all my craft supplies.

Hope this post inspires you for your next makeover. If you have access to sanding machine you can sand it before painting furniture with stains as I did not have one (or the proper place to do) I used a normal sand paper to do it but it did not help very well. As the chalky finish paint can be used for the surfaces without sanding it helped me to mask the stains.

Do you like this makeover? If you have handled this, what would you do differently? Share with me in the comments below. As always I will be happy to hear from you.

If you like this idea, please vote for me in "Shelving contest". Thank you :) For more makeovers and DIY ideas, visit www.vikalpah.com