1) paint the paneling – but then it would have been
ugly painted paneling
2) Tear down the paneling
and replace with something else –
maybe someday, but not a priority right now
3) wallpaper over the paneling – much more doable and less expensive, so that became my plan!
And so many wonderful words to choose from.
It’s all in the details, so here’s a little tour of how I dressed the area up.
I reattached the coat hooks that were previously hanging in the entryway. I love the darkened, authentically-aged look of the wood – scrapes and all.
This roll-top desk was purchased by my uncle, who gave it to my mom (and she refinished it), who gave it to me. I’ve had it for at least 15 years.
I replaced the original wood knobs with some lovely glass ones.
On top, 2 gorgeous old sewing machines.
I love the names of them – “Honeymoon” & “Domestic”.
Here’s the steamer trunk tray and the amber bottles I decided not to sell. They both were just too perfect for this space to part with them.
On the side of the desk is my Industrial Chair that I added vintage ephemera to.
Now to put the details together…
Total cost for this project?
$23
$3 for the dictionary and $20 for the glue
I’d love to say this room is finished, but the floor is plain concrete that has lots of stains.
I still have plenty of glue left to finish the other walls. I have enough dictionary pages left to do another small room!
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I Love your walls! They turned out beautiful! Makes me wish I had panel walls to hide 🙂 What a wonderful idea!
Beautiful transformation! Love the scripture on the blackboard that ties it all together. . .very clever! Love the look ~ your name is written ALL over it! Blessings!
Amazing! Beautiful and creative use of the dictionary. You are so brave to do it, not everyone could pull it off but with all your details the room really comes together. I love the chair and your roll top desk. The walls are absolutely unique and wonderful! I’m totally pinning this right now – as a book lover – on my Home Library board. This would look beautiful in a home library too. Thanks for sharing. Saw you on TT&J.
OH ME OH MY!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!! what can one say except for “that’s AMAZING!!!!!!! Can I come over and Read your walls…;) well I know who to go to when I need to know the meaning of a word..;) have I told you that I LOVE it!!!! Well I do…. Love it that is… 😉
Well this certainly turned out great…and $23?! Very creative!
how fabulous is this! not only is it gorgeous i feel smarter all ready : ) hugs…
Oh Angie, so that is what you have been doing. I LOVE it and I think most bloggers like us that love this look wish we have old yucky paneling to cover instead of new sheetrock walls that we don’t want to harm. You never have to buy the expensive Mod Podge again, just mix equal amounts of white glue with water and you have it. You are doing a great job…one room at a time, making your new house a home.
Oh – I love it all! Can I come over and just browse and snoop? I think we’d be great soul mates 🙂 Wish you lived nearby (maybe you do – I didn’t check). And I have my Etsy stuff all over the house too 🙂 Enjoy your new room.
Oh – and you can make homemade mod podge and use less glue. It is 3 parts glue and 1 part water… forgot to mention that. 🙂
This is gorgeous! We have icky paneling too. In some rooms we did paint it, but in the living/dining area, hubby sealed it with Kilz and then we spackled over it by filling in the grooves and we textured the entire room and made it look like old plaster. I love it! Neither of us like paneling. ICK!
Your entry tells a lot about you from the first step into your home for anyone lucky enough to receive an invitation!
Love it all!
XO Diane
I am a detail-oriented person but found myself having to resist a strong urge to go to the end of the post so I could see the finished project. (Like when reading a good novel and you just can’t wait to get to the end so you peek at the last page. Actually I’ve never done that but have been tempted plenty of times.) It was well worth the wait. Absolutely brilliant! Keep on inspiring us!
I need one more detail please. How did you handle the grooves in the paneling when gluing the pages?
I think this looks fabulous! I have a huge old dictionary . . . hmmmm . . .
And you were so right to keep all of those old bottles!
WoW1 That is an amazing transformation!
Very unique, love how it turned out.
It looks awesome with all your accesories. I think the floor idea is a good one as well. What a lot of work but very cost effective.
You must have WAY more patience than I do! Which is why I don’t have anything as cool as this! I love the way it turned out and what a fitting background for all your vinatge treasures!
WOW. I just saw this, and I LOVE it! The pages make such a statement, but they’re still simple and a great backdrop for all your cool stuff! Looking good, Angie!
-Revi
This is awesome! I featured you today, come check it out.
http://kim-toomuchtimeonmyhands.blogspot.com/2011/10/good-morning-sunshine_31.html
Gorgeous! I love the book pages on the wall and all your beautiful accesories.
Oh my goodness this room is fabulous! I love all of the photos and details of the room! I am in love! I would be crazy excited if you would come over and link up at Crafty Scrappy Happy :o)
http://jaimelyn11.blogspot.com/2011/11/crafty-scrappy-happy-me-thursday-10.html
Jaime from Crafty Scrappy Happy
Wow! This took some guts. It turned out fabulous! Great job.
I’m a new follower from Terrific Thursday. Won’t you hop on over and follow me back? http://mavesfaves.blogspot.com/
You had me with the dictionary…..fabulous!!
Barb
What an Incredible room, I Love the walls & the Sweet decor… I sure wish I could do that to a room, but I am a renter, maybe I could get away with just the small wall in the bathroom ~ I may try it~
Thanks for sharing
So creative! It looks incredible 🙂
Jenny
http://www.simcoestreet.blogspot.com
OMG! How amazing is that? Quite amazing, I say! I thought I was the Queen of learning to make “do” with what you have, but honey you have me beat! Congrats! I am following you from the Terrific Thursday Blog Hop!Trying to follow you but nothing is coming up. So I will finish this comment and reload the page and then follow you some kinda way. Hope you will come by and say hi! http://detroitmomandherviews.blogspot.com/
Ok, it loaded I am now following you via GFC 🙂
wow what a differance a dictionary page can make! i love how it turned out.
judi
<3, <3, <3 it!
I did a room once with maps from National Geographic. I used wallpaper paste to stick them on went over them with golden oak stain, wiping off any excess. t ended up being one gorgeous bathroom.
Oh well…the <3 were supposed to be hearts! lol
What a bargain redo…and it looks amazing. I think this would be great for my guest loo…maybee a book of poetry..lol. Wel done it looks wonderful!
Veronica
Tassels Twigs and Tastebuds
Oh my WORD! Fabulous!
Oh my goodness – I am just in awe!!! LOVE your new wallpaper!!! ;-D
robelyn
Your wallpaper is terrific! You did a great job, and the price is certainly right!
Thanks for sharing your creativity at Potpourri Friday!
It’s coming along beautifully! I love that you used a dictionary on the wall! So glad you linked up with us and can’t wait to see what you link up this week!
Marie
mylilpinkpocket.blogspot.com
Just wanted to let you know I featured you! Feel free to come grab a featured button! http://mylilpinkpocket.blogspot.com/2011/11/show-share-12-features.html
Marie
mylilpinkpocket.blogspot.com
love your blog!!!and great article I love any antique or anything old and of value!!! coming from chasing the rainbow (catching up). stop by and check out our delicious cookies http://thebrookiecookie.blogspot.com/
Oh my goodness, that was seriously AMAZING!!! My jaw dropped open when I saw how everything came together and it looks like something out of a magazine. Thank you so much for sharing it with us this past weekend at Inspiration Friday!
Vanessa
I am so glad I found your blog – that dictionary wall paper and then the collection of vintage and older furniture and wall decorations – WOW. I am going to follow in a second.
– Joy
This turned out fabulous, and your photos are wonderful, thanks so much for linking up to VIF!!
xo
I love it, Angie! How smart to have used the vintage dictionary pages as wall paper…so much more interesting. And if you ever get bored, when you’re sitting at your desk, you can always read your walls. lol
Thanks for linking to Time Travel Thursday. Hope to see you again this week. Come by tonight and see your scholarly entry featured. 😉
Hugs,
Liz @ The Brambleberry Cottage
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/
First of all, let me tell you I hung onto every word. First I saw the dictionary, my brow furrowed when you said that you were putting the pages on the wall. I thought for a milisecond “Ok this is insane”. Then picture by picture, description by description, my eyes widened. Then from “This is insane” to “This is incredible”. You clearly put in so much work, but it was truly worth it. What a fabulous idea. The dictionary wall is the perfect backdrop to your amazing antique and vintage pieces. Thanks so much for sharing your amazing vision!
Paula
ivyandelephants.blogspot.com
This looks so good! I have one of those old dictiories in my pile of yard sale stuff. Guess I’ll drag it back out and do something with it instead of selling it! Thanks for the inspiration in the knick of time! ~ Barbara
I LOVE what you’ve done!! Are you a professional designer? You could be if this is an indication of what you do. I found you through At the Picket Fence, my first visit here, not my last though!
craftythriftydecoratingwifemom.wordpress.com
The entrance looks really good! Great update!!
Donna G
Oh my goodness- how charming!! Love how it turned out- thanks for linking up at Feathered Nest Friday!
How cool!! Love,love those sewing machines!!
Thanks again for partying with us at Share & Share!
That is just amazing – I love the dark silhouettes of the scissors against the words. And the illustrations!
what an incredible re-do! creative and beautiful. greetings on pearl and lace thursday (& friday…!) xo
I am in awe. Thank you so much for linking up to last weeks show and share. Make sure to come back and link up this week with your latest project.
A mommy’s life…with a touch of yellow
tyandwhitneyulrich.blogspot.com
WOW! Brilliant idea. Looks great!
I absolutely love the dictionary wallpaper, and the verse on the chalkboard is wonderful with it. I’m pinning this! Little Bit from DecorateWithaLittleBit.com
It looks fantastic! I love the vintage appeal of it! 🙂 So lovely!
http://munchtalk.blogspot.com/
I so much love what you do! You have great ideas!!
Anne.
I could not love this any more. It is fabulous!
We took our old paneling down – it was just nailed with small paneling nails, not glued – and used the table saw to cut the paneling into 6-inch width strips lengthways, so they were 6-inches wide, 8(ish)-feet long.
We turned them over so the front faced the back, and tacked them back up on the wall lengthways, so they look like planking. Primed and painted white, they look like planked walls, similar to your kitchen walls.
When we ran out of paneling, we bought some thin plywood, luann or sheathing, at the home improvement store.
That’s such a great idea, Melissa!
I’m just perusing this post… and am trying to visualize this room now. Do you have dictionary pages on 1 side and white painted pallet board on the other side (walls I mean)? Would love a whole room shot! Love it and all that you do.
Joyce, no – the dictionary pages are completely covered with pallet boards now – the full reveal of the makeover is coming very soon!