Design Within Our Reach: Pimp My O'Brien

Love the looks of the DWR parallel shelving that I just blogged but can't afford either the white-lacquered $1,700 version, or the $2400 find in oak? No worries. Order the sturdy Thomas O'Brien bi-fold bookcase for $239 (74H x 72W x 11.75D) from Target and pimp it! It has great customer reviews, and since I examined this bad boy in person, I know it's nice and would be fun to alter a little with a mere can of paint.


You can white-lacquer your hearts out, or paint it bold red, black, or leave it alone because the wood is an appealing color in person. You can even do a little two-tone magic on it, like the bookcase shown above from a back issue of Living Etc magazine. Sure, the design is different, but it's the paint job we're focusing on here -- the lovely two-tone style in white and wood. Oh wait... You see this bookcase and like it so much for it's compact cuteness, and want that one instead? Well, this is a no-brain situation because you can order the Remsen bookcase as-is from West Elm for $399.

So my friends, we do have affordable options sometimes, ones that don't involve lumber yards and power tools. Just add paint!

(images from target, DWR, and living etc)

Previous
Previous

eBay Picks

Next
Next

Design Within Reach *New* Additions