This past week I had the pleasure of having my handy father-in-law stay with me at my new house.  We decided that we would spend his visit working away.  Here’s a picture of Daddy Klein helping me conquer my fear of, (drum roll) - THE TABLE SAW.

Let me back up and explain why TABLE SAW came into play.  Here’s a before pic with the previous owner’s set-up. 

I had no idea what to do with the turquoise “house” inlet in the wall as well as the glass shelving to the left of it.  I knew I wanted to replace the light fixtures within the “house,” but that was about it.  It wasn’t until a talented family friend and interior designer, Dee, gave me some great tips.  First, she told me to turn the “house” inlet into a regular rectangle or arch.  Then, replace the glass shelving with wooden shelves, (in comes TABLE SAW).  I still was not sure how this would look so she sent me to this fabulous interior design website, SuzanneKasler.com.  There, Dee referenced one of the bookshelves shown on Suzanne’s site:

Pretty dreamy, right?  I showed Daddy Klein the picture and he was up for the challenge, (he’s kind of like a fairy godmother, but in a rugged way with tools).  So, we set to work!

We measured out the size of the inlet and then sketched out a rough spec of it.  After purchasing the wood, I painted each piece with a white paint/primer combo, (while Daddy Klein was using the infamous TABLE SAW)!

My cat, Atom, is not amused here.  He’s mad because I disciplined him about jumping up on the freshly painted wood pieces.  Here’s my evidence of his mischief:

After all the pieces were cut and painted, we started to assemble the bookshelf.  Then, we placed it into the inlet, (while holding our breath and hoping our measurements were accurate).  SIGH! - IT FIT!

We added trim on the exterior.  I picked something that reminded me of columns and accented it with another base trim piece to take it even further.  Presto chango, here’s what it looks like now:

Daddy Klein also got rid of the “house” inlet.  I think it makes the room look larger.  I replaced the sconces with some that I found on clearance at Restoration Hardware.  The mirrored furniture piece I found at Marshall’s for $170, (pieces like this are priced at $400 and up)!  I’m still working on dressing up the room, but I think we made big steps! 

Normally, I’d celebrate with wine, but Daddy Klein prefers Iced Tea.  This was his daily fuel:

CHEERS!