Putting pieces together

With 5 people living in a 2 bedroom house, I'm always trying to find new ways

to create more storage.  So I had an idea in mind (can't remember where I saw it originally) and I set out to try to recreate it.  When I saw a piece I liked at  a local thrift store, I crossed my fingers that it would still be there on 50% off day, and it was!! So I picked it up for $7.50.

It's not a quality piece, in fact all of that nice woodwork you see on the front is actually a plastic veneer, but what can you expect for $7.50?

I decided to pair it with a bookshelf that I have had for like 5 years. I bought it at Walmart. It's one of those cheap particle board things you put together yourself.

 

Now, I forgot to take photos of the painting process, but basically I painted both units white using a home made chalk paint. Because the bookshelf is like a paper veneer, I knew I would have issues with the paint sticking. Although I did a coat of primer before painting, the paint STILL is peeling right off. So I will be on the search for a new bookshelf to replace this one with.

I removed the back of the bookshelf and covered it with wall paper I found at Lowes using wallpaper paste. The paper is called Damask by allen+roth.

Here is the finished product. I am going to be painting the accent wall a darker shade of the tealish color in the paper and am on the lookout for some lighter curtains.