"wanna be" built-in bookcase

Every spring since we've lived here, I start talking up the idea of bookcases on the wall behind the couch. The dinky picture wall (although I loved seeing my beautiful children's faces) has always been "temporary". Basketball season finally comes to an end, and we have our Saturdays back. And then begins the long list of things to get done before the grass starts to grow. Because once that stuff takes off,  one of our two weekend days are taken over by mowing,  weeding, and tending to flower beds. This time around, I stuck to my guns. Called David at work on a Wednesday, and said "What about bookcases this weekend?" And as always, I get "Sure, shouldn't be too hard". :)
And it really wasn't. A bit time consuming, yes. But that guy makes every DIY project he takes on look like a piece of cake.
And the fact we cut some corners, didn't hurt.
We bought 4 cheapo Wal-mart bookcase. Then hubby built up a base, which was probably the most time consuming for him. After attaching them to the base, and securing all four to the wall. He simply trimmed everything out.

He also put some chalking between the bookcases and the wall. Give it more a "built in" feel.

We painted the whole thing white, and I threw some Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue I had layin' around on the wall behind them. I know in pics it reads kind of funny with the green couch. And it was just a quick fix to get rid of the tan. But, I'm kind of diggin' it. Instead of re-painting, I'm thinking it's time to break down and get a new couch. I see a cool, lime green sectional in our future :)

Before. Crazy how much this room has changed in just over a year.

After. Didn't get a good shot with the same view, because the light coming through the window is causing a killer glare.

I'm not 100% sure on how I want to style them. I had an inspiration pic, that I can't seem to find. The picture showed a bookcase full of Montana jars. One on each shelf, filled with all kinds of goodies.  I tried a similar idea...with cracker jars from wal-mart. Instead of $18 a jar, I spent just $3-$5. Took the shiny tin lids off, and sprayed them with ORB spray paint. To give them a more antiqued feel. I'm slowing filling them with things that mean something. Rocks from the kid's rock collection. Shells from our CA trip. A cute little pic on a handmade easel that Micah made in art class. I have several that are empty still. And I need books. Lots more books to get them raised up to fill the space a bit more.

I'm thrilled with the end result. It's amazing how much bigger the room feels. It really added some depth and dimension. Which is exactly what I was going for.