A Family Home, Renewed
In 2019, Beckler and her husband moved into his childhood home after his father’s death from cancer. The couple sold their own home and took over the family mortgage to provide stability for his sister, who has a developmental disability.
The “builder-grade” house, stuck in the 1990s, needed updating. With no renovation budget, Beckler began tackling projects herself. Her first experiment? A blue accent wall, achieved by color-matching an expensive shade at a local paint store for less.
From Accent Wall to Library
By 2021, the entire living room was blue. New flooring followed in fall 2023. But Beckler felt the room lacked character. Inspired by a photo featuring wall-to-wall bookshelves, she envisioned a library filled with her antique books and vintage finds.
Despite initial nerves about the small room feeling cramped, Beckler built two walls of shelving herself. She used 1-foot-by-12-foot boards, adding fluted casing, square rosettes, and decorative chair rail for a custom look.
Personal Touches, Intentional Styling
Beckler painted the shelves the same blue as the walls for a seamless look. She styled them intentionally, leaving room for future finds. Each piece holds meaning, from books used in her wedding centerpieces to treasures found antiquing with her parents.
“I want our home to feel like a reflection of our family,” Beckler tells PEOPLE. The library, she says, proves that creating a special space doesn’t require a designer or a big budget.
$1,275 in materials later, Beckler’s DIY project has given the family home new life—and saved thousands in the process.
Sources
- Woman Saves Thousands Building ‘Wall-to-Wall’ Bookcases on Her Own, Giving ‘Builder-Grade’ ‘90s Home More ‘Character’ (Exclusive)
- Woman Saves Thousands Building ‘Wall-to-Wall’ Bookcases on Her Own, Giving ‘Builder-Grade’ ‘90s Home More ‘Character’ (Exclusive)
Photo: Aleksei Ieshkin / Unsplash (Unsplash License)
