Help me with this bookshelf I need inspiration

[whatshallidowithyou]

Picked this corner bookshelf up and I love it! It’s about 6.5ft and will look lovely in our period property. Should I sand it back and oil/wax it or paint it ?
In the same room we’ll have a navy blue velvet sofa so I want it to look right.

Any ideas?

Do you have any other wooden furniture in the room, or a wooden floor? Just wondering if you want it to coordinate with something existing? Also what wall colors etc do you have?

No not yet ! When we move in we’ll be starting the room from scratch and we hope the floorboards will be good enough to use rather than carpeting

Pine wood is out of fashion.

indeed? In that case Well done OP on having your own great sense of style rather than following some one else

if you love it I would guess sand and wax would be best - keep it’s character

Who cares what's in fashion? If you love something, that's all that matters!

We have a mix of woods (mostly oak and mahogany) and some painted furniture. If something came along that we loved and that happened to be pine - or any other 'unfashionable' material - we'd happily buy it.

Previously I've painted a bookcase (not as nice as yours @whatshallidowithyou - it was a rickety old one we found under the stairs when we bought our house 😉) the same colour as the walls in a 'colour drenched' room. More recently we replaced it with a mahogany one found at auction. I'm sure mahogany isn't considered in fashion either, but I'm not remotely interested in what is!

Sanding and waxing sounds like a lovely plan for your bookcase.

Woods don't need to match, eclectic is good imo and whether you decide to paint it or not, I'm sure it will look fab in your new home!

Okay? Well thank you for your input.

Thank you !
I know pine is considered old fashioned but it would be a shame to waste solid wood due to “fashion” especially for free !
I don’t want my house to look like everyone’s else lol.

We’ve actually been left a really old trolley style table that I am looking forward to up cycling too.

I just wasn’t sure if painting it was the right thing to do or if I should keep the wood (sanded) decisions !!
With our sofa being so bold I think that needs to be the main star in the room if that makes sense so I may sand and wax the bookcase

Id look for a wax with a white time as it might look orange next to your navy sofa.

Sorry what does white time mean ?

What about painting the edges and trims a navy blue but leaving the wood inside the Shelves (just sanding them)

Something like this

White tone, sorry.
The example you've shared demonstrates exactly what I mean, the pine looks orange. If you like that, that's fine, but if you want a more neutral look, find a wax or varnish that is white to neutralise the orange.

Wood is never out of fashion. What a weird comment from a PP. Natural wood colours and patterns are stunning. I'd sand and wax it. Though it could look lovely with a painted outer frame and wooden interior as in the photo above.

The other thing I might do with it is paint it a neutral oatmeal or white so the things you put on it really stand out.

I picked up a pine bookshelf recently, gave it a light sand and oiled it with a natural oil. It looked amazing.

Oh I see ! No I hate the orange 😆 definitely want to sand those shelves back and wax, would osmo oil work?

I was thinking an odd white but i worry about yellow tones with creams!

Would you mind sharing a pic ? 🫶

I really like the dark blue, but would consider painting the inside white or a contrasting colour.
I wouldn't wax or oil the shelves as if you put books on them they (the books) may get stained.

Unfortunately I cant, we are moving and its packed!

I’d paint it dark blue to match the sofa

Mahogany would seem to be back in fashion if the furniture displays in John Lewis are anything to go by. It's a lot of dark woods, bottle green, ochre and wine, with copper accents and jewel coloured cushions.
Probably by the spring pine will be back, with 70s style avocado and orange accents.
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