Small Mid-Century Modern Nursery Bookcase Makeover

When starting this furniture upcycle I had a farmhouse-style plan for this piece. Things took a sudden turn in the direction of a mid-century modern nursery bookcase makeover after having a light bulb moment.



I got to thinking mid-makeover how cute this small bookshelf would be in a baby's room. So I contacted my daughter-in-law to plant the seed. Before you think, whoa wanna be grandma, that's a little forward. She IS expecting...and I got the thumbs up.



A small bookcase makeover for a baby nursery with mid-century modern style by replacing bun feet with vintage tapered wooden feet for a new look.

Mid-Century Modern Nursery Bookcase Makeover

This is my son and daughter-in-law's first baby and our grandson or granddaughter (my grandma sense says it's the latter) is due to arrive in August. They are in the process of designing a gorgeous mid-century modern-style nursery. I'll be sharing the matching dresser/change table makeover soon.



The initial motivation for the bookcase makeover is our Int'l Bloggers Club challenge. The theme this month is Painted Furniflips. It's been several months since I've done a furniture makeover and it's about time I got back in the saddle. With the change in direction for this piece, our furniture challenge is perfect timing.



A small bookcase makeover for a baby nursery with mid-century modern style by replacing bun feet with vintage tapered wooden feet for a new look.

If you haven't heard of our Int'l Bloggers Club, we are a group of blogging friends from around the globe who come together on the third Monday of every month to share a themed DIY project. Links to my uber-talented friend's painted furniture makeovers are included further down in the post.



We have members from Spain, South Africa, Australia, the USA, and Canada. The theme for our last challenge was Don't Sweater The Small Stuff where I made two Recycled Sweater Easter Egg Wreaths.



I've had this bookcase for many years and it has made its rounds throughout our home. The last being my former office before my new home office makeover. Here's what the bookcase looked like in its home office days, painted glossy black and white stripes.



A small bookcase makeover for a baby nursery with mid-century modern style by replacing bun feet with vintage tapered wooden feet for a new look.

Here is the wooden bookcase after the makeover. Big difference, right?



A small bookcase makeover for a baby nursery with mid-century modern style by replacing bun feet with vintage tapered wooden feet for a new look.

Switching the bun feet for wooden tapered feet completely changed the look to a mid-century modern style. It's painted with Behr Chalk Decorative Paint in custom colors but more about that later in the post.



This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.



Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the nursery bookcase, almost all of the DIY projects shared here at Interior Frugalista have step-by-step tutorials so why not get your budget DIY on and subscribe. You can also follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.



A small bookcase makeover for a baby nursery with mid-century modern style by replacing bun feet with vintage tapered wooden feet for a new look.

First Let's Talk Safety

It's very important that bookcases in a nursery or child's room be mounted on the wall with metal brackets and heavy-duty drywall anchors (if you don't hit a stud). To a child, a bookcase is like their own personal climbing apparatus and the last thing you want is it toppling over.



Here's How I Did It

Judging by the next photo you'd think I was painting a pine box (if you know what I mean 😉). When doing furniture makeovers I find it easier to have the piece on a work table because the ole knees ain't what they used to be.



Prep Is The Most Important Step

The biggest job in this makeover was prepping the bookcase for paint. Like I always say, prep is the most dreaded but important step. I had to get suited up for this one! It took a few hours with a mouse sander to knock back the glossy black finish.



A small bookcase makeover for a baby nursery with mid-century modern style by replacing bun feet with vintage tapered wooden feet for a new look.

Before moving on to the fun part, one coat of Zinsser Bulls Eye 123 Primer over the entire bookcase not only covers the black paint but it gives the new paint some bite.



Painting The Bookcase

If you’ve been following my furniture upcycles then you know that my preference is to use chalk paint. It has low to no VOCs (volatile organic compounds), dries quickly, and has a durable matte finish. No VOCs are especially important with children's furniture.



The nice thing about using Behr Decorative Chalk Paint from Home Depot is that they can color match any color you want. Mr. Frugalista so kindly took a piece of the white crib along with a Cloverdale paint chip and they matched the colors perfectly.



Hey, at least it's a pretty pine box!



A small bookcase makeover for a baby nursery with mid-century modern style by replacing bun feet with vintage tapered wooden feet for a new look.

It took four coats of custom white paint color to cover the black. It is applied with a small foam roller with a one-hour wait time between coats. Lightly sand between coats with 220-grit sandpaper for a nice smooth finish.



Now it's time for that pretty pop of teal on the beadboard. It's a custom mix from a Cloverdale paint swatch (0668) called Wish Upon A Star. Such a fitting name for a nursery!



After the last coat of white paint dried overnight, I used Frog Delicate Surface tape to mask off the sides. An art brush works well to paint inside the grooves of the beadboard and an angled brush works well along the edges. The beadboard back is painted with three coats of teal applied with a small foam roller, with an hour between coats.



A small bookcase makeover for a baby nursery with mid-century modern style by replacing bun feet with vintage tapered wooden feet for a new look.

Another Sudden Change In Direction

This is the point in the makeover where I got the idea to replace the bun feet with wooden tapered legs. And I just happened to have four in my stash, with brass tips (gold is the other accent color in the nursery).



A small bookcase makeover for a baby nursery with mid-century modern style by replacing bun feet with vintage tapered wooden feet for a new look.

I also had metal brackets in my stash for the legs and mounted them to the bottom of the bookshelf.  The wooden legs are stained with dark walnut gel stain, applied with a lint-free rag. Once the stain was no longer tacky the brass tips were glued on with E6000 glue.



I think the stain color is so pretty with the teal and white.



A small bookcase makeover for a baby nursery with mid-century modern style by replacing bun feet with vintage tapered wooden feet for a new look.

Protecting The Paint Finish

This makeover is so hot off the press that it hasn't got a protective finish on it yet. What I'll be doing is using a paint sprayer to apply a couple coats of an interior non-yellowing semi-gloss diamond clear coat.



Pro-Tip

What I've learned over the years, and was recently reminded of when doing our kitchen makeover, is that a diamond clearcoat does not yellow over time. I used interior Varathane Diamond Wood Finish, a water-based product.

A small bookcase makeover for a baby nursery with mid-century modern style by replacing bun feet with vintage tapered wooden feet for a new look.

I can’t wait to see how this mid-century-style bookcase looks in the nursery.



Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today. I hope you were inspired by the small bookcase makeover. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!



A small bookcase makeover for a baby nursery with mid-century modern style by replacing bun feet with vintage tapered wooden feet for a new look.

If you enjoyed this nursery room bookcase idea, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your DIY Nursery Furniture or Bookcase Makeovers board on Pinterest.




A small bookcase makeover for a baby nursery with mid-century modern style by replacing bun feet with vintage tapered wooden feet for a new look. #nurserybookcase #nurserybookshelf #furnituremakeover #bookcasemakeover

Now let's see my talented friend's Painted Furniture pieces by clicking the links below.



Painted Furniture Challenge for the talented members of the Int'l Bloggers Club

Melamine Faux Distressed Metal Cabinet | A Crafty Mix

Marilyn Monroe Decoupage Dresser | Unique Creations By Anita

Painting Vinyl Fabric | Birdz Of A Feather

IKEA Marius Stool Makeover | What Meegan Makes

Mid-Century Modern Nursery Bookcase Makeover | Interior Frugalista



I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.



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Comments

  1. First, congrats on the impending bundle of joy - how exciting! Such a beautiful makeover Marie; your son and DIL are going to have the most fashionable nursery around! I can't wait to see it in the nursery too.

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    1. Thanks Sara, we are very excited! They are designing an absolutely gorgeous nursery with a tasteful MCM vibe and I can't wait to see it when it's done. The makeovers for this room are fun because my favorite furniture makeovers are mid-century style.

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  2. Congrats, granny! I am amazed with the striking difference of the bookshelf. You made tit spectacular!

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    1. Thank you so much Maya! We are very excited to have our family growing once again. I'm very pleased with the bookcase transformation. It turned out even better than I had imagined.

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  3. Congratulations grandma to be, how exciting. You did a fabulous job on that bookcase and the colours are just perfect. I am sure they will love it, can't wait to see the other matching pieces. Lastly that safety gear needs a mention, I had to giggle. I thought I was the only one that looked like a Martian in my workshop. You look to posh for that get up 🤣🤣

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    1. Thanks Anita, we are pretty excited to be grandparents again. I love the colors my son and DIL are doing their nursery. They just finished doing a gorgeous wood slat chevron feature wall in the teal color for the nursery. As for sporting my martian look, I had a photo and a short video ("take me to your leader") to choose from for the post and I chicken out and went with the photo. LOL

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  4. You rocked this and then some! It will look awesome.

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  5. It is nice to view your projects. Thanks for detailed tutorials

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    1. Thank you Bindu, I'm happy to hear you like the projects and detailed tutorials shared here on the blog!

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  6. Congrats sweet friend on another beautiful grandbaby on the way. Love the bookcase it is gorgeous. You have such great vision. Happy Sunday. Have a wonderful new week. xoxo

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    1. Happy Sunday to you too, Kris, and thank you for your sweet comments. We are very excited for our family to be growing some more. This summer is going to be a great one!

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  7. Loved this piece! Is diamond the name brand clear coat you used? I looked it up and it looks like this brand is for metals...just want to be sure before I buy this product.

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    1. Hi Colleen, it is Interior Varathane Diamond Wood Finish. Thanks for the reminder that I need to add a link in the post.

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  8. This turned out gorgeous! Baby will love it :-) It amazes me how paint can totally transform a piece!

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    1. Right! It's quite the drab to fab makeover thanks to the paint colors and those sweet MCM legs. I'm glad you like it!

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  9. I love how you work your magic on furniture Marie! The new paint colors and legs are perfect and so cute for a kids room or nursery. I'm featuring your post at our Tuesday Turn About Link Party and hope to see you back again this week!

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    1. Thank you so much, Michelle, for your kind words and for the feature. It is much appreciated! xo

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  10. Congratulations on the upcoming baby arrival!! How exciting! Love your makeover :) Such a huge improvement. I'm glad you shared about safety with book shelves too!

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    1. Thank you Cindy! We're pretty excited to have another little one on the way to spoil. Big difference between the before and after, right! LOL I can't wait to see it in the nursery once it's all done.

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  11. I love this makeover, of course anything mid-century is my furniture love language. I am sure your son and daughter-in-law will enjoy it . Congrats on the new grandbaby. My first grandbaby will be here within the next week. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful makeover post with us this week. #HomeMattersParty

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    1. How exciting, congratulations on your first grandbaby, Donna! Being a grandparent is the best.

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  12. Your bookcase looks totally different with it's new feet.
    It turned out perfect.
    Happy Mother's Day,
    Kippi

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    1. Thank you Kippi, I'm pleased with the new look. Happy Mother's Day to you as well!

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  13. What a great way to salvage a great piece of furniture and add some color to the room

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    1. Thank you so much, Janet. The bookcase looks so pretty in my son and DIL's nursery. We delivered it yesterday.

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