Our Basement Family Room's DIY Bookshelf Cabinet

DIY BOOKSHELF BUILT-IN CABINET  | CLASSY GLAM LIVING

Like any one who has just moved into their new home (for us, that was 3 years ago 😆), there would inevitably still be unopened boxes in storage.  With my staging business in full swing, I currently use some of our basement storage for my staging supplies, and the need for additional storage space has become even more pressing.  To make space for my staging supplies, the Mr. moved our unpacked boxes out to the basement's finished area...  and the basement became an eye sore:

storage problem.jpg

Having these boxes out in the open triggered the Mr.'s OCD, pushing him to move forward with our planned DIY storage cabinet...  which otherwise might have been put on the back burner.

This rendition below was the planned furniture layout for our basement family room.  The bookcase is the DIY storage cabinet, which is to be located beside the all-purpose table area.  (You can read more about our basement layout here). 

family room view to eating.jpg

In my post about the basement layout plan, I asked readers if you would want to see a built-from-scratch cabinet or an IKEA hack with the Besta.  The results were overwhelmingly for a build from scratch cabinet.  Well, with the venting holes on the wall of either side of the bookcase, it would be more work for the Mr. to hack the Besta than to build from scratch.  That was an easy decision for him.

We loved the design of our previous home office's DIY cabinet, and re-used that with some tweaks.   The new unit is not as wide as the previous unit, so instead of 3 columns, it would be made of 2 wider columns.

DIY BOOKSHELF BUILT-IN CABINET  | CLASSY GLAM LIVING

The Mr. worked too fast sometimes that I couldn't capture his progress in photos.  I put together a video with whatever photos I have of his DIY progress.  It always blows my mind how much planning he puts into each build, and of course, all his hard work in actually building the unit.  

I love how this storage unit turned out!  Not only is it a much needed storage cabinet, but it also allows us to display our family momentos.  Well, and the Mr. is just relieved that it's done so we could unpack those boxes!  After another round of purging, those boxed items are now residing in the bottom compartments.   

DIY BOOKSHELF BUILT-IN CABINET FRONT VIEW | CLASSY GLAM LIVING
DIY BOOKSHELF BUILT-IN CABINET SIDE VIEW | CLASSY GLAM LIVING

Now that those boxes are gone, our basement family room is finally a space that we can truly enjoy.  Even with nothing to watch on TV most nights, the Mr. and I still prefer to hang out on the couch down here.  

DIY BOOKSHELF BUILT-IN CABINET ROOM VIEW | CLASSY GLAM LIVING

We would like to send a big thanks to Homesense, who have been so generous in sponsoring some accessories for styling this bookcase (and the rest of our family room)!  

DIY BOOKSHELF BUILT-IN CABINET ROOM VIEW 2  | CLASSY GLAM LIVING

Check back soon, as I'll share tips on how I styled our bookcase!  

Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations

Can you believe it?  Christmas is only 5 days away!!!  It's such a hectic but exciting time; I especially love the rush of adrenaline this season brings.  I don't think we pay so much attention to decorating our house any other season besides Christmas.  Who doesn't love all the sparkly details that make your home shine like a star?

Well, I vowed (lightly) to not buy any more Christmas decorations this year, since we really do have enough.  Then again, I use "enough" loosely; after all, a house comes to life with all the Holiday sparkles, don't you think?  Not to mention, I just can't resist the gorgeous store displays of Christmas ornaments and decor collections!

When I saw this wall of metallics ornaments at Canadian Tire, I knew I was in trouble...

Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations | ornaments | Classy Glam Living

Before I headed into Canadian Tire, I had no idea I would change out our usual Christmas ornaments (that have been used for the past several years).  Honestly though, I was getting bored of the pastel groupings.  The colours seem to be washed out by the bright tree lights.  Here's our 2015 Christmas tree:

Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations | Pastel ornaments | Classy Glam Living

I figured I didn't need to buy a whole lot of ornaments to update the look.  A light bulb came on in my head...

Remember I shared this  gorgeous pastel display at the Homesense showroom?  I was totally smittened by it:

Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations | ornaments | Winter Wonderland Homesense Decor | Classy Glam Living

Aside from the hues of pinks and blues, there were actually also mixed metallics of copper, rose gold, gold, and silver.  All the shiny metals that you can think of.

And there, Homesense and Canadian Tire inspired my new Christmas decorations palette - mixed metallics.  Here, I displayed my new ornaments on a copper tiered tray:

Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations | ornaments | Classy Glam Living 2

I kept a neutral palette for the living room, but the warm metallics created a beautiful contrast against the greys and silver tones.

Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations | Living room Christmas Decorations | Classy Glam Living
Mixed Metallics Christmas Coffee Table Styling | Classy Glam Living 2
Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations Coffee Table Styling | Classy Glam Living

I absolutely adore the vintage brass reindeers I scored on Etsy!

Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations Coffee Table Styling with ornaments | Classy Glam Living 2
Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations | glam ornaments | Classy Glam Living 2

Yes, I may have a thing for reindeers afterall!

Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations Coffee Table Styling Gold Reindeer | Classy Glam Living

In the dining room, I skipped decorating the table this year and only dressed up our console table.  A fireplace is what I miss most around Christmas time, and so our console gets the special treatment to be all decked out.  

Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations dining room console table sideboard | Classy Glam Living

I didn't want to fight with the console's French blue, so I used mainly a mix of green and gold.   I quite like the ambiance of the faux candles in the lanterns.

Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations dining room console table sideboard | Classy Glam Living 2
Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations dining room console table sideboard | Classy Glam Living 3

I also added a little touch of Christmas decoration in our dressing room.  I simply grouped a bunch of metallics ornaments under a cloche and our vanity looked instantly more festive:

Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations dressing room walk-in closet decorations | Classy Glam Living
Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations dressing room walk-in closet decorations | Classy Glam Living 2
Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations dressing room walk-in closet decorations | Classy Glam Living 3

You can never go wrong with a little black dress especially for the holidays!!

Mixed Metallics Christmas Decorations dressing room walk-in closet decorations | Classy Glam Living 4

Last but not least is our Christmas tree.  For years now, I've created clusters of several ornament balls together for visual impact.  

Mixed Metallics Christmas Tree decorations | Classy Glam Living

With our change in colour scheme, I don't think I had enough clusters of pink/ gold/ silver to go around the tree.  I will try to get more during the post-season sale!

Mixed Metallics Christmas Tree decorations | Classy Glam Living 2

I just love this adorable bird feeder ornament, with acorn accent on top.  Better yet, it's in my fave copper finish!

Mixed Metallics Christmas Tree decorations | Classy Glam Living 3

I really love our new Christmas colour theme of mixed metallics.  You can never go wrong with so much shiny decorations!  There's always this concern of mixing metals, but I actually think the mix helps to compliment and contrast against each other beautifully.

So, are you done with Christmas decorating?  Are we ever really done?  

This post was in no way sponsored by Canadian Tire, I just love their current collection of metallics ornaments.

Fall Decor Around the House

Fall Decor with HomeSense | Classy Glam Living

Buh-bye, Summer!  We've had a beautiful and hot summer in Toronto, but as much as I love this sweater season, I'm not loving the gloomy and rainy days of Fall.  I know I may be a bit late in writing about Fall decor, but I still want to document this transition with it being our first decorated Fall at this house.

I got my hands on some Fall decor accessories early on, back in first week of September!  I was incredibly honoured that I was invited to participate in HomeSense's Fall campaign.  It was such a fun experience to work with industry pros, from hair and makeup, to professional photographer and videographer, and of course the whole HomeSense crew involved in this Fall campaign.  Not to mention, how fun it was to be invited to go shopping for my fave home decor items!!

Here's my haul in the cart on the day of the shoot!  I was looking for warm metallic decor, but don't we always add a little more to our cart at HomeSense?  ;-)

The one item I was really hoping to get was the gold lantern, and wow, I found it!  The throw was a nice add-on item...  well, so were the rest of the goodies!

One that caught me by surprise was the tiered tray!!  I've always been on the look out for one, but never really found THE ONE.  I loved the bamboo details on this one and it was love at first sight!!

Throughout the past 2 months, I've gradually added these items around the house.  As the weather gets cooler, the use of warm metallics complements the woodsy Fall decor, enhancing our home with a cozy ambience.

Here's how I used the goodies from my shopping spree to decorate for Fall around our house.

The pack of Fall decorative balls in vignettes:

Fall Decor from HomeSense | Classy Glam Living
Fall Decor from HomeSense Family Room | Classy Glam Living 1
Fall Decor from HomeSense Family Room | Classy Glam Living 2

Here's the copper tiered tray from my haul, together with the decorative balls.  It adds just the right contrast to our cool-toned kitchen.

Fall Decor from HomeSense Kitchen | Classy Glam Living

This is the vignette at our entry way's console table.  I decided to make good use of this copper tray by moving it upstairs from its usual spot on our basement family room's ottoman.  I love the mix of warm metallics by adding the gold lantern from my shopping spree.

Fall Decor from HomeSense Entryway | Classy Glam Living 1

The wooden top of this console table helps break up all the gold tones in our entryway:

Fall Decor from HomeSense Entryway | Classy Glam Living 2

Just me showing some love for the gold lantern by moving it around the house =) ... Here it is on our living room's coffee table.  I've also added my beloved new throw on our couch:

Fall Decor from HomeSense Living room family room | Classy Glam Living 1

I changed out the blue pillow cover to this darker neutral...

Fall Decor from HomeSense Living room family room | Classy Glam Living 2

... so that the pillow covers are a neutral backdrop when I add Fall colours in the new silver earthware bowl:

Fall Decor from HomeSense Living room family room | Classy Glam Living 3

Then I realized, I still prefer soft colours in the living room over the bold Fall colours:

Fall Decor from HomeSense Living room family room | Classy Glam Living 4
Fall Decor from HomeSense Living room family room | Classy Glam Living 5

When I finally put out all the Fall decor, which wasn't long ago, I finally packed up these summer decor accessories:

Summer Decor Accessories | Classy Glam Living

Yes, I know, my transition in seasonal decor is, umm, slow.  Thanks to HomeSense once again for the invite to this unforgettable experience!  I was able to get the early bird dip in shopping for Fall decor and have my hands on these goodies. 

Now that I have our Fall decor down to a T, I think I can start making way for Christmas decor. I'm not really into bold red and green Christmas decor.  This beautiful display of soft metallics and pastel winter wonderland at the HomeSense showroom is just my cup of tea.

Have you started decorating your home for Christmas?  Do you have a colour theme?