A while back I began transforming a guest room that also serves as my daughter Courtney’s room when she comes home from college. What began as a small refresh has turned into a longer project, and I’m excited to share the latest update.
The last time I shared photos the room was mid-project — the walls were painted (a softened Studio Taupe lightened with white) and we were getting new carpet. That update was over a year ago, and a lot has happened since then.
Today I’m happy to show the new library bookshelves we added. The rest of the room has progressed as well, and I’ll post a full update soon with more details. I promise it won’t take another year!
In the past year Courtney graduated with an interior design degree and moved into her own place. This room remains her home base when she visits, but it also functions as a guest room. During the week it’s a quiet retreat I’ve claimed as a personal space to relax — for simplicity I’ll keep calling it the guest room.
But secretly, I call it MINE. I love it.
One of my priorities for this room was to add bookshelves. We love books, and shelves not only look warm and collected, they’re practical and make good use of vertical space. I enjoy open shelving throughout the house — from kitchen cookbooks to decorative accessories — so having bookshelves here felt right.
Our rooms are cozy, and I don’t want them cluttered with too much furniture. At the same time, I’m not a minimalist — empty rooms feel lifeless to me. Built-in bookcases would have been ideal, but given our budget and timeline, ready-to-assemble units were a sensible compromise.
We chose three matching bookcases from the Threshold line at Target. They arrived quickly and my husband assembled them. Although they’re three separate pieces, placed side by side they read like one continuous built-in unit without any modifications.
We’re thrilled with how the bookcases transformed the room. They immediately gave the space more personality and function — it feels like we gained an extra room. Best of all, everything on the shelves already lived in our home; I simply gathered books and accessories from other rooms. That made the styling quick, budget-friendly, and satisfying.
The shelves have also helped tame the stray books and decorative items that had no dedicated place. It’s a small change with a big impact: the room is more organized, more useful, and more enjoyable to spend time in.
I’ll share more photos and details of this makeover soon — it’s become one of my favorite rooms in the house.
Little by little our home is getting decluttered and more organized, and we’re making the most of the space we have.
Note: I’m excited to show updates to our son’s room next — look for that update this week. We’re making great progress on the bedrooms.
This post about our home library was created in partnership with Target. I received a gift card in connection with sharing about their school library program, but the room and my opinions are my own.
Target has been working on school library makeovers to refresh elementary school libraries across the country. These projects reimagine outdated spaces into engaging learning centers stocked with books and upgraded technology to encourage reading and learning.
Each remodeled library typically receives thousands of new books and modern learning tools, and students often leave with books to take home. Programs like this support early literacy and Target’s broader education initiatives.
Do you have a home library?
Click here for the Bookshelf Source