DIY Tone on Tone Feature Wall with Built In Bookshelves

I’m sharing how to create a DIY tone on tone color feature-wall with built in bookshelves, an antique mantel and board and batten.

I have to say, this might be my favorite home project to date! I will let you all decide for yourself, but man oh man what a statement this wall is now! The best part of this wall of built in bookshelves, it only cost a few hundred dollars. You know me, I love a good before and after, especially when it doesn’t break the bank. If anything, I hope my DIY tone on tone feature wall with built in bookshelves will inspire you to create a statement wall in your home.

Let’s take a look at what this wall used to look like. Below is a picture from my Rustic Farmhouse mantel.

When we moved into our rustic beach house, I knew exactly where I wanted to put my antique fireplace mantel.

After living with this layout for a few months, I felt like the wall looked bare. This is a large and tall wall that swallowed up my mantel.

I decided that I needed a few bookshelves around the mantel!

My favorite go-to second hand “thrift store” is facebook marketplace! Why travel to thrift stores when most of the time you can see what’s on sale by their facebook page or a FB marketplace listing! I tell ya, shopping is getting too easy.

Let me show you two fabulous bookshelves I found on the marketplace.

It must have been meant to be because the width is exactly the same as the fireplace mantel. Total score!

My “design plan” was to paint the bookcases and fireplace mantel the same color and secure them to the wall so it looked like one unit. I love the new tone on tone look!

So I started to paint. Below is the color I chose.

The color is Sherwin Williams Cityscape.

Painting the feature wall and bookcases the same color to create a tone on tone color

Once the painting was done, I removed the baseboards that were in front of the bookcase unit and secured all three pieces to the wall.

I then decided that the wall still wasn’t complete. You probably know what came next…..I started to paint the entire wall with a tone on tone effect.

Once again, I felt like it still needed something else.

Why not add a little DIY board and batten?

In our previous home, I installed board and batten in the hallway off of the garage to create a modern farmhouse style mudroom.

I loved the way this turned out. I did decide this time around that I would add vertical boards too.

Other than adding the vertical boards, the only thing I did different was to cut the bottom and top of the boards at 45 degree angles to “blend” better with the baseboards. I shared in another post how to install board and batten without removing the baseboards.

Adding board and batten to the blue DIY feature wall

The board and batten was the finishing piece to the DIY wall of built in bookshelves!

DIY Tone on Tone color Feature Wall with Built In Bookshelves

I kept the old DIY Birch wood fireplace cover because I thought it added nice texture to the space.

What do y’all think?

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Check out more awesome wall molding ideas here too!

I love those little LED library lights! Best part, they run on batteries so I didn’t have to worry about wiring anything!

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By the way, we’ve since swapped out the birch fireplace for a real electric fireplace. See how I made a DIY Raised Electric Fireplace Hearth with Stone.

As always, thank y’all for stopping by! I hope I’ve inspired you to create something!

Lindsey**