I Got Your Back

The quickest way to get someone’s attention is to put something fantastic on your back.  Just ask the Victoria’s Secret Angels. Do you think anyone would give them a second look without those 10-foot-tall angel wings they wear as they parade their supermodel bodies down the runway in their underwear? HA!

Ok, bad example.

Just ask anyone walking around with a pet monkey. Or that kid in school with the coolest backpack. You know what I’m talking about right?

Me neither.

The point is, don’t overlook the back. It’s a great place to add some flair. Kim had a blank little shelf and decided to glam it up, starting with the back.

“Cool, she added a mirror,” you’re thinking. Well wait just a goll’ durned second, partner. That’s no ordinary mirror. That’s a mirror that she antiqued herself with a subtly elegant damask pattern. It was like, a big long process with chemicals and tears. Give her a hand!

Here’s a close up where you can see the pattern peeking through:

And be sure to check out Kim’s complete step-by-step tutorial on her blog Hunt and Host.

 

What if your item doesn’t have a back to speak of? Like Emily’s storage cubby below?

 

Pshh, easy. You just add one. She cut a thin MDF board down to size, wrapped it in peel-and-stick paper, and nailed it to the back. So cute! And so simple! I think I have at least three pieces in my home that could benefit from a new back. What about you?

But she didn’t stop there. Since this storage cubby was going in in her master bedroom, she thought it needed a little more fancification. She stained pine boards, (they weren’t wide enough on their own, so she added an extra strip of wood in the middle to make it look intentional) and glued them to the top and sides. It’s such a grown up little cubby now!

Take a closer look on Emily’s blog Our House Now A Home.

Moral of the story: Don’t ignore your back. (Or your sides!)