Built ins.

That was a term that I was always passively searching for in the real estate listings when we were house hunting. Original built ins and pocket doors. We ended up with 3 sets of built ins throughout the house. No pocket doors but I’m over it.

I love our built ins! Here’s what they looked like the day we moved in. Ignore all of the stuff. At one point there were doors on the bottom but the last owner removed them. I’d like to put some back on…eventually.

The last owners also painted the walls behind the shelves red. There’s been lotsa red up in here. It was just too much. And felt a little too modern for my vintage self. While the red did contrast nicely with the white, everything that got put on the shelf seemed to just blend into the color. There wasn’t enough contrast.

So…I painted them. A glossy, refreshing white! But I started with primer to cover up all of the red.

Ryan removed one shelf on the right so we could fit the TV rather than have it on the mantel. This was the great compromise of the living room.

Luckily, we have this pretty fabulous collection of vintage cameras. Ryan’s dad was quite the photographer in his hey day. A couple of years ago, he gave me all of his old cameras. I held onto them hoping to display them in a unique way some day.

Looks like that day is today!

We’ve displayed them amongst old and new family photos. This is still a work in progress. We need to add more pics. The idea is to have different eras of pictures nestled amongst the different camera models.

Check it out closely…

Here’s a Super 8 movie camera. It’s displayed upside down. I love this one! Super 8s have been making a comeback especially on the wedding scene.

This one is probably the oldest of the group. It didn’t come from Ryan’s family collection. I got this one when I was a kid from one of my grandparents.

Up top there is a Polaroid Land camera. I love the accordion-like detail on this one. Below it is a Kodak Brownie, I believe, plus some miscellaneous lenses.

Here’s a bowl of the coolest ice blue flash bulbs. These were too pretty to not include in the vignette.

Rounding out the shelves is this old school typewriter. Love it! I found it in a dusty corner of my parent’s basement about 5 years ago and have had it out ever since. Everyone comments on it.

So there you have it. All of these cool antiques belonged to different family members of ours. I am so thankful that no one throws anything away!

Linking to:
Primitive & Proper
Between Naps on the Porch