A huge thank you to Plaid for sponsoring this post. All opinions of these awesome craft supplies are 100% mine! Create this beautiful Restoration Hardware Book Set at a fraction of the cost using thrift store finds. These books are the perfect accessory for any style.
Sometimes decorating your home can be quite expensive. Especially when you fall for these gorgeous books from Restoration Hardware. Lucky for me (and my husband) I couldn’t pay that much for 3 books if my life depended on it. I can however round up some supplies and make them for myself all while not giving my husband a heart attack, it’s a win win.
In case you were wondering what I started with, here are the books I used.
Have you guys read twilight? I’m not going to lie, when they came out I got sucked in to them like a teenage girl! But we aren’t here to talk Edward, we are here to talk about how to make these books look like these….
These books were surprisingly easy to re create. To be honest the most difficult part was waiting for everything to dry. Or maybe that’s just my impatience ; )!
When I saw the Restoration Hardware Book Set for the first time I knew I would need some Mod Podge to create my own version. There are tons of different formulas though, so if you ever aren’t sure which formula to use, I have this handy dandy formula guide to help you out!
For the Restoration Hardware Book Set I used the Mod Podge Ultra Matte Chalk. I wanted the books to look old, so I didn’t want there to be any sheen to them. The Ultra Matte Chalk left the books with a perfect finish for a vintage vibe.
Mod Podge can be used for multiple different projects from Home Decor to Kids Crafts. But today let’s take a look at the steps to transform regular books into something from the past.
Supplies:
- Old Books
- Mod Podge – Ultra Matte Chalk Formula
- Mod Podge Brushes
- Scissors
- Kraft Paper
- Scrap Fabric
- FolkArt Paint
- Paint Brush
DIY Restoration Hardware Book Set Tutorial
- Start by finding your books at a thrift store. Thrift stores are a fantastic place to find old used books. I paid $1 for each of mine. That sure sounds better than a $235 price tag!
- Trace the outside of the books on the Kraft Paper.
- Cut out enough Kraft Paper to cover the front and back of each book you will be redoing.
- Using the Ultra Matte Chalk Mod Podge Formula, apply 1 coat to the back of the Kraft Paper.
- Place the Kraft Paper (Mod Podge side Down) on to the front of the book lining up the edges and smoothing out any wrinkles. Let dry about 20-25 minutes.
- Apply a 2nd coat to the top of the Kraft paper. Let dry. Repeat for all sides of the books you are redoing.
- While your books are drying, cut a piece of fabric that will act as the book binding. Once it’s cut to size, paint the front of the fabric. Let that dry.
- Apply a coat of Mod Podge to the back of the fabric and apply to the book spine smoothing out any wrinkles. Apply a coat over the top of the fabric. Let Dry.
- Tearing squares of Kraft paper, create labels for the books. Apply to the book spine using Mod Podge.
So what do you think? $3 worth of books to give you the style of a $235 item. I think this project was a win!
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Fore more Inspiring Mod Podge Projects check out some of my friends below!
- Cherished Bliss
- Erin Spain
- Made To Be A Momma
- Flamingo Toes
- The Cards We Drew
- The Pretty Life Girls
- One Artsy Mama
- Petticoat Junktion
If you are looking for more tips on budget decorating, check out this post:
I’m in love with your books Ashley. I too am impatient. Restoration Hardware isn’t in my budget but these books are. Thanks for the tutorial.
Ashley this is such a pretty redo! I love how they look – and I’m sure the cost is so much better!! I’ll definitely be making a set of these!
Such a great knock-off! I love RH, but I don’t love their prices. I laughed when I scrolled down and saw that you used Twilight books. I didn’t see that one coming. I think I have a set of Twilight books that I could do this with….hmmm.
Love these!! I’m definitely going to make a few.I had another idea but this is much better and easier than my original plan. Thanks for the great tutorial.
Love it, Ashley! I love books – to read and to decorate with. I use a lot of books as “bases” for displays and I cover some of them with fabric that goes with whatever season it is – or holiday. I’m getting ready to cover some for “back to school” – my theme for September. I’m considering using brown Kraft paper or even newspaper with “A for Apple, B for Ball, C for cat” – on the spines to pick up the reading theme. I put faux apples on top of the books and maybe a little pencil holder with pens, pencils, rulers.
Thanks for sharing this technique.
I love this!! What kind of fabric did you use? It looks kind of white washed. I cant quit put my finger on what it is. I have a feeling if i got it wrong it would not quit be the same look.
Twilight has never looked so good! Great tutorial, I’m sure I can find something that’s just as bad to use!
oh noooo they are out of the chalk finish! yikes! I love this and want to do it! Saving for later. Will link back to you when I finish! laura
These look great! I am definitely going to do this!! I just compared to Restoration HW pic and I like these so much better.. Looks great, you can personalize and wow so much cheaper. Thank you talented young lady!
A very cool accessory from books, I think it will look great in your home, if you like reading books, articles or essays, then you can visit the wonderful educational site https://studydriver.com/ where you will find many articles and essays on the most important topics.
Can’t wait to try this.
What type of fabric did you use?
Thanks for the great article!
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This would be perfect for my mom. She has arthritis in her hands and is truly lamenting the loss of the beautiful penmanship she had. She is of the “letter writing” generation so writing, penmanship is very important to her. I think this would be perfect to lift her spirits, exercise her hands and restore her confidence in writing again.buying kindles
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