A little bookcase, a story of OCD and coming full circle

I have a little bookcase.  I've had it for years.  Bought it on the cheap at a thrift store.  This little bookcase has been many colors.  When I first bought it, it was a dull beige.  I gave it a coat of white paint, and a new life. It's a versatile little bookcase, the legs can be taken off, put on straight up and down, or at an angle.  It's been many colors.  Some of the colors predate the digital age, so pics are not available.  It's been royal blue, chartreuse, pink, and gray.  Now it's white again.  Here's its current look:

NOW

It took me a long time to arrange the pottery.  I wanted the display to be perfect.  Simple shapes, and matte finishes. I still believe that Nirvana can be achieved by achieving the perfect look and then living with it. I'm going to try living with this arrangement, appreciating its beauty and letting go of the desire to change it. I'm going to try.  For the moment, laying on my sofa and contemplating the shapes and colors makes me very happy.

THEN

Here are a few of its previous incarnations. Sometimes I still dream of owning a shop.

It started out white.

Then I made a drastic change to high gloss hot pink.  This color still makes me swoon.  I painted a canvas to match.  A great solution if you are unable to paint your rental space.

These pictures are from my studio apartment in Cleveland.  I loved that little apartment.

I've had to sell pottery during some of my periods of unemployment.  I'm grateful I was able to do that, but I miss this pink dish and the blue vase.  Ah well, c'est la vie.

For a while the bookcase was gray.  These pictures are from my attic apartment in Cleveland.  I miss Cleveland.

I love this gray color.  It was a perfect Behr custom mix.  The skilled technician matched a pillow I took to the store.  Sometimes I wish it were still gray.

Then I went for a flat bubblegum pink.

These colors still shock me, but I do love them.

In my little apartment in Akron, the bookcase still wore the bubble gum pink for a time, but it was clear it needed a new identity.

I love painting cheap vases from the Goodwill, but have had to take a break from painting.

I started getting restless.  The bookcase needed a new identity.  I thought about using it in the kitchen, and took the legs off.

I thought about using it to display some cute teapots.  The painting would have had to go.  I still like this idea, but scrapped it.

I decided to return to white.  I love color, but in an identity crisis, I always return to white.  I loved dipped legs, so experimented with making the legs hot pink.  I've never really been one for embellishments, and prefer things simple.

So white it is!  It could use some sanding, and another coat.  But the high gloss white (Behr of course) looks great to me.  At this point, only half the battle is complete. Now to accessorize. I like this look, but it wasn't quite right.

This was a fun experiment with some super cheapo pieces from the Goodwill, but I dismantled it as soon as I photographed it.  It's not simple enough for my taste.

What if I add a cute little faceted black lamp I have in the closet?  Yuk.  That's what.

So here's its current look.  I love it!  I bought the beautiful pink dish from JunkHouse. It really set the tone for the display.  After I got that piece, my collection sort of upscaled.  I was no longer interested in anything that looks mass produced, or too new. The matte finishes make me swoon!  I've been really working hard on my apartment, stay tuned for a full reveal.

Here's the details of this display, if interested:  

First row, left to right:  white stoneware vase from Z Gallerie's, physical store in Westlake before they closed.  Haven't been as happy with their internet business.  Painting one of my own.  Vintage pink atomic dish from JunkHouse.

Second row, left to right:  vintage aqua dish purchased at Sweet Lorain in Cleveland, Buddha cup by Donna Karan and the bulbous vase is from TJ Maxx believe it or not!  It's a stunning vase, perfect execution, perfect matte finish.  I only saw one, and I've never seen another like it, it must be a replica.  But every now and then you can find something mass produced that doesn't look mass produced. 

Third row, left to right:  bowl from ASA Selection, it's one of my favorite pieces of all time.  This bowl sings when you run your finger around the lip.  Haeger vintage candy dish.  Vintage California pottery purchased at Sweet Lorain in Cleveland, beautiful matte finish, beautiful legs.