I have been doing more and more woodworking ever since we moved into our new house. It started with me installing trim everywhere: crown molding, baseboards, chair rails, door and window casings, etc. But as my skills and confidence grow (and as my wife has discovered that the stuff I build looks good), I've been doing some more ambitious projects, like renovating our fireplace and installing wall frames.

My first standalone furniture project is nearly complete! The piece is a painted bookcase, designed to match my daughter's Pottery Barn bedroom set. Keep reading for a full writeup of the project, plus lots of pictures.

My wife and I have been gradually renovating our house for a while now. One of our first large projects was to renovate the living room, and the fireplace was a key part of that renovation. The fireplace originally had a marble surround, and an ornate hood mounted over it. The marble was very nice, but not really our style, and the hood definitely had to go. Read on for the full project writeup.