Decorating and Design - I need help painting wall shelves

I would like some ideas on painting built-in shelves in a living room. The shelves surround a fireplace and take up an entire wall (floor to ceiling). They are currently stained a dark wood color that looks out of place with the rest of the room, which has recently undergone considerable updating. The other three walls are a crisp white and the tile floor is in a warm gold color. I selected a rustic (old world) "textured" porcelain tile that was laid in a random pattern using 5 different tile sizes. I will take some pictures (if anyone is interested) and post them later.

The shelf unit definitely needs to blend in with its surroundings, but I would like to paint it something other than white. Adjacent to the unit is a kitchen breakfast bar with a graphite (not black) laminate counter.

I've seen some faux looks that I like and don't appear too busy or complicated. These are the "sponging off" and "ragging off" techniques. I like this look on walls, but I'm wondering if it would work for shelves. I consider myself a "beginner" at faux painting, so I want to keep it simple. My only prior experience with faux was trying to apply a crackle finish on a different project that turned out to be a dismal failure.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. :confused:

I'm going to send this over to the "design" forum, might be better help there.

my first thought is that the shelving unit needs to be treated the same as the other woodwork in the room, which is what??? painted or stained?

if your other woodwork is painted white, then i'd paint the shelving white, and change your white walls to a color (maybe a warm cream color, to blend with your floor), so the woodwork would stand out. (unless you like white-on-white)

i can't see doing any kind of faux painting technique on wood shelves. i'd keep it a simple solid color. you'll have plenty going on once you fill all the shelves with books and accessories.