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Office Makeover – The Reveal

Did you forget about the little office makeover we had going on over here?

I wouldn’t blame you if you did.

It was almost a whole year ago that I started talking about giving my home office a makeover.

I made a plan.

Then changed it.

Made another plan.

And then changed that too.

But once I got rolling with it, it all just kind of came together on its own and I’m so excited to share the finished project with you today.  It feels good to actually finish something.  We should probably try doing more of that around here. 😉

So let’s go all the way back to the beginning.  This was the blue room when we bought the house.  We also had a yellow room and a pink room – I have a feeling there was a whole lot of blue, yellow and pink in this house back in the day.

It’s a tiny little space – 9 x7 – so it’s kind of perfect for a home office.  When we moved in, we pretty much just threw all our leftover, hand me down, don’t know what to do with furniture at it and called it a day.

Well…if you treat a room like an afterthought, it will feel like an afterthought and that’s exactly what this room was feeling like. It was too dark and didn’t feel like it had a purpose and didn’t feel like it had a style and it didn’t make me smile.

But now, when I walk through that door and see this

I smile. 😀

Finding this old wood cabinet over the summer is really what spurred this whole makeover into action.  I wasn’t looking for it – instead it found me – and I could picture the whole room as soon as my eyes landed on it and took in all its vintage amazing-ness.  You can read more about the cabinet here.

You know I love soft whites paired with warm wood tones, so I started by giving the room a fresh new look with a couple of coats of Benjamin Moore Dune White (tinted at 50%) to compliment that cabinet and really allow it to pop.

Our old wood desk chair got a facelift with a little white chalk paint (Lace by Vintage Market & Design), and the simple weathered wood desk is from World Market.  I love that it’s slim enough to allow me to place it into the center of this small room so I don’t have to stare into a wall while I’m working, but that it also allows for plenty of work surface.

To keep extra books, magazines, and supplies within reach we shortened and reused the simple pine shelves we made a few years ago.  They’re just plain pine boards from Home Depot, sanded and stained with Watco Danish Oil in Dark Walnut.  The brackets are unfinished wood shelf brackets from Ikea, stained to match.

And the little cabinet sitting below the shelves is a yard sale find from years and years ago.  I removed the doors and painted the outside a dark charcoal color (Oxford by Vintage Market & Design) to add a little contrast to all the wood and white. I loved the rawness of the inside so I left that alone.  You can read more about this cabinet here.

The lights in this room are some of my favorites in the whole house. Oh how I love these lights.  The chandelier was a Pottery Barn light that I found on eBay shortly after we moved in – I still love it today just as much as I did then, and now with the white walls it really gets to stand out.

The desk lamp is also from Pottery Barn and was a Christmas gift a couple of years ago.  How pretty is that ruffled mercury glass shade?

The wall opposite the desk turned in to a little memo station.  A place where I can keep images, notes, quotes, samples, and to-do’s at a quick glance.  For the memo board, I simply wrapped a cork board that Jordan put together with a pretty black and ivory ticking stripe that I found at Ballard Designs.

And for the chalkboard, we painted a board with some chalkboard paint (we used Rustoleum brand) and cut it to fit a wood frame that Jordan made for me a few years back.  But I think my favorite part of this wall is the chalk holder. It’s an old wood level I found stashed in the basement.

It even came with the perfect little chalk holding divot.  It was kind of meant to be, don’t you think?

I finished the whole room off with a little vintage flair in the accessories to make me feel at home.  Note: Antique hoarding comes in especially handy when it’s time to accessorize a space – I love when habits get justified.  This Office sign is still one of my most favorite flea market finds ever.

I left a little room to add fun pops of personality as I find them, but I really love how this all came together as it is.   I just need myself a small TV to stick in the corner to keep up to date on The Bachelor as I work and I will be all set in here. 😉

I’ll try to have sources added to the Shop Our Home page this weekend in case you’re looking for links to anything.

So how do you think this little itty bitty office turned out?

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Sharing with:  Thoughts From Alice, Finding Silver Pennies, Coastal Charm, Karen’s Up on the Hill, My Soulful Home, Pocketful of Posies, Craftberry Bush, Design, Dining and Diapers, Remodelaholic,

Comments

  1. I love it! I’m getting to make myself a little office space in the corner of my dining room. I love the level used as a chalk/eraser holder. How did you attach it to the wall?

    Tania

    • My husband pre-drilled two holes through the level and then just used two long screws to screw it into the wall. 🙂

  4. What an adorable space!!!! I love everything about it!!!! What are the items in your basket on your shelf??They are so interesting!!! Also, will you explain what you did with the desk lamp cord?? I have all wall outlets, and it appears that you were able to camouflage the cord. Thanks so much for sharing your journey!!! Love you style~!

    • Thanks Bonnie! The basket is holding some old wooden spools and an old wooden measuring tape. As for the cord, we tucked it under the lip of the desk as best we could and secured with little adhesive cord clips. And then we plugged it into a power strip that we secured to the underside of the desk. The power strip cord was then run down the backside of the legs of the desk, under the rug, and back to the wall outlet. It’s not perfectly concealed, but we did the best we could without jumping through a ton of hoops!

      • What a great idea for those of us who don’t have floor outlets!!! Truly unique and beautiful!!! Can’t wait for source lists!!! Blessings!!!

  5. It’s amazing what you do with a room…..Your office is just perfect. I can’t wait til you get started on the kitchen (& that sunroom too). Thanks for allowing us to come along.

    • Thanks so much Carol! I can’t wait to get started on the kitchen either – or our poor little neglected sunroom. 😀

  7. This looks great! Your attention to detail and thought for texture is what I love about your spaces. They look so cozy and effortless. Although I know you put much thought and work into it. Looking forward to your kitchen and any more projects you do!

  8. I can’t believe someone from Pottery Barn isn’t knocking down your door to hire you as a designer. The office looks great. Like everyone else, I can’t wait to see what you do with the kitchen. Seeing your rooms make me very anxious for summer at Kane County!

    Pat in Chicago

  10. I cannot imagine a more perfect space. Everything you chose and made and put together is absolutely wonderful, pretty, functional and personal. WOW! I LOVE IT. 🙂

  11. This is modern rustic office perfection, Tonya. I envy your getting to enjoy this space every day. Cheers, Ardith

    • Thanks so much Ardith! It’s a much more inspiring place to be now – I’m really enjoying it. 🙂

  12. Every thing about this room is amazing!! Love your creative uses for old things. Adds so much character to a space!!

    • Thank you so much Carol! I love being able to use old stuff in a new way – it’s kind of my favorite. 😉

  13. Your office is perfection – pairing woods and whites is my favorite! I had to laugh at the antique hoarding. My husband insists I have that disorder every time we go thrifting or antiquing and purchase an item that I love but don’t exactly have a place for in our home.

    • You are not alone Liz! I have a basement full of stuff I had to bring home and don’t know what to do with. But then when I need to fill a room, it’s like sweet vindication because I already have everything I need! 😀

  14. I love everything. All the warms woods, the desk lamp, the wall cabinet and especially the level\chalk tray. That was genius.

  16. It’s perfect! Love the chalk holding level. Yes, hoarding is good because then you can “shop” your house.

  17. I cannot stop staring and going back and looking again. I LOVE IT ALL!
    Just have to ask….on that great cabinet you found and hung on the wall…..wow, what a fit….on the top, what is the triangle piece in the very back?

  18. Beautiful! Looks just like out of a magazine! Love your style! I think we have a lot of the same taste.

    I was reading about your kitchen ideas over the weekend and everything down to the window treatment and butcher block counter is exactly how my kitchen remodel was a couple of years ago. I had to even show my hubby your plan since it was so similar to ours! I did end up going with the bead board backsplash instead of the subway tiles and I really like it. I have a small kitchen too and wanted a makeover really bad and couldn’t afford a huge remodel so made do with what I had with a few upgrades. I love my kitchen now and don’t think I would trade it for any thing fancier. Can’t wait to see your kitchen reveal when it’s all done!

    • Great minds think alike Coreena! I’m so glad to hear you’re loving your kitchen – I have big hopes we will (finally) love ours too!

  20. OMG! It looks fantastic!!!! I thought I was looking at a page from a magazine. Your attention to detail is amazing. Another job well done!