Long, long ago, I shared my inspiration for where I want to take our home office, and these "Before" photos - Beige walls, shaggy cat pee reeking carpet, and a hodgepodge of bookshelves, mismatched desks, and printers sitting on blue totes containing our files.
Remember that? I'm glad it's a distant memory now. One Saturday morning I awoke to a clatter, and when I came to the living room I discovered all of our office stuff crammed into the living and dining rooms, and the carpet ripped out. It was a bitter sweet surprise. On the one hand, I was excited that Brian took initiative to tear into the project, and on the other, I knew we didn't even have new flooring purchased, and I dreaded having to eat on the couch and navigate the stacks of books for months on end.
Thankfully, we made good time. Brian repainted the room while I was traveling to a lovely light blue.
And after a few more weeks, we found matching bamboo flooring and a friend willing to spend a day helping lay it. Thanks Paul!
Ta-da!
Then we moved the hodgepodge back inside the now bright and happy space.
But first, we put in "built-in" bookshelves. It took a few trips to Ikea, but we used the
Billy bookshelves with height extensions and two of the half glass doors, along with bookcase lights.
Yes, there's a big gap in the middle of the wall, and there's a reason for that. We planned to build a Murphy bed, you know, those ones that fold up into a cabinet? One of those was supposed to go there - before Edison was born, so the office could double as another guest room. Yeah, he's a year
old, and that bed still isn't built. But maybe by the time he's having sleepovers, it will be ready. In the meantime, it's the perfect spot for the play pen!
On the other side of the room, we added navy curtains (also from Ikea) and a double curtain rod, so we could hang sheers and still let in plenty of light. I also moved my desk so that I could look out the window when working.
Up next: I'll show you how we upgraded our desks, and found a better storage solution for my craft supplies than the pile in the corner.
We're still putting on the finishing touches, like getting a nice rug, desk chairs, and a cool chalkboard/bulletin board/calendar situation. It remains to be seen!
And arranging the bookshelves. There's always more to be done on that front.
Here's the inspiration photos from this post. After all this time, I'm still torn on which color scheme I like better!
While it's been a loooong, gradual process, it's amazing how much progress you can make a little bit at a time. This room has come a long way from it's humble cat pee beginnings!
Labels: Decor, Decorating, Home, home office, interior decorating
