Deborah’s Room Made Lovely

Welcome to Room Made Lovely, a special part of the Home Made Lovely home tour series.

Welcome to our home and my “room made lovely!” I’m so thrilled for a chance to share my room on one of my favorite blogs! My husband, Ken, and I are empty nesters who moved from a small Kansas town to the (relatively) big city of Wichita just a year ago. Ken is a graphic designer and I’m a writer, and since we both work from home, we have the privilege of living anywhere we choose. The youngest of our four children graduated from college in December and since all of our kids live far away (Missouri, Texas, and Germany!) this move gets us closer to them, closer to extended family, and closer to an airport. But downsizing really wasn’t an option since we both need office space in our home, plus we wanted to have room for our kids and grandkids to stay when they visit. When we found this house, we knew it was perfect for us.

My office is one of the first things you see when you walk through the front door. This wonderful, light-filled room was intended to be a formal dining room, but we’re not formal people, and the dining cove off the kitchen is plenty big enough to stretch out our table to seat ten or more. So I claimed this room and turned it into the perfect office for me.

I repurposed the old farmhouse table (that was our kitchen table when the kids were small) for my desk. The huge clock from Hobby Lobby was one of the few new things I bought after we moved in. Most everything else came with us from our small-town house. My collection of wooden boxes and drawers holds office supplies and business cards. My favorite dictionary and thesaurus (a writer’s most important tools) are housed in an old library file that I spent all my Christmas money on as a newlywed. It’s still one of my favorite possessions.

My coffee bar was the first thing I set up after we moved in. A few years ago when I was on deadline with a book and there were too many distractions at home, I started going to a coffee shop to work on my novel. I found it so inspiring, that Ken suggested I recreate the coffee-shop atmosphere in my office. What a great idea!

I scored this divided box at an antique shop a few years ago. It originally served as post office cubbies in a small-town bank, and in our last house, it held stationery and office supplies, but I discovered that if I turned it on its end, it would hold my collection of more than 60 mugs (wow, did that ever open up cupboard space in our kitchen!) Now I can enjoy a cup of coffee without leaving my chair!

I do most of my writing and editing on my laptop from this comfy chair with my feet propped on a little stool my husband made in high school shop class. Ken let me paint and distress it my favorite aqua color and I just love it––and use it every day.

We had leftover faux brick wallpaper from decorating Ken’s office, so my sister Vicky (who helped us with painting, window treatments, and decorating the whole house!) turned one wall of my office into a “chimney.” Most people have to touch it to realize it’s only wallpaper. I love the character it adds to the room.

My dad not only built the slanted reference desk that keeps all my research books close at hand, but he also welded this “menu wheel” with clips that hold all those postcards and paper goods that are just too pretty to throw away. With a turn of the wheel, I have a new view––and fresh inspiration––above my chair.

One of my favorite corners is anchored by an antique table in my favorite color. Our oldest son gave me the table legs for my birthday one year. I’d love to find a piece of marble to use for a tabletop, but meanwhile, I’m loving the map-wrapped plywood that serves as a temporary top. The turquoise and yellow Fiestaware are pieces from my childhood growing up on a Kansas farm.

The old basket, on permanent loan from my sister Bev, holds books and an antique Underwood typewriter I got for $5 at a garage sale thirty years ago. I wasn’t even a writer back then, but it must have inspired me.

I love houseplants and this windowsill of blooming orchids makes me smile every time I see it. This room gets wonderful soft southern light, which must be just what orchids need, because for the first time ever, I’ve been able to get my orchids to REbloom!

This tall storage tabouret swivels 360 degrees to reveal a chalkboard, storage cabinets, and a bulletin board where I can post inspiration for my current novel. My dad welded the mug tree in the cubby. Those white mugs came from the two-room country schoolhouse I attended from first through sixth grade. Old yardsticks and rulers I collect congregate in the corner.

The denim love seat was part of a set in our small-town home family room. We gave the sofa to our oldest daughter when we moved, and I nabbed the love seat for my office. It makes a great place for Ken to park when I need some brainstorming help, a spot for my editing clients to sit, and once in a while I curl up with the striped afghan––a gift from Ken’s grandparents––and take a power nap.

This is the view of my office from our kitchen.

Now that we don’t have four kids running through the house (except when our grandkids come to visit!) I love having my office out in the open with views into several other rooms. But if I ever need to shut out distractions, I simply pull the reversible curtains across the doorway.

The apple green front door is one of my favorite views from my office, but everywhere I look I see reminders of the people I love, and inspiration for the books I write. I feel very blessed to have what I consider a dream job, but I truly couldn’t do it without the amazing people the Lord has put in my life.

Thank you, Heather, for letting me be a part of your wonderful blog! I’ve gotten so many clever decorating ideas from your unique home and many others you’ve shared. It inspires me to see women creating beautiful homes for their families to make memories in!