Home Office Makeover
Most of you may remember that my husband and I moved back to the states about a year and a half ago, after living in Switzerland for two and a half years. Living in a 600 square foot apartment really gives you an appreciation for space... and having a laundry room. One of the things I've been working on for the last few months is our home office. In Switzerland, it was the couch and the dining room table. It worked, but one of the things I really wanted in our new home was an office! A place to store all my crap, do all my work, and shut the door when it turned into a hot mess (and it does). I'm not gonna lie... I still like to bring the laptop to the couch, but it's not "the office." I thought I'd share my space with ya!
The photo below is my Swiss work area... aka the dining room table. I didn't have a lot of crap over there, so it wasn't too bad. I just shoved everything into a tiny closet when we had guests.
And here's my space now! I love really neutral colors and haven't put too many bold colors in our house (except for the dining room and master bedroom). This room was a baby-blueish-gray color before and it made me nauseous. We went with Porter Paint: Ashen. I LOVE it. In fact, I love it so much that this is the same color of our living room and hallways. It's like a beige with a hint of gray.
The big beast desk is from Target! It can be found in their online collection and believe me.... it's sturdy and worth the price. Check out the desk.
The two tall shelving units along the back wall are more for decor. There is some stuff stored on them, but I really just wanted a place to put photos, decor pieces, and something to break up the big beige wall. They're from IKEA! One of my favorite places! Check out the shelves.
This little desk piece may be my favorite in the room. I found it at Hobby Lobby and it's darling. I keep printer cartridges, paper, and cardstock in those three drawers. They're the perfect size! The mirror is also from Hobby Lobby and was SO UGLY when I bought it. It was a sad ugly teal mirror put in the sale area. It was originally around $300 and I walked away with it for about $30. A little spray paint gave it a new life. Those wire baskets are from Walmart and can be found in the kitchen area. They are those little baskets that you can hang inside your cabinets. I threw the big hooks away, spray painted them to match the mirror, then hung them up with some nails. $10 for a really simple and cute storage solution.
Check out the wire baskets. I can't find Hobby Lobby's furniture, so I'm sorry!
My two favorite things to decorate with are fun antiques and photos. I love being reminded of trips we've taken, special days, and of course... family. :)
Besides antiques and photos, I love finding inexpensive pieces or taking old things and jazzing them up a bit. I'm telling y'all... spray paint does a world of wonders. This old vase was black and scratched up before I went cray cray with the paint. I also don't have anything against fake foliage. I'm not huge on fake flowers, but I'll do the green stuff. Since the office doesn't get much natural sunlight, it's an easy way to add some "life." :)
The right wall... complete with hooks for my "smaller" teacher bag. There's not a hook strong enough to hold my massive one. Haha! It must weigh 50 pounds.
Another one of those baskets... and a giant chalkboard!
A little reading nook in the corner. I'll be quite honest. I don't read here. I'm not a big reader (aaahhhhh... gasp). If I do manage to read, it's usually at night... in bed. I have a bible app (OliveTree) on my phone that I've loved using, but as for real-life books? Ehhhh... I'm working on it. The chair is from World Market and the little table is actually milk crates from Walmart and an old picture frame for the top. I was struggling to find a table I liked. The crates double as storage! :) Check out the crates. Check out the chair.
Okay, I feel bad. I'll be honest again. This chair is from our dining room. Hahaha! I am struggling to find a chair I like, and I'm not buying a fancy chair for a corner that will just collect dust. So.... I stole the chair for staging purposes. Forgive me.
Now, for the desk area. This is where the magic happens and the clutter collects.
Cheapest organization trick. I think I got all of these pieces at Walmart. The basket is in the bathroom area and the glass pieces are in the kitchen area. Less than $8 for all the pieces.
Some more spray paint magic! I had the little white teacher candle holder (gift) and I found two more that kind of matched. They were black before!
This little guy is another antique. It's an old tea bag tray thing (I think) and I use it as a drawer on one of the top desk shelves. It's cute and functional.
There's also an unsightly cord problem and a black file cabinet hidden on the far end of the desk.
Finally... this may give you some insight as to why I chose the silly name for my blog. This is JUST the stuff I have at home. If you saw my school cabinets, you'd think I was "certified." Instead of clothes, this closet holds office supplies, files, craft stuff, and more.
One of my three sidekicks. See? I told you I like beige. He's my favorite shade of it. :)
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