2.19.2011

Office Reveal!

(Drum roll....)

At long last, you patient reader you, I'm able to reveal my newly finished home office!

It's had quite the makeover... since it started out as a completely blank, white-walled room, which we then proceeded to fill with boxes and all the odd and end pieces that seem to just "show up" when you move.

There was tons of hard work and lots of arm-twisting willing collaboration from various parties, including my mom and my ever-supportive husband.

Even after the excellent paint job and chair railing were installed, it still looked like this:



But now, ladies and gents, it looks liiiiike this!



I am so happy with it, and am relieved to now be working in an organized and eye-pleasing space rather than a makeshift storage drop. It's really pulled itself together! I love the stripes on the two horizontal walls, they add a lot of size to the room and a bit of contrast so the place isn't washed out in one color. My mom helped me measure, draw, tape, paint, tape, paint, repaint and tape some more on those bad boys. We also discovered a handy secret to keep the paint from bleeding past the tape. That will be coming up soon!

What's that? You'd love a tour of the room? Why, of course! Come right along...

For starters, my husband and I opted to take off that closet door and install a simple spring rod of curtains instead. All my craft projects are stored away in there and it's much easier to get in and out with the curtain than a door.


My super sweet husband did hang a super sturdy Texas hook in there to hold all my jewelry making supplies. I keep them in one easy-to-tote bag and they're a cinch to grab off a central hook. Other craft supplies and items are stored in two plastic drawer bins, with a few additional boxes at the top of the closet. I would like to figure out how to add some shelves in there one day or make better use of those coat racks, but until then this will do!



Here's a look at the whole wall, adjacent to the closet. (Please ignore the desk drawer and old computer monitor I failed to realize were sitting there. This gal never claimed to be a perfectionist.)


Being a magazine editor and writer, means oodles of magazines everywhere. I often need to access them for reference or ideas, so I decided why not keep them handy in an organized stack rather than a messy pile? So I plopped 'em all down on top of a short filing cabinet I was too lazy to move out and called it a day.



For a rundown of all the items and DIY projects on the top half of the bookshelf's hutch - like a framed chalkboard and custom book covers - click here


The bottom shelves hold various treasured items, like weathered Bibles. The red one is mine, which I've had since I was 10 years old, and the black one is my husband's Grandma's, gifted to her by her children. 


She loved reading her Bible and the thumb-worn page corners are proof.


One of the cedar boxes was made by a very close friend of mine and contain some childhood keepsakes I've hung on to over the years, like my very first pair of ballet shoes. Tiny dancer!


There's also a collection of journals I kept as a kid (who said writing wasn't my first calling?!), which sit on top of a box of mementos the husband and I have saved since our very first date.



The framed deer photo probably won't stick around long, but the colors meshed and it filled the space on that wall for now. (I've already spotted some replacement options at Hobby Lobby!) It's from our former office at our old house, which was geared more toward a "man's space" and not that of a writer. So it'll be joining it's mates in a nice, padded box somewhere soon and wait patiently until our next house. There it can then soak up the light of day above a pool table or something more fittingly masculine.

I purchased those large candlesticks in Scotland and painted them with a fresh coat of white recently. They make me think of our flat overseas every time I look at them.



This little fleur de lis is the cap to the blue jar on the second shelf. It was broken off, so the whole thing only set me back $3 at Hobby Lobby. I glued the top back together (you can spot the seem, but only up close!) and perched it atop an old checkbook from 1935. It belonged to a Betty Lou Robinson in Baltimore, Maryland - but was kept by her mother since little Betty Lou was a minor. I guess mom was making sure her daughter didn't overspend! Some things never change. ;) Beneath the checkbook are more books I covered in calligraphic scrapbook paper.

There's also a frame I spray painted white, which features a shot of the husband and I sipped off one litre mugs of beer in Prague. To get the whole story, click here.


These wooden plates in the back of the first shelf were hand-carved in Germany. I wish I knew what kind of wood they are and what year they were made in, but there's no information on the back. They were a thoughtful heirloom passed down to us by Mike's grandpa one year, he acquired them ages ago when he lived overseas. In fact, he met his late wife in Germany. We love hearing him tell the story still, and are honored to share a memento of his happiest times. 


This ivory basket was a $4 find at Hobby Lobby, which contains a photo of my mom and I, a mint green tea candle and the bottom half of that fleur de lis jar with some bright green ivy. Peeking through in the back is an antique card box I picked up at an estate sale, which you can read about right here!


The third and final shelf contains an old wooden box with some of the husband's keepsakes, a gold bowl for less than $1 from Michaels, and a glamorous photo of my grandma, who I love and adore. She suffered a life-threatening stroke years ago and, while she lost much of her speech abilities, she made a fantastic comeback and is happy and healthy these days. In fact, my mom and my grandmother spend nearly every Friday together, shared on my mom's blog right here.


My desk area has a little work left, as its still being organized and that wall calendar propped in the back will soon be on the wall. But, it's a cheerful little place to spend my hours and I love it. Especially as spring arrives and I can crack open the window for a fresh breeze and the sounds of birds in the tree out front.



These plaques will hang on either side of my wall calendar very soon. They were on sale for under $3 each at Hobby Lobby. (Hi, I'm a Hobby Lobby addict.)



To the left of my desk is a big honkin' black filing cabinet, which we plan to paint white one day, but it holds all those pesky files and other miscellaneous items. I also worked a Texas star in that room (there's one in every room of my house!), and a little greenery. The file holder was black until I attacked it with my can of spray paint, and it's new job is to hold the papers and bills my husband tends to leave in piles all over the house. Now, when I clean up the joint, he can never blame me for "losing" or "misplacing" his stuff, because it all goes into his personal file holder! This little gem has solved a lot of arguments. ;)

I also stack my most recently arrived magazines up there so I know which ones are still fresh, and need to be thumbed through for ideas, inspiration or just for fun.




I love flowers in the home, especially whatever room I spend most of my time in. These bright beauties chill out every day in a tall cylinder glass vase I picked up at a charity shop in Scotland.



In an effort to be cute and organized all at the same time, I stored chalk and clips in cheap-o mason jars from, you guessed it, Hobby Lobby.


The orange pashmina was a wedding favor from a friend's nuptials we attended in Scotland. You can read all about that special day (and my husband's own experience with a kilt) right here!


Well, folks, that's it! You've just seen my office from top to bottom. Whaddya think? I'd love to hear your feedback in the comments section. My next post will be all about those striped lines painted on the wall, and the DIY chair railing my husband and I decided to tackle with no research and half a plan. Stay tuned!

3 comments:

  1. I love it all.....every single bit!! So functional, organized, stylish and at the same time very personal. A perfect place for you to work. Thanks for this great post! I can now see you in my mind's eye working away! I love that you have kept so many keepsakes....even though you have tried hard to not be real sentimental about things!
    GREAT job!
    PS....I can see the side bars of your blog now on my new computer!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kill joy. Clean.... do you remember who I'm married to? Just kidding! I love the way your office turned out. Very nice.

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  3. Organised and functional—this is how offices should be. And you did well in this case. :)

    ReplyDelete

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