home office makeover - before and after reveal

The time has come. I can put it off no longer. I cleaned off my desk, took some pictures and had a few G&T's because the office is done people! Let's rip the curtain off this sucker.

The goal was to turn a corner of my unfinished basement into an office that I wouldn't mind spending a few hours a day in using ONLY things I already had. How did I do?

Remember, this space has some pretty humble beginnings. I needed an office space, I live in a small house, and this was the best unused corner available. Cue the before and after pictures.

Everything was hosed down and then covered with bright white paint on the walls and ceiling. The floors were painted Bermuda Turquoise (Benjamin Moore) and gave a great base of color. To be honest, I could have just left it with the new paint and been thrilled. But you know I can't leave well enough alone.

The metal desk was a hand me down from my dad's old office (aka FREE). I sprayed it down with hot pink spray paint and stuck that beauty right in the middle of the room. The perfect spot for my lovely lady lamps, which are the only thing that I bought specifically for the office.

The chair is one of those, 'I have nowhere for it but I really like it' purchases last fall. I believe it was $15. It was stained the most horrible shade of yuck so I stripped it off with the intent to paint it. But I like the unfinished wood and it brings some nice warmth into the space. So it stayed. Underneath the desk is an old dhurrie rug I got several years back at an annual thrift sale for $2.

Remember Elmer? I found him at an estate sale in a few dozen pieces. Well he is all fixed and standing watch under my desk. He's my trusty butler who holds my drinks so they stay off of the desk and away from the computer. (I've been known to spill things.)

When the overhead pendant didn't end up working out, I decided to leave the ceiling alone and go with lamps instead. However, I did add a swing arm library sconce over the inspiration board. I'd gotten it several months back at Home Depot with the intent of putting it upstairs but never got around to it. I'm sensing a 'putting off projects pays off' theme here.

The inspiration board serves a great purpose as...inspiration. (duh) But, it also solved the issue of having a vast white wall behind me and not being able to use a single nail (nails in my foundation don't sound like a good idea to me) as well as falling into that whole already owned theme.  I mimicked the shape of the bamboo mirror to create the shape of the board with gold glittery tape. Because if you have a hot pink desk and lady lamps, you need gold glitter somewhere.

I didn't fill it up all the way as I think that is something that should happen over time but it was a fun experience that took me back to my Teen Beat days for sure. And although Johnny Depp circa 21 Jumpstreet didn't make it onto the wall, I did pay homage to my never ending love for Moonlighting with my handmade art from way back when. Oh Bruce, you were so funny back then.

And on that note, let's move on.

Before...

After.

The paint and whatever other crap was under the stairs was removed and I put in some of the metal storage shelves we have for a bit of, well, storage. Now all my fabrics are in one place and I've got a whiteboard to keep me organized (in theory). And I'm going to have to remove all those pillows because the hubs came in and said "you have too many pillows" which just isn't true at all. What does he know.

The other rack of metal shelves (we got a few sets of these a long while back at Costco) now stores books, magazines etc.

The mirror was a CL purchase a while back thanks to my friend Charmaine who posted the mirror when she did a St Louis search. Yet another purchase I had no spot for when I bought it that has come in handy now. It was also another piece I had originally planned to paint but once I got it into the room decided I loved it as is.

On the other side of the room, the new window is a tie for 'best decision ever' with the paint for this space. That window has made a huge difference and it even opens and has a screen. Super fancy. I have it open a lot and get a nice breeze and a breath of fresh air. I'm in the basement, so any fresh air is welcome.

The curtains are leftover ticking fabric. Fabric hoarding to the rescue. The bamboo frame was a score at the estate sale trifecta.

Next to the window is the old wicker demilune table that you all helped me with. I went black and I love it. The armchair also came from the estate sale trifecta, I just removed her slipcover. The cushions need recovered at some point, but until then, a little fabric does the trick. The mats are from an Indie Mats warehouse sale last winter and they are a great solution for walls that can't take nails.

Pictures are a challenge in this room because as that sun moves at a rapid pace, so does my light. But on non picture taking days that is one of my favorite things about the space, there is always light moving thru this room so I can spend a lot of the day without lights on. A true surprise in a basement. Anyone else feel like sining This Little Light of Mine with me?

So there she blows. And I have pictures to prove that at one time, this room was clean.

Have you ever made a 'room' out of corner before? Do you keep a stock of items on hand for those 'just in case' times? You should. I'll testify that it is worth it.

home office makeover - best laid plans

A trait that is at the top of the list when designing anything is flexibility. Things will always come up that you couldn't have planned for (without a crystal ball) and you've got to be able to bend and revise your plan. And almost always this works out for the best.

Case in point - the lighting for my office.

I had long imagined that I would use a huge black and gold lampshade as my 'chandelier' over my desk. I'd gotten the shade at an estate sale long ago and was waiting for just the right thing to use it for and my office was that thing. I even used it in my design plan.

So once I had the space cleaned out, and the paint was down, I started to play around with my lighting scheme. The space only had one sad little lightbulb hanging and the plan was to center a new light over the desk as well as add some other lights around the space and a few outlets for plugs, lamps (more lighting) etc.

But standing in the space I began to notice two things:
1. I don't have soaring ceilings down here so the light would either have to hang pretty close to the ceiling or it would hang down so low it would obstruct the view and act as one big blocker in the room. Kind of like that girl who's bangs are too long but she still lets them hang in her eyes. Clean it up girl!
2. I was planning enough lighting for a room twice the size of my office. I am all in favor of good mood lighting, but this was getting a bit crazy, even for me.

My perfectly planned lighting scheme was not going to work and I was feeling deflated. Damn it I love that black lamp shade! As I sulked in a G&T I remembered these beauties at a favorite local shop. They (the pair) are old, heavy as hell and beautiful. Very feminine and perfect for my office. They have since come to be known as the 'lady lamps' around this house and I'm madly in love with them.

And even though I said I would work to use only what I already had in this office project, they were my one treat.

And speaking of things I already had, my parents said I could use this old metal desk that sat in the back of my dad's shop for the past 20+ years.

Aside from a good cleaning, the desk was in perfect condition and just the vast workspace I was looking for. I used Amy Howard's Lacquer Spray Paint in Begonia (a full review of my experience coming soon)

and in an afternoon, had one very pink, very lady like desk. Perfect for my lady lamps.

The rug is one I got at a local annual sale. It is the same sale I got this stool, and these chairs (before and after). The rug was an impulse purchase because it was huge and TWO DOLLARS. At the time I had no idea when or where I would ever use it, but come on, TWO DOLLARS. It isn't my first choice but without intending to, the colors work really well with the floor and desk and did I mention it was two dollars? See hubs, eventually all that stuff I keep in our basement pays off.

So plans changed, things got lady like and I made lemonade out of two dollar lemons. That sounds like progress to me. Next up, curtains, fabrics and books, oh my.

Do you shop your own house when starting a new project? Do you buy things without really knowing where they will end up? Did you play a drinking game with my over usage of 'two dollars'? (You should have, I said it a lot)

this little light of mine

So, I got a new chandelier for the dining room.

Would this be the dining room that just got a new chandelier last year? Yep, that's the one.

Now, before you go putting me in the loony bin for buying yet another lighting fixture for the dining room (this makes #3), let me state my case. It is a vintage bamboo chandelier at a wicked good price. I couldn't very well leave it behind once I saw it. What if someone bought it who wouldn't have taken care of it? There was a lady with a bedazzled purse and a scrunchie eyeing it at the same time my mom and I were fawning. I couldn't let this light go home with Mrs. Scrunchie, that's just mean. So really I rescued this light from certain doom. I'm a humanitarian. Me and Angelina.

The only problem I had with it was the color. I am a card-carrying member of the black fan club but I've already got a lot of black in the dining room and the walls are darker so adding this big and wonderful black light was just sucking the remaining light out of the room. And the black was hiding all of the great detail that made me love the light in the first place.

I wavered between something sparkly and something with more pop. But while I wavered, I made myself useful and primed.

Sparkle took over and I went with gold. I think I had spent a few hours play dress up with the girls before hand, so that might have influenced my decision. But the subtle, glam, vintagey gold I was looking for didn't happen.

Bust.

It was a little too Golden Girls for my taste. I suppose I could have taken some rub n' buff to the thing to tone it done a bit, but have you taken a close look at this thing? It has no fewer than 47 sides. It's a mathematical anomaly. It was hard enough to spray it, I wasn't about to hand rub the sucker.

I decided to go with what my gut had told me originally and go with my color pop. Why I ever tried to ignore you gut I don't know. My apologies. After something red, with a bit of orange in it, I went to Michaels to look thru the hard core arty spray paint and landed on Cadmium Red by Liquitex.

The color was perfect and the paint goes on wonderfully. It dries super fast and the odor is almost non-existant.

I will warn you though this stuff chips like a... it chips really bad. I wouldn't use this on anything that would get any sort of day to day use, but since people rarely touch my chandelier, I figure it will be safe.

So up she went, looking beautiful. All of her pretty details showing up so much better now in her bright red. But she was missing one last detail. This was the perfect piece to try out one of my favorite blogger 'I want to try that one day' DIYs.

Yep, I followed Emily's lead and added some polka dot fabric to my plain little candle sleeves. You can go to Recently for the full DIY but I will tell you this was easy as can be. All you need is some fabric, scissors and Mod Podge and you'll be done in 10 minutes.

I love my little lady. She is bringing it. 

So the moral of the story is this - ignore trends and always go with your gut. Your gut will never lie to you. And never pass up a good light because you already have one. There is always room for one more chandelier in your life.

What about you? Have you added something to your house only to replace it with something else a year later? Painted anything with 47 sides? Watched Golden Girls lately?

DIY monogram stool - color outside the lines

Happy King Martin day! (as Amelia calls it)

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We’ve been fighting ear infections and some sort of stomach bug so besides a nice long walk; we didn’t get to do much. And tied to the house to monitor temperatures and naps, my hands were fidgeting for something to do.

Enter the victim.

A wonderful little stool my mom and I picked up at a salvage store a while back. It’s the perfect height for the girls and they love using it as a chair/ladder/stuffed animal fort/who knows what else.

This little dude is old though and has the marks to prove it. And to remove all of the layers of paint, scratches and dents would have taken more patience than I possess. So I embraced his battle scars and after a good sanding, declared him ready for paint.

I used spray paint I had left over from this project, and after a few coats step one was complete. Next was adding a bit of fun. My dear friend, and graphic design guru, helped me come up with a monogram for the girls (Amelia and Eve – not Arts and Entertainment). Modern and fun, I love it.

She also gave me the best advice ever. When I told her how much I was dreading cutting out the monogram stencil (remember, me and negative space don’t mix) she uttered two genius words – graphite paper.

$2.99 at Michael’s (minus 40% with their ubiquitous coupon) and I had myself an outlined monogram. Couldn’t have been easier. How did I not know about this genius paper?!

bad basement lighting

After tracing the monogram on the stool I grabbed some leftover navy paint, borrowed a paintbrush from the girls and got to work.

Keeping with the ‘not perfect’ theme of this stool, I tried not to curse (too much) over my coloring outside the lines. Flaws are good right?! Flaws = character. (just keep repeating that to yourself like I do)

If you follow me on Facebook, like all cool people do, then you know I made a game time decision to add the border...using a dinner plate and painters tape of course.

Lovely.

A great stool for two fabulous girls in one of my all time favorite color combos. Outside the lines and perfect.

Try any DIY projects this weekend? Ever used graphite paper? I tell you, I'm looking for something else to create just so I can use it again!

linked up to the Dog Days of Winter Thrift it Link Party

20 minute bench makeover

And she lives!

Thank you all for your get well soons while I was out. That was no doubt the worst flu I've had in...as long as I can remember. I wouldn't say I'm back to 100% yet, but 85% will do. I've heard that the flu shot isn't so strong this year, but I'd still say get one if you can. Although, people seem to have strong opinions about wether or not to get flu shots. Have you ever said 'flu shot' in a crowded room? Oy! Anyway, do what you can to stay healthy.

As I ease myself back into the standing position I thought I'd share a simple DIY that took all of 20 minutes. (my favorite kind)

I picked this bench up off the side of the road (better than a hitchhiker) and then promptly put it in my basement for the next two years. Par for the course, I know. These are the only true before pictures I have.

I don't even want to know what the stain on that seat is from. Dirty. Ugly. But sturdy.

I sprayed it white and used some of the fabric I shared here. A few staples later and as NeNe would say, Bam!

I love the color and pattern on this fabric but thought it was a bit too delicate to have as a pillow in this house. Who knows if a bench will keep it safe any better than a pillow would, but we shall see.

It appears to be a wonderful place to sit and look out the window with friends.

Mother tested. Kid approved.

This bench will be residing in the living room. Along with several other things that have been finished and added. This week I'll be featuring a completed project everyday. I feel bad about the big tease last week and then bailing last week.

So how was your weekend?