More Office Progress

Since my last Office Updates post, not a whole bunch has changed.  I should really know better by now than to try and do any projects in my own home while in the midst of a flip.  While the to do list hasn't gotten shorter, I have been making progress towards completion now that I've shifted my focus back home. To recap and refresh your memory (since it was months ago and who can remember that far back)... so far this room has gotten:

-Uncovered and refinished 100+ year old wide plank pine floors (happydance)

-New baseboards and trim to match the rest in the house

-Repainted walls

-A new layout and new (to me) antique desk

-Cable ran through the wall so it doesn't wind around the entire room's baseboard anymore (another happy dance)

-Custom cat perch

-A new light fixture

The remaining To-Do list for this itty bitty room is:

-Create cabinet to hide TV

-Make pillows for settee (one is made!)

-Make or buy roman shade

-Reupholster and put rolly base on vintage chair

-New knobs and paint cubby doors

-Way way in the eventual- refinish antique desk (so far in the eventual that it'll probably be 5 years away, but a girl can dream)

-Hang plants in corner next to window

-Metal pipe picture rail above settee

-Style and organize! (let's add a few !!!!! to this item for good measure since it's the most fun part)

A rather long list for a room that's less than 100sf, huh?  But it's doable... I just need to DO it.

The first item on the remaining To-Do list Handy Dad is currently helping me with.  A custom TV cabinet.  Since this is my office primarily and den/tv room secondarily, I want to be able to cover up the tv with some pretty art and have it be out of sight out of mind when I need to focus on working.

After much debate and back and forth about how to engineer it, I ended up planning a shelf system with sliding doors.  I'll apply store-bought frames to the doors after construction and the art (hopefully) will slide with ease.  When the TV is in use, it will be framed out and flanked with beautiful art.

When not, there will be a decorative shelving unit with statement art in the center.

Aside from gray frames and colorful art, the rest will be painted white to match the walls and trim and not get too busy.  Like I said... <100sf.

As for the statement art, I've been positively drooling over this art from etsy.

So far Handy Dad and I have solidified our construction plans and started to cut out all the pieces.  Hopefully we can start the assembly this week!

My Office Updates (progress)

I was trying to hunt through my photo archives for some good "before" pics of my office, but for some strange reason they're all small vignette images.  Ok, not so strange- my office has never been fully photo-worthy so I just tried to show you pretty little snippets and hide the rest.

This one below from when I first switched out the light fixture is definitely the most true:  yellow walls from the last owner, cheap roman shade from our last apartment, a delightfully photogenic elliptical in front of a store bought, dirty brown cat perch, in a window with decorative trim that doesn't match any of the other trim in the house, and an awkward outlet on the wall with several power strips plugged into it for the computer and TV on the wall on the right.

It's other charming features included coax cable running along the baseboard on 3 walls, baseboard which also did not match any other trim in the house, the hideous old carpet, no real desk space, just a cubby I used to sit in front of,

oh, and a yellow maple closet door that Bear is modeling here: (also note the baseboard and coax cable- sexy)

I am beyond pleased to say that most of the offenses have been remedied and the office is on it's way to being a gorgeous, functional office/den/work out room.  There's still a ton to go decoration-wise, but the shell is set.

Daisy wanted to be a part of the progress shoot since Charlie (Bear) was in the befores...

No more orange wood closet door and trim and walls both got Ben Moore's Dune White (Satin on trim and matte on walls).

Once I get the decoration on the office/TV wall set, I'll put some simple artwork above settee.  For the settee itself, I'll be making several new pillows with pops of color.

My $25 Brimfield chair will get reupholstered and get casters for usability and the TV is going to be getting a fancy shelf unit around it with sliding art to hide the big black box when not in use.  I'm still working out those logistics.  The window now has appropriate square trim that matches the rest of the house and will (at some point in the nearish future) don a new DIY roman shade.

The new desk was a craigslist find and needs a little love eventually, but there are other more pressing design matters in here.  The new IKEA cubby doors will be getting painted gray and get matching handles to their drawer counterparts.  As you can see, however, I already remedied the ugly brown cat perch with a custom built one (tutorial coming soon!) which the cats only chose to use a fraction of the time.

The overhead light needs to be replaced again too.

While I still like the IKEA light, the shade shines a yellowish glow on the new white walls.

As you can see my office has come a long way, but still has a way to go and several fun projects ahead!  Now if only I could stop working and focus on finishing my office, I'd have a beautiful space to work!  That might be a little counter-productive though.....

My Office Plan

Oh my office.  I'm excited to make this a workable office.  and tv room. and workout room.  It wears many hats, but the primary one needs to be workable office.  This is where the design magic needs to happen. Before we tore out the carpet, my office had stalled out shy of usable office.  No desk or workspace and the computer placement made me feel like I was in a cave.

While I'm still fleshing out the layout, I know what feel I want here.  This office (via House Beautiful) spoke to me.

Clearly I don't have anywhere near the space or want to fork over budget to replicate this, but I'm inspired.  Sometimes it's the hardest as a designer to work on your own spaces because of all the possibilities in front of you.  When I find myself getting tripped up like this I always try to pick a jumping off point.  For my office, it's this rug that I stumbled on at HomeGoods.  It's so soft and more subtle in person.  Traditional and feminine without being too girly.

From there I was inspired.

1.  IKEA ranarp task lamp.  I've had this lamp for over a year and I still love it- it just needs a better home.

2.  My vintage craigslisted settee will need to stay in the space (for the tv room functionality portion), but it requires some new pillows!  This fun stripe is Color Lesson, Cantaloupe from Tonic Living

3.  I love the way yellow pops with the rug, so my office chair might get a good dose of Heni Slub Goldenrod from Fabric.com

4.  #polkadotsforlife.  Polka dots make me weak in the knees, so I'm very very seriously considering a roman shade in this Small Ikat Dot from Tonic Living

5.  This room needs plants!  I'm still not so great at keeping them alive, but I'm officially a plant addict.  The one pictured is technically a small, artificial one from IKEA, but you get the idea.

6.  This image is courtesy of Apartment Therapy, but I am actively on the hunt for a small scale desk to maximize my worksurface in my small scale space.  Hopefully my besty Craigslist will help me out.

7.  Totally the same rug as above but it changes color in different lights- more beigy at times, and others more blue.  It's actually billed as silver which is probably accurate.  I stumbled on mine for an amazing deal at HomeGoods, but I found it later at Target as well- Safavieh Calista Rug

8.  If you have a really good memory, you might remember this guy as my $25 Brimfield pick from a year ago.  He's been patiently waiting in the basement for new upholstery- I'm thinking #3 above.  A nice yellow pattern would make him look super dapper, don't you think?

I have a few other tricks up my sleeve here too (like a creative way to hide the TV), but the bedroom floors are still unfinished, which means 1/3 of the bedroom is currently shoved into my office.  Another 1/3 in Hubby's office, and the last 1/3 in the living room.  The cats seem a bit bewildered as to why there's a mattress taking up the entire living room floor.