Home Office Inspiration Board

I semi-promised an inspiration board for my home office a couple of weeks ago, and here she is! This is my first official attempt at a mood/inspiration board, so please bear with with me as I make Photoshop bend to my will.

Essentially this serves as a general idea of what I'm thinking of for the office, in a far more attractive-looking form. Please don't look at the prices and think that's what I'd actually spend on these items - it's more of a way to envision how I'd like the space to pan out.

1. Lottie Dots Decal (Gold), Land of Nod, $24.95 each set of 48 decals
2. Orbital Sphere Flushmount - Rust, RH Baby & Child, $199
3. Decorator Shelf, Pottery Barn Kids, $79
4. Metal Industrial Pinboard, Restoration Hardware, $449
5. Curvy Chrysanthemum Vase, Anthropologie, $28
6. Trailblazer Wingback Desk Chair, Pottery Barn Teen, $319
7. Gold Bars Rug, Land of Nod, $299 - $799

What do you guys think? Any other ideas? I'd like to keep the palate pretty neutral because the wall color is pretty bold (Valspar Belle Grove Victory Blue) but would love some additional ideas for pops of color.

Decorating the Home Office

Not to confuse it with my work office. ;)

Remember when I mentioned I was offered a new job? Well, I started there this week, and get this: I have my own office. With a window!!! Coming from the Land of the Cubicles, this is a big freaking deal, peeps.

Eventually I'll think more about how I want to decorate my new and fabulous work space, but for now I'll concentrating on my home office, which we recently painted and reorganized. It's been awesome to finally be able to use this space for its intended purpose, although the walls are kind of lacking in pretty things at the moment. And we all know how much I like pretty things.


Here are some options I'm considering:


I'm really liking the shelving concept of this set-up, especially since I have a whole bunch of books and random knick knacks that need a home.

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I really like the crate box shelving idea, along with the leather chair. I've always wanted a nice comfy corner in my office to either philosophize about the meaning of life or just to read a good book. Quite warm and cozy.

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Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a big fan of polka dots. Perhaps I could do an accent wall or the area around my desk with these puppies.

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Although I like the light fixture that's currently in the office, I'm thinking about switching it up. This option from the Restoration Hardware Kids collection is pretty nifty, and honestly it looks rather easy to re-create myself if I really wanted to.

Orbital Sphere Flushmount Light, $199, RHKids

I love me a good gallery wall, and really like how this one turned out. Looks classy yet warm and inviting.

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So there you have it - essentially a hodgepodge of what I'm thinking as far as decorating the office. Perhaps I'll do a more formal mood board in the near future. 

Any other ideas out there for storage/decor/organization? 

Workin' hard for the office.

Although getting the house in order for the appraisal was a pain in the rear, it did have a welcome side effect: it pushed me to finally finish painting and organizing the office. I meant to have it done weeks ago, but it took longer than anticipated mainly because the office is right next to Owen's room, and I made the mistake of being too loud a few too many times and woke him up from a sound slumber. Which is a big no-no if we want to be productive.

Oh well. Live and learn.

With the appraisal fast approaching, I quickly (and quietly) grabbed my brush and roller and got paintin'. I finished the final wall over the course of two nights, madly painting after work. Once the paint fully dried, we moved the desks and bookcase back to their original spots and did did a major organization and cleaning job on the joint.

As a reminder, here is the office before we painted or did any type of organizing. Yep, it was pretty scary. Eeek.

And are a couple of "after" photos that I barely squeezed in before the sun set (which is why there are no photos of Brian's desk, because the light didn't go back that far):

Muuuuuuuuch better. Man, it feels good to have an actual, working office again! See how excited I am?! I just can't contain myself.

I had such a difficult time choosing a paint color for this room - I wanted everything from bright yellow to dark, rich reds. After comparing far too many swatches I ultimately decided on Valspar Belle Grove Victory Blue, mainly because as soon as I saw it I knew it would contrast nicely with the wood trim in the room. I feel like this color helps make the trim look more character-filled and richer than it actually is. Which is exactly what we're going for, folks.

Obviously we aren't done with the office yet - this is what I'd like to call a "Phase 1" update. For "Phase 2", we'll be concentrating more on decorating the office and making it into a truly functional (and fun!) work space. I'm toying with some options, which I'll share in an upcoming post. For now I'm still enjoying the afterglow of having some nice paint up on the walls.

Ahhhh the simple things.

Any other ideas for decorating the office? Anyone else recently redecorated their office and have any tips/tricks? I'm open to any and all ideas, as long as they don't include sequins - there's only so much shiny I can take. ;)

Progress!

We're making headway on some projects folks, despite the fireworks going off all weekend long (seriously, is there a not-so-loud way to celebrate the Fourth?!) and Owen's teething trials. Here's a quick summary:

1. Resealed the driveway.
We have a blacktop driveway, which is cheaper in the short term but needs a bit of maintenance in the long term. It was a bit faded and in danger of turning into pebbles within the next couple of years if we didn't do anything. According to the neighbors and my parents (who own the joint), apparently it hasn't been sealed in at least the last 10 years, which is a tad too long to go without sealant.

So, we moseyed on down to Lowe's, picked up some sealant and a squeegee and went at 'er. Well, more like Brian went at 'er....I supervised/offered moral support while Owen took his morning nap.

This project was actually completed this weekend, mostly because it had to be for the sealant to correctly set. Brian did a great job, right? I'd like to think it was as a direct result of my awesome supervisory skills.

Okay, I couldn't help myself...so much black space warranted a little Photoshop fun. ;)

2. Cut, glued, sanded and stained wood for a bathroom shelf.
We decided we need more storage space in our bathroom, so we want to install a shelf or two above the toilet. I particularly like this option from West Elm, but not the hefty price tag. Yeah, definitely NOT paying more than $50 for a shelf!

However, since I have a tendency to over-complicate things, I decided I wanted an authentic, weathered look as opposed to whatever we could find at IKEA/Target/Lowe's. Which meant getting two 1x4's, gluing them together, and staining it a rustic color. It's not exactly turning out as I had hoped, mainly because I used too much wood glue. Eventually I'll get it right....right?!

Here's the work in progress. I also need to find some brackets to, oh, ya know, hold the darn thing up.

3. Began painting the office.
Our house has three bedrooms - one is ours, one is Owen's, and the last one we use as an office. Well, more like in an ideal world we'd love to use it as office, because right now it's really more of a dumping ground for old books, electronics, and random items that Owen isn't allowed to play with yet. Here's a before shot - scary, am I right?

To help remedy that situation, I figure a fresh coat of paint is just the ticket to inspire us to actually use the space as we had originally intended. The office is also the one room of the house that we did not get to paint before we moved in, mainly because by that point we were ready to just be settled in.

It's about 40% done right now. Here's a sneak peak at the color we picked out, which is Belle Grove Victory Blue by Valspar. I wanted something that would look good with the wood trim, and this definitely fits the bill. I think it looks pretty sharp so far (even with an iPhone photo!).

Anyone else making progress on any larger projects? Any office organization/beautification ideas?