Finally a pretty AHHHH-fice

I promised updated pictures this weekend, but got busy with everyone being home, soccer practice, baby turning 1, chickens ending their molting period (yay to fresh organic junk free eggs!) and maybe some laying around and watching movies with the kids. 

I talked about the office here - and, not being one to sit around daydreaming about things (I'm more of a "may as well start now, laundry/dishes/vacuuming can wait a day or two, it must be beautiful before sundown" kind of girl) I got busy as soon as Mister left on a business trip. 

I started with a real gem - 

The room is actually a great size for an office - it has a tray (? I think) ceiling so that's a little bit interesting and it has a ton of light with 2 giant windows. When we bought the house, I had a thing for dark saturated color and I painted it a dark olive green with this faux gold aged ceiling. I didn't love the green for long, but I decided that I was ok with neglecting this room, because after all, it's the office, and it's not like we all hang out in here when people are over. 
 

Unfortunately, those two big glass doors are right next to the front door, so, it's hard to miss the mess. And a mess it was. It was our "pile" room - because we are "pile" people. And it's where everything that didn't work somewhere else went to die.  We all do work in this room, but I would go in and get things done as quickly as possible, and LEAVE. 

This is what you see when you walk in - the glass is slightly reflective (so I kidded myself into thinking that if I ignored it, guests would too). I hated it... H A T E D it. But, priorities. Until I found out Mister was heading out of town, and I thought I would have uninterrupted time to attack. And attack I did.


I did paint the walls in the summer - Universal Khaki by SW, to get rid of that dark olive. But it wasn't enough, and since I just finished stenciling this room - there was no way I was going to stencil again ... for at least a few months. So stripes it was. Ok-ready for some after's? Those are always my favorite.

 

Now- this is the view when you walk in the door!

I made these letters (our initials) using giant canvases I had bought at Big Lots for $10 each (and grew tired of the picture) - I covered them in book pages and painted our letters on. I big fat pink puffy heart them.

Let's just ignore that mug ring I just now spotted, shall we? - this is real life...spots and sticky faces are just an average day around here. I thrifted the lamp from Goodwill a while back (I think this lamp singlehandedly has started my love affair with turquoise. The pencil holder I glued scrapbook paper to.

The subway sign I made out of leftover plywood in the garage and the handy dandy tracing paper method - but I had an issue with one of the paints I used, and it still isn't dry. Assuming it does dry at some point, I'm going to redo the sign because I don't like how I squished some of the words on...but, overall, it was a good first try. And it's happy on the wall, looking all cute and sassy with it's weird letters.

The chair is an Ikea "as is" piece. It was something like $49 and we bought it when we were staging our Michigan house. It tends to travel from room to room.
 

I made this wreath out of one of my moms old music notebooks - she passed away almost 2 years ago, and it hurts. Every. Single. Day. I just like to have pieces of her stuff around me.

There is another side to this room - hmmm. It's the bookshelves. I haven't perfected the art of making those pretty yet. And we (he) still has to hang the industrial light. So more to come, but I'm pretty happy with how some left over paint and other things you only had laying around the garage can completely transform a space. I already had the paint and tape, so the walls were F R EEEEEE!!! (has anyone else seen that pig commercial? Love it).  The table was in the garage. Chair sitting under a pile of junk already in the office. 


Please don't call an intervention over my stripes. They are upstairs in the hallway - but they are mild and calm and not this bold. And you can't see them from here. And. Well. I just love stripes. I promise to not do them anywhere else. m'kay?


Brown paint - Universal Khaki - SW
White paint - Off the shelf "Soft White" from Walmart
Ceiling - Sea Salt - SW


I hope you enjoyed the tour of the office! Come back again and stay awhile...


xo-Chris

Linking to:

 Between Naps on the Porch - Metamorphisis Mondays

Southern Savy Style: Wow Us Wednesday

Thrifty Decor Chick: Show us your house party

Passionately Perfect: Coffee & Conversation Thursday

The 36th AVENUE

The Shabby Creek Cottage: Transformation Thursday

Rain on a Tin Roof: Give Me the Goods Monday