Evolution Of Our Home Office

When we first moved into our home, we decided to use one of the bedrooms as a home office. 

We started with nothing, really, other than a computer.  Nice starting point, but that leaves a lot to be purchased!  You've probably already gathered that nothing thrills me more than a good bargain, so putting this room together was a process.  I took the hunter/gatherer approach rather than just turning to a page from a Pottery Barn catalog and saying "I want everything in this photo of an office."

We first started as most people with empty rooms do ... at Ikea!

Desk table? Check!  We went with a frosted glass table top on wrought iron legs.  I also scored that gorgeous rug from Tuesday Morning.

Then we went to work putting together two white bookshelves we also got from Ikea.  I like the look of them, but the shelves slip out so easily.  I definitely wouldn't recommend them, and once we have a tot or two around the house, they will definitely have to go.  A book avalanche would be bound to happen.

Ian has some of his alma mater decor on his shelf.  :)

Next up was a new chair for the corner.  I found this green chair at World Market.  It perfectly matches the green in the rug.

We wanted a way to organize our paperwork, invitations, and bills, so I started piecing together some elements for one of our walls.  I found the hanging wire file system at TJ Maxx, and the old dry-erase board got a coat of black paint to match.

We hung them along with a picture from one of my favorite Etsy sellers, The Wheatfield, of North Carolina.  The frame and mat are from Michaels.

The wrought iron medallion you see below is from Old Time Pottery.

You can also see the paint swatches on the wall ... we were getting an itch to paint!  Boring ivory walls, be gone.

We decided on a color and cleared out the bookshelves, moving everything away from the wall.

We gave the room two coats of paint and went with a greenish-taupe color to make the room feel a little more sophisticated.

Best part is, we didn't have to paint the very top of the room, because we had a very exciting appointment a few days later -- installation for crown moulding!

So we lived with unfinished borders for just a few days and eagerly anticipated the crown to be put up.

And what a huge difference it made!  We splurged on a thicker moulding than necessary.  I just love the look of a molding with a real presence, you know?

So everything was looking great, minus one annoyance.  That fan.

Despite its stubby arms, it put out a heck of a breeze.  Trouble was, we just didn't use the fan that often, the light on it was pretty dang flourescent, and it wasn't very visually appealing.

Down it came.

Ew.

I found a really awesome light at Lowe's that stole my heart.  At $99, it came home with me immediately.

So here is our current office!  I think it is quite an improvement from how it used to look.  Scroll up if you dare!

Next on our wishlist is something to hang on this small wall above the green chair.  Perhaps a big canvas of a wedding photo?

At some point in the near future, I'll take more "styled" photos of the room ... photos where you don't see the bills waiting to be paid, photos where the lighting is impeccable, photos that hopefully showcase a completed room (if that feeling ever really exists). 



But for now, this is a real-life look at the evolution of our office.  It feels so nice to make progress!