Diary of a Home Office Makeover: Completion

My goal in this makeover was to give my office a cohesive look and a peaceful vibe. When I first decorated this room, my MO was truly just to "make it work" and make it feel happy. While I was successful in that mission, my office still didn't feel great. And why settle for just good when you can be great? Continue reading to check out the before & afters... plus all the details that now make my office a calm place in which I can be productive!

A cohesive look meant simplifying the colors and decor. Originally, I used teal/turquoise, light blue, gold, white, and black to decorate my office. This time, I limited the palette to mostly white, some teal/turquoise, and mixed metallics.

I still used an eclectic mix of decor: modern, Baroque, vintage, organic. But in simplifying the color scheme, this mix flowed better than previously.

The other aspect, creating a peaceful space, required much more work. In this process, I had to learn (again) how to let go. A major purging occurred, which you can read more about in part one of my office makeover. The items I did keep were all placed in white storage containers.

This makeover also resulted in me creating a new makeover process: function first, decor second. This new process helped me pull through the final leg of my makeover with so much less stress. You can read more about that in part two of my makeover.

Without further ado, the before & after photos…

Now, the details…

For my work-at-home area, the feeling of balance and peace comes from the all-white storage and hiding my CPU and modem on a shelf behind the monitor. (I’m not a fan of seeing lots of electronics & equipment in a room.) Houseplants also bring some harmony in this space.

My work-at-home space also received a new desk chair. I bought a couple of dining chairs from a local consignment shop, painted one with chalk paint, added some distressing, and changed the fabric. No more ugly, black office chair!

Moving clockwise in the room sits another storage area, my Expedit bookshelves and tool collection.

I previously stored all my tools in the laundry room downstairs and found myself transporting these supplies often between rooms. Solution: move the tools into my office and make them pretty. I gave the tools a makeover with gold spraypaint and hung them on a steel pegboard.

Another houseplant that graces my office: a ponytail palm (AKA elephant’s foot). It reminds me of the days I had wild and long curly hair.

Along the next wall, I strung all my paper lanterns together, creating one bright source of light. The ironing board doubles as surface space when working on a project. To decorate this wall, I painted a simple abstract piece with watered down craft paint.

If you get close you will see I actually painted over a mosaic. I took an old mosaic wall art project and painted many layers of white paint over it to create a blank canvas. The tiles add a subtle amount of texture.

The next wall houses my other workspace. This is my space for creating, blogging, and where I will one day do homework (another reason this makeover had to be great!).

This desk was previously painted the same teal as my tanker desk. I made it over with white chalk paint, gold distressing, and legs spraypainted gold. The symmetry of this area contributes greatly to a sense of calm and balance.

Above the desk is another makeover, my DIY dry erase board. This is what it first looked like, in all its Home Interiors glory:

This wood letter tray also received an easy makeover with some whitewashing and holds some of my art supplies:

I’m not just glad to be done with this makeover, but also find myself happy to be in this room. It’s important to have a room you feel great in, even if it’s a workspace. Getting rid of lots of unnecessary items and brightening the space with lots of white has really helped this room feel calm.

Next up on the to-do list: finally creating a dining area in my living room!

Do you have a home office? If so, is your office strictly for function or have you decorated it to your liking?
Thanks for visiting! Let’s stay connected!

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