My Home Office Room Make-Over Design Plan

My home office is really supposed to be the dining room for our home. We decided when we moved in a little more than 2 months ago that since we had adequate space in our eat-in kitchen plus bar area in kitchen that our lifestyle didn't require a formal dining room (plus we didn't have any formal dining room furniture). I feel so fortunate to have my own space- in our last home I shared my home office with my husband's home office plus the room was also our guest room and it was small small small and deep down in the basement. I have never been happier with a decision!


My home office is in the front of our house and has a huge floor to ceiling window right in the smack of it so I can watch what's going on in the neighborhood while I work. It is also located next to our kitchen and around the corner from our family room so I can keep an eye or at least an ear on what Bryce (5 year old daughter) and Brayden (3 year old son) are up to. Which is often a whole lot of monkey business!!! :) Now, since it is in a central location, front and center, in our home, I HAVE to have organizational pieces set up so that it stays neat plus it needs to look good! I like that part!


I love a lot of things about my office. Let me show you:

I love love love the craft table! It has great storage for my design books and magazines, my sewing machine, ribbons (for reversible ribbon headbands I make- I'll show you how in an upcoming blog in July), stationary, and more. My 5 year old daughter often joins me here while I am working to color or do art projects.

The inpsiration for the room is taken from the green and blue striped fabric on chairs and also on the curtains (I added a strip of the green and blue fabric to grommet curtains from Target).

I fell in love with the fun green bamboo tray that I found at a home store near the beach in Oak Island, NC. I have used in several locations throughout our house. Now it's the perfect place to hold some of my office things:

This white painted shelf used to be super ugly! My parents purchased it back in the 1970s- it's not even wood. It used to be in our basement hidden in the storage area. Then I saw similar pieces in the Crate and Barrell catalog and got an idea! 6 cans of white spray paint later! Voila! Now it's one of my favorite pieces! I love being able to give a rebirth to a sad, sad sack! I found the white inexpensive bins at the Crate and Barrell outlet a few months ago. They're perfect for hiding my glue gun, camera, fabric, and files.

I also LOVE these sweet little blue and green shades found on the Pottery Barn clearance table for 5 bucks each! I paired them with little wooden table lamps from Target. My dear friend Beth gave me the blue and green star candles for my birthday a few years ago. They're just perfectly me!

These Target prints used to be in our dining room in our home in Virginia. Kinda seems appropriate for them to be in this 'dining room' that was refitted to be my home office. Plus the colors just work!

Beach glass mirror from same home store that the fun green bamboo tray came from and organizational zone:

Okay, so it sounds like I like my space. Well....that's true but there is room for improvement. I want to make the space 'more me'. This is the space where I come to get rejuvenated to take on my passions. So, I've got some ideas to make it more beautiful:

Let me break down the changes/additions I'd like to make this summer to my home office:


1. I want to remove the large ornate chandelier and replace it with a smaller, funky, and fun pendant like light. I am thinking about this white one from Ikea.


2. I want to find possibly a 5 X 8 rug to place under the craft table. I am really digging the Martha Stewart swirly blue one that I included in the design plan.


3. I need to commision my favorite painter and life partner, Steve, to paint this room. The dark warm brown is definitely not working with all of the cool blue and green that I have going on in the room. I am thinking soft, pale blue.


4. I am thinking the oyster shell mirror that I just made (check out my decorating projects tab to see it) will look perfect in the room.


5. I am wanting a message system- maybe a dry erase white board with corkboard to make notes for myself.


6. I want to add some more art on the walls. I noticed that Target has similar, but slightly different,  framed square geometric pieces that I could incorporate.


Okay, friends, let me know what you think. Do you have some awesome ideas for me? I am thinking my time frame for this project is this summer. Can't wait to share it with you when it's completed.


Now, go out there and have a happy day! :) I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July weekend! Are you doing something special?
Happy decorating & living-
Megan
megan@cottagebluedesigns.com