Before and After: The Office Makeover

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.

The day has finally come.

The office that I started eons ago is FINALLY complete.

And it turns out, good things come to those who wait!

Seemed like we were on a roll, when the files were prettified, the desk and chair were refinished, the paint and board and batten was up…

but NOPE.

A little window snafu hit. While painting the trim, I noticed the paint wasn’t adhering, and the side of the window felt a little soft. Turned out not to be a major ordeal, our window guy came out and checked things out, recaulked, etc…then we were back in business.

FINALLY.

(Have I said that yet??)

I can’t wait to share it with you, so let’s get down to the fun stuff: the pics!

Come on in!

Let’s take a look back, shall we?

Here’s the exact view, before…

Here’s another before…

And the same spot now…

We did a little ‘His’ and ‘Hers’ desk thing in here. We both blog, and spend many a night in here after the kiddos go to bed, editing pics, writing posts, etc. Above is my little spot – I chose a more feminine fabric for the chair, and soft blue for the desk. But I went a little more masculine for Paul’s chair/desk.

Let’s look at the before first:

And now:

The desk was purchased from Target (Threshold line), as was the lamp. The fabric (both his and mine) were from Hobby Lobby – you might remember when I painted this chair and reupholstered it a while back, in a navy/white print? So, yeah, this is what happens when Liz waits more than a week to do a makeover – I completely changed my color scheme! It was going to be yellow/navy/grey. I scratched that and went for this look instead. Never know what’s going on in this crazy brain of mine, I tell ya! (I tried to find the post on the chair, but it might have disappeared when the old blog got hacked in January. Boo.)

In addition to the desks, I decided to just add a small chair/table in the one remaining corner of the room:

This will come as a TOTAL shock to you, but that chair is also from Target! 😉 I know, I know, I have a problem. I’m well aware. And yes, also the Threshold line. I mean, I can’t deny it. I’m a Threshold addict.

Wanna hear something else? The lamp on my blue desk is also Threshold. Maybe I should become a Threshold spokesperson? Is that a thing? Because I think that could be my calling.

ANYwhooooo….

I had that pillow, that little stool (a yard sale $3 score that I refinished!), and that basket. I love to shop my home, and these were just right. And those three white frames? You might recognize them from the old gallery wall in here, only they were black. Gotta love spray paint!

But let’s talk about some NON-Target accessories I picked up, hmmmm? (If you can believe that!)

I picked up that plant from Lowes, and found the perfect little container for it at Marshall’s. Also grabbed that picture frame ($4.99 – holla!), and clock ($9.99 – woohoo!) at Marshall’s. And I fell in love with that metal @ while at HomeGoods – thought it would be perfect for an office, right?!

Some other odds and ends:

The blinds are from Lowes – Style Selections in Pecan Finish.

The rug is an Overstock find. I decided with the prints going on in the chairs, that I would go neutral. (Remember how I moved the grey/white print one over to the Family Room?)

Floor plant is also from Lowes, and the pot is from Marshall’s.

Instead of a bulletin board, I spotted this at HomeGoods (same day I found the @ sign – it was a good day;). This keeps important things like appointment cards, invitations, cute photos I need to frame, in a neat burlap package. Thought the horizontal shape would be just right since we have the board and batten rockin’.

But I think my favorite part about this whole room is how light and bright it is. Check this out – I took this photo before the makeover began.

That would be my daughter playing Nick Jr. on the laptop IN THE DARK. IN THE MORNING. I remember we were just about to start the room, and thought, “I have GOT to capture how dark and dungeon-y it looks right now so I can compare.” In my mind I knew it would be so much brighter.

I was right:

Don’t you just love it when that happens?

This reminds me – one more thing I forgot to tell you about! That white stool is from Lowe’s. It’s a nice spot for the kids to perch on when they pop in to talk or if they’re waiting their turn for the computer. (And the real reason I bought it – to hide the not so attractive “underneath” of the desk! I. HATE. CORDS.)

So I think that about wraps it up! Hope you like it, and if there’s anything I forgot to discuss, comment away!

Thanks for being so patient in the Longest Makeover in History- you guys are the best!