Wednesday, September 5, 2012

My Office

My office is still a pretty big work in progress. I haven't even been in it for very long.


We didn't do much other than paint when we first moved in. The carpet is brand new. We set it up as a guest room and then we had a room mate up until about a year ago. I hemmed and hawed forever about whether to keep it as a guest room or not. Finally my husband said "how often do we have guests? You would use it as an office everyday." Truer words have never been spoken.


This is right after I moved in. I sold the expedit shelf on craig. I liked it but I wished I had gotten the white one instead but I got several years use out of it still.


Not long after I moved my stuff in I got to painting. I wanted a really dark gray. The color is Gray by Benjamin Moore. This room has big beautiful leaded glass windows. I had a fabric picked out for the curtains that I picked specifically to go with this paint color. I was, still am, in love with it. I could have sworn it was $25/yard but when I called to order it was actually $50/yard aka out of my budget. It still gives me the sads when I think about it and obviously I haven't found anything else yet.


Sorry about the night shot, but this is really how it looked for a while.


My husband got me this big beautiful mirror from Ikea as a christmas gift. I love how it opens the room up and the silvery finish is pretty.


You couldn't see this chair very well in the Houzz tour. It's a parsons chair I got of craigslist for $60 as a gift to myself last year. The original orange fabric is actually kinda cool and in good shape. I'm sure I'll upholster it eventually but the cost on chairs like these is pretty steep.

I added my chinese dressing screen to give me little privacy. I work in here a lot at night and people on the street can see right in! It's a sample I snagged from my days at JCP.


You can hardly recognize this dresser can you? It was an absolute mess. I purchased it at Canton for a mere $45. Most of the handles were missing a piece of bamboo was broken off (but luckily still in one of the drawers), plus the color was just awful. It's a real Thomasville piece though.


When I bought this piece I had no idea where I would put it. Pro-tip: You don't have to have a plan for things. It was too good a deal to pass up and I knew I could find a place for it somewhere. It sat at my parents farm for months before I brought it up and even then I still wasn't sure what I'd do. For a long time I thought I would put it along that art wall in our living room. But then I decided I needed some storage in here and this piece would fit the bill.

It's a spray paint called ballet slipper.


I got the knobs at a local hardware store called Elliot's. I highly suggest you check out your locally owned hardware stores. They have very unique home improvement items you can't find at big box stores. Their employees are very knowledgeable too. I think I spent $50ish total on the hardware.


I even added a little surprise. The color is apricot from valspar.


The blanc de chine lamps I scored at an antiques store for $38 each. Always visit the antique stores in small towns people! They are well priced and have great shit. The desk we got from a friends garage sale. I will replace it someday when "the one" comes along. My chair is Ikea, I plans to recover it as well. Just need to pick curtains first.


 The vintage chandelier is from, you guessed it, Canton. It was $120. Actually a good deal for a vintage chandelier. You can only tell it's missing a few crystals if you look reeeally close. The artwork is by me. It took forever to layer like that but it's one of my favorite pieces (as evidenced by my blog header). Also that's a Tivoli radio, if you don't own one, get one, they are amazing and they look retro to boot.



Also I'm seriously considering this for my curtains in here...


Its a white linen with fuzzy black dots. So cute. What do you guys think?

Any questions? 



Photo by Sarah Greenman

Happy Wednesday lovers!
Photobucket

10 comments:

Will @ Bright.Bazaar said...

I love your rug, Brandi! :)

Beth of designPOST Interiors said...

That fabric would be adorable for curtains!

Ambsterdam said...

Where did you get your desk? I have been looking for something similar, and have had a hard time so far.

The Vintique Object said...

Hi Brandi,

I found your blog through the Houzz house tour, which I really enjoyed. Your style is awesome -- collected and lived in but still decorated and beautiful. I have a new client who loves purple, so I found so much inspiration in your home. And strangely, I just bought a very similar brass wall sculpture for her, like the one above your bed.
Happy to have found your blog!
Camille

charmaine said...

I love your office! You are a girl after my own heart, a great bargain shopper! Love all your finds. I'm going to check your Houzz tour now.

Charmaine
mybestfriendcraig.blogspot.com

court. said...

Looks amazing! I love seeing a space in transition....keep it going!

Jessica said...

Love it, well done!! I have that same dresser, painted mine white but loving yours more actually!!

Blake Mitchell said...

I don't mean to freak you out, Brandi, but the dresser in your office has a smiley on the left side. Was it intentionally made? Can you see the two blue door knobs? They look like they’re the eyes, and the drawer handle is the mouth. Is that why you painted it pink? Haha. By the way, you did a good job transforming the guest room into your office space. The gray walls and the colorful cabinet created a fun office atmosphere. :)

Office Supplies Solutions UK said...

A truly classy office! The furniture and the colours are lovely. It is stuff like a creative working area and useful office supplies that can boost one's productivity, so good job with your project!

Meeting and Training Venues Experts said...

Good idea that you turned your guest room into something you could use every day! Congrats on your wonderful office.