Working From Home

It's snowing here in Atlanta and I have the pleasure of working from home today. I'm sitting in a room that is, to me, calm and serene. So I have no problem being here. I'm a firm believer that your surroundings can influence who you are, what your are doing, and how you do what you are doing. Like any job, my job can be stressful at times. So I took the time to make my office calm, comfortable, and most importantly, functional.

Just as a disclaimer-- no DIY projects were involved in my office makeover. I see all these wonderful blogs where people spraypaint this and restore that. I WISH I had the time for that! The trade-off is that I had to work from my kitchen table while I was saving money to get what I wanted. It took over a year to finish the space, but I love it! Here is how I did it...

The first part of decorating any room is to start with what I call the "centerpiece." It's not necessarily something that will be at the center of the space, but something that you can draw inspiration from. It can be a rug, a picture, or a piece of fabric. My centerpiece was my desk. Most offices these days have a modern decor with traditional elements. But I wanted to do the opposite- a traditional base with modern elements. I often have lots of files and paperwork scattered about, so I knew those cutesy little modern desks wouldn't work. So I started with this desk from Bassett Furniture. This picture was also my inspiration photo.

My office is not that big, so I wanted a sturdy, functional desk that would fit in a corner. That would allow me to get the most out of the space. Organization is required of my job and of my life, so I liked how I could customize the pieces to fit my space and my needs.  And yes, it was pricey, but I saved a while for this desk and purchased it during Bassett's 30% off sale.

The next step was to determine the colors I wanted to incorporate in the space. I liked the original neutral wall color, which is Whole Wheat by Sherwin Williams, so I chose not to paint. I liked the cream and the green in the inspiration photo. Those colors were calming, and calm was exactly what I was going for. I started with purchasing a green chenille throw from Restoration Hardware, a cream seat cushion from Pier One, and some picture frames from Target. My home office then evolved... 

Here is what it looked like before...

 Here is what it looks like now...

As you can see, I changed the wall decor. I was in TJMaxx and saw those pictures in the clearance section. I am usually not into flower prints, but they really caught my eye and they ended up working great. All of the accessories on the desk came from TJMaxx with the exception of the lighting. The Bassett desk lamp was a gift from my wonderful mom.

The chair is a custom chair from Bassett. I picked out the fabric, the size of the chair, the arms, and the shape of the back pillow. It's such a treat when you can design your own furniture! The accent pillows are from TJMaxx and the pharmacy floor lamp is from Restoration Hardware. Yes, I got the lamp on sale!

I purchased the floating ledge with 20% off coupon I had from Pottery Barn. The cork board is from the Container Store, which is a place I ONLY go to when I need something very specific. Otherwise, I would be broke!

Needless to say, I am STILL not done with decorating. I need to have some window treatments made for the window.

I think that a roman shade will work perfectly. Hopefully Max will be ok with that, too... I also need to frame my new print that I just received from Made By Girl. Check back later for an update!

Joining Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures!