29th Avenue: A Fresh and Functional Home Office Makeover – THE BIG REVEAL!

 

Earlier this week, I introduced you to the small converted attic that functions as our home office. It was a mishmash of furniture and stuff and things that we brought over from our previous home. Stuff and things and furniture that just didn’t fit the space. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the horror show that was the existing paint job… because I can’t. I can’t even.     

Since I work from home (all of the time) and my husband works from home (some of the time), we needed a space that could function for both of us. A few things we wanted: a space that was uncluttered (visually and surface-wise) and had a generous amount of out-of-sight storage options; a space that was calming but still lent itself to productivity; and a space that we could happily spend a good amount of time in without wanting to crawl up the walls. Y’know, the small things.

 

Now, I don’t know if this is the “proper” sequence of events to follow for a room makeover, but we started with the furniture first and ended with the paint. Some people like to paint first, but I like knowing what I’m working with before I pick a color. Tomayto, tomahto.

 

We were lucky enough and BEYOND THRILLED to work with the cool kids at Haworth. In case you’re not familiar with Haworth, they are the makers of incredibly beautiful and high-quality office furniture and workspace systems. While their main focus is in the corporate realm, they do have an online store for residential or small business customers. So, that’s awesome.

 

After measuring twice and ordering once, we decided to go with a black/white/beechwood scheme, with the idea that the light and bright palette would help keep our office feeling airy and open. We ditched the L-shaped desk idea from our previous space and opted for two long desks that could be placed side-by-side, facing the window. There’s only one window in the room and it happens to have a pretty decent view — we couldn’t let that go to waste! Besides, sometimes you just need to look up from your computer and stare longingly outside. Right?

 

 

With the main office furniture and storage pieces figured out, it was time to make a few other updates and accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! Number one and number two on my list were a ceiling fan (we have no AC and it gets as hot as two rats fighting in a wool sock up in this room), and some insulating shades for the window to help keep the heat out in the summer and the cold out in the winter. A quick search on LampsPlus yielded a perfectly-sized fan for our weirdly sloped ceiling and Blinds.com had exactly what we were looking for with some simple top down, bottom up cell shades. HEAT CRISIS AVERTED.

 

Now, I am a firm believer that every room needs a rug. A rug instantly cozies up a space and makes it feel more homey. Which, frankly, is always good. Know what else adds a good dose of coziness? Throw pillows. While the primary function of this space is an office, it’s a home office and I wanted it to feel as such. So we added a (faux) cowhide rug which, FYI, has been surprisingly durable and easy to keep clean; a whole bunch of pillows; and a casual chair for lounging in the corner with a laptop. Throw in a few plants and some artwork and you’re set!

 

Before all the accessories and window treatments and whozits, we DID paint the walls. Obviously, you want to do that before you actually install anything on the walls or windows if you can help it. In an ideal world, we would have spent a whole bunch of time and money skim coating our walls, but we didn’t. Instead, we chose paint in a matte finish which helps hide imperfections and reduces the contrast of heavily textured walls. We picked a neutral white for the ceiling and trim and an oh-so-light grey for the walls. Compared to the previous sage green and streaky yellow-ish hues, the new colors worked WONDERS for making our office feel more spacious.

 

And there you have it! Our fresh and functional home office makeover, or as I like to call it, the Laptop Lounge!

For those interested, I’ve included a full source list below. If I’ve missed something, let me know in the comments!

SOURCE LIST:

• Desks: Reside Angled Desk (Haworth)
• Desk Chairs: Very Home Chair – Upholstered Back (Haworth)
• Rug: Grand Canyon (Loloi Rugs)
• Filing Cabinets: Compose Mobile Pedestal (Haworth)
• Credenza: Planes Low Height Credenza (Haworth)
• Task Lights: Pixo Desk Lamp (Haworth)
• Ceiling Fan/Light: Minka Aire Spacesaver White Hugger Ceiling Fan (LampsPlus)
• Window Coverings: Super Insulating Triple Cell Shade (Blinds.com)
• Pillows: Fall 2014 Collection (LoLoi Rugs)
• Dog Bed: Sheepsking Bed (Skookum Dog)
• Lounge Chair: Locust Mari Canvas Butterfly Chair Cover + Brass Chair Frame (Urban Outfitters)
• Side Table: Stump Table (Kalon Studios)
• Wall Shelves: Sand Melamine Shelves + Shelf Clip Brackets (The Container Store)
• Wall Art: Custom Pet Portrait by Jo Chambers, The Pug by Evie Kemp, Sami Woman by Lisa Congdon, Moonrise Kingdom print by Lauren Gregg.
• Wall Paint: Classic Gray in matte (Benjamin Moore)
• Ceiling Paint: Simply White in matte (Benjamin Moore)
• Trim/Doors/Baseboards: Simply White in eggshell (Benjamin Moore)

 

P.S. Be sure to check out the previous post for more “before” photos!

Disclosure: Haworth, LampsPlus, Blinds.com, and Loloi Rugs provided products for this makeover. All views and opinions are mine alone.