I have found there are some things in life that, try as I might, are more-or-less inevitable. It goes without saying that at some point throughout the year I will:
- Get a sunburn
- Eat too many girl scout cookies
- Buy a gallon of blue paint with which to makeover a room in House Doodle.
While there is currently an empty box of Samoas (formerly Caramel DeLites, formerly Samoas) sitting in my recycling bin, I am writing today about Inevitable Life Event Number Three: Blue Re-Do!
This time, the office would be the victim of The Doodle House Blues. It was, after all, the only room in the house that still boasted the same bland beige color chosen by the previous owners. Yes, a renovation was clearly in order.
Our office gets a lot of use. A studious history teacher, Heath uses the space to prep (mentally and academically) for his lectures, and as a frequent work-from-home gal, I wanted a place where I would feel productive and comfortable. There were two inspiration rooms that I chose to emulate for our new work space.
From Elle Decore, John Robshaw’s New York City Home:
And from Houzz, this sophisticated and cozy work space:
Heath has always longed for a stately, near presidential, library in which to pour over his history texts, while I tend to prefer a more eclectic atmosphere. I liked that both of these spaces found a way to mix textures, color and patterns to create areas that feel both formal and welcoming. Common elements were the vintage oriental rugs, tufted seating, dark wall colors and minimalist desks. We could work with that.
In an attempt to create a home library, also on the wish list for the new space was a wall of books. Inspired by a bracketed bookshelf some of our pals recently installed in their new rental, we figured we could try something similar in our home office.
We are both pretty pleased with how things turned out.
Aside from the paint job and shelving, here’s what we did to update the space:
- Replaced the pink day bed with a green chesterfield sofa, picked up for an extremely affordable price thanks to the always great Room Service Vintage
- Exchanged the flimsy plastic blinds for bamboo Roman shades
- Added an oriental rug (formerly from our living room)
- Spray painted the file cabinets white
- Added hair pin legs to the desktop
- Added an Eames-inspired desk chair
- Exchanged Stella in the photo for Wyatt (Stella will have nothing to do with the new office, she is deathly afraid of the sheep skin throw…that’s a whole other deal.)
I’d still like to switch out the ’70s ceiling fan at some point, but all-in-all we’re both head over heels for the new space.
Working from home has never been more enjoyable.
