The big day has finally arrived! I'm ecstatic to show you Erica's finished office and hear what you think. I didn't take any BEFORE pictures of the office. Possibly because I knew it wasn't a true reflection of the home owner's taste or style. The room was fairly dark. The walls were painted a burnt orange color. There was traditional area rug, two very bold/fun side chairs, no window treatments, a tired golden oak desk, and a beautiful lighted glass hutch (with about 500 Precious Moments...give or take a few). We all have one of those catch'all spaces in our homes. Unfortunately for my client, this one was right off the dining/kitchen/living area.
The thing about decorating an entire room at once is it’s exhausting...mentally, physically, and financially. Whenever someone hires me, asks for my advice, or wants some decorating tips, I always try to be honest. Usually brutally honest. LOL! Erica was an absolute champ through it all. She was extremely flexible, listened to my suggestions, and was completely open-minded. I think it was a great experience for both of us. She ended up with a cozy office space that passes the 360 test and I gained a new friend in the process.
I wish, wish, wish I had a camera that would take decent indoor photos. I played with the aperture and exposure settings but to no avail. You'll just have to make do with the pics from my phone. Sorry!
As you can see from the photos, my client's desk was functional but not very pretty.
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The desk had a hutch the homeowners were storing in their attic.
My heart went pitter-patter when I saw it.
The first thought that came to my mind was...
chicken wire!
Luckily my brother-n-law happens to be a great carpenter
and was willing to make the door frames for me.
Thanks, Dean Henry!
I painted the desk with ASCP Paris Gray and the insets in Graphite.
Here's the final product:
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So what'cha think?
I absolutely
love the transformation!
The desk is beautiful!
The combination of sparking mercury glass,
natural wood tones,
and metal chicken wire
against the distressed Paris Gray is just gorgeous.
It's another case of 'golden oak' gone from
DRAB to FAB!
And guess what?
Santa did come early this year
(or rather Mrs. Claus).
The spunky little blue and orange side chairs were replaced
with a gorgeous wicker chair from Pier 1 Imports.
It's the perfect size to cuddle up in with a good book.
Hey, did I ever mention the home owners have a tree business?
I thought it would be fun to bring a little piece of their livelihood into the room design
so I made a side table from an oak tree stump.
It was labor intensive project but totally worth the hours of sanding.
I think it turned out great!
The wood is BEAUTIFUL
and will be the perfect companion for the wicker reading chair.
Any time I'm helping someone with a room makeover,
I always do a "walk through" to see if I can find anything around the house to salvage.
You've seen the vintage nesting tables and chalkboard frame I refinished
now check out this wooden caddy we found.
Apparently Erica's husband made it when he was young.
IKR! What a great find!
It only took a little stain and some ASCP clear wax to create
a beautiful aged patina.
I love it!
The caddy will be perfect for holding the mail.
With all this heavy wood,
I chose to lighten up the room with white window dressings
and a pendant lamp for the reading corner.
We didn't have much luck finding a fixture in stores or online
so I decided to make one out of chicken wire.
What'cha think?
I love the look and ambiance of the exposed vintage bulb!
This office will serve a family of five children.
I chose a metal tub chair for the desk
and these two metal stools to flank the sides of the desk.
It'll be nice for the kids to be able to pull up a seat
and gather around the computer in the evenings.
Just between you and I,
Santa might be bringing a chest of drawers to set under the burlap cork board
for a little extra storage.
(Shhhhh...he doesn't know it yet!)
The wall collage is the focal point of the entire room
and one of my favorite features.
I LOVE IT.
But more importantly my client loves it!
The kids are so proud of their artwork.
The collection looks awesome against the 'Agreeable Gray' wall paint.
Picture collages are always a 'work in progress' though.
I'm sure the family will be adding to it, tweaking it, and updating it.
Who knows...
maybe there will be a bigger set of antlers to hang next year!?!
As always, thanks for reading 13CCF. I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving!
~Wendy
*Some of our funnier conversations/bloopers over the past month:
~ If you keep your
Precious Moments collection in this room it won’t matter how beautiful the desk
is…that’s all anyone will ever see. << Silence >>
~ The orange walls are staying. << OK >>
~ Never throw a receipt away. Ever. << I'm learning. >>
~ I called the painter. << Yea! >>
~ *#^*&#*, the brackets were in the bottom of the box? Really? OMG,
I threw it away. << *#$&%$@! >>
~ Thank GOODNESS it’s deer season!
<< I know, right! That's exactly what I was thinking. >>
~ I’m going to miss you. << Me, too! >>
