A New Workspace For Her!

One of the first areas we want to focus our efforts in 2013 is our shared his/her office.  We tackled a few projects in there last year, like the painted file cabinet, spruced up sewing cart, and a few areas of my desk.

Now here's where you learn from my mistake and know that it's ok to admit when something is going down a bad, bad road.   It started with these DIY pattern striped curtains. Which Jack really liked.

I really liked them too, but the pattern in the fabric read too cutesy-ville and way too girly for a shared gender space.  The Mister does not find a single thing inspiring about pink paisleys....he is, however, a good man and didn't say a word.

I chose a color scheme of navy/green/pink that I hoped would speak to both of us - the green/navy, a nod to James' beloved Fighting Irish, and navy/pink for yours truly.  I took "touches of pink" or "pink accents" way too far when I painted this garage sale find and reupholstered the seat.

 

I actually liked this too, but together it was becoming pink overload and made it hard to create a cohesive feel within the room.  And it didn't quite feel like me.

So, I mourned the hours of sewing, stapling, and painting...then came up with a new plan.  Whatever we did had to work with my Grandmother's vintage settee that's clad in a golden hued fabric (for now). These drapes in Kelly Moore's office had me positively drooling (right), and when I saw these knobs at Hobby Lobby, I was off and running with a new plan!

I started with replacing the chair.  Not only was the pink one not working asthetically, it was really uncomfortable with zero back support.  I'm a huge online shopper but this was a purchase I wanted to test drive in person first.  My mom and I paid a visit to Home Goods over Christmas and there she was....the perfect chair!

 Plush fabric (with a greek key pattern I had tossed around the for drapes), lots of cushion and support, nail head trim, great curves, AND 33% off due to a scratch on the leg.  Which I quickly fixed with a wood stain touch up marker.

I found the lumbar pillow on a random visit to Pier 1 Imports.  I'm in love with the saturated color and the touch of whimsy it adds to my workspace.  And it's comfy.

Next up were the curtains.  My very first idea when we started dreaming about an office, was black and white drapes. I loved the linear element, graphic feel, and sophistication-meets-fun zibe that oozes from the inspiration drapes.  I assumed I would make this another DIY attempt.  Maybe paint some stripes...or a herringbone pattern...or a greek key....

Then I remembered this:

A gorgeous duvet set by the amazing Nate Berkus which I ogle at every time I'm in Target.  It's a little pricey and wasn't on sale, but I had some gift cards from Christmas and decided to splurge.  I'm a DIY junkie, but sometimes it's nice when you come across an unexpected find that's perfect as-is.  Well, almost perfect.  It required some....cutting.  *wince*

Some of you are gasping, possibly even crying.   But I did it.  I hacked a fabulous Nate Berkus duvet, made it into curtains, and I. love. them!  I'll save the how-to details for another post later in the week (here) but I am giddy over the way they changed the space, and I have a ton of fabric left over to boot!  Totally worth the splurge!

I found this wrapping paper at Target on the same duvet cover shopping trip and it was the perfect candidate to line my center drawer.

I just measured the surface area, cut a piece to size, and stuck her down with a little bit of mod podge on the corners and edges.

Inside, I'm letting good ole' Martha help corral my most used items with a few Stack and Fit Boxes from her home office line at Staples.

Pens and a small tape measure are on the right, with my camera (currently taking this pic) and USB cord camped out on the left.  The notebook is my calendar planner where I keep track of post ideas, my posting schedule, correspondence, and upcoming events for the blogs.

The majority of my other office items will be organized in an nearby file cabinet, so I reserved this spot for the things I wanted most accesible.

A few accessories in a mix of metal finshes and colors make this such a happy spot to work!

That blue organizer behind my laptop was given to me by a friend who didn't have use for it.  It's the perfect spot to keep a few thank you cards, envelopes and stamps.

 I just cut a strip of washi tape to wrap across the front/sides and scribbled "Thanks" on the front with a Sharpie.  Yes, it looks more like "Tharks" - I may need a do-over.

 A more accurate "working" view.  Mainly due to the coffee.

And remember those awesome blue knobs from Hobby Lobby?  The ones that were the whole color palette inspiration for the room?  Yeah, they didn't fit.  To spare you the details, it simply would've been more trouble to make them work than I wanted to deal with....so, instead I grabbed the two leftover knobs from Mia's vanity update and found my perfect pop of pink :)

Let's get that Before & After...

BEFORE:

 

 

 AFTER:

 

Having this area set up makes me so motivated to sit down and work!  It's organized, inspiring and feels a whole lot more like me. I do plan to add a few more things and play around with the accessories a bit more, but it's a huge improvement.  It's also giving plenty of inspiration to the rest of the room and I'm excited to share more projects in this space throughout January!


Now, who else has had that moment?  The this-is-so-not-working moment?  Did you ride it out or go a new direction?

*Linked up at The 36th Avenue and A Bowl Full Of Lemons