Office Update

I finally updated the office.  Last year around this time I purchased the cube from Ikea and got things organized and didn't get much further than that. It is the first room that you see when you come into the house which means it starts to become a dumping ground for everything that comes into the house.  My favorite blog, www.iheartorganizing.blogspot.com tells you to sit down and plan before tackling a project so I did just that.  She even has a printable for it.  You should check out some of her printables, here http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/p/free-printables.html

She tells you to think about the function of the space, which is very helpful as you determine what needs to stay, go somewhere else or get donated.  Here is how we primarily use the space and intend to use it in the future. 

- Office for working remote when needed

 

- Functional home office with files, supplies, computer, printer, etc.

 

- Drop zone for important papers, returns and coats/bags 

I then starting pinning some ideas about what I wanted the space to look like and where those necessary items would have to go.  I had started and stopped this project several times so I had a nice board going and had purchased or eyeballed a few things along the way. 

 

I also had to pick out a paint color.  Basically every wall in my house is a shade of Gray so as I started to look for a new color I thought, I bet I have a can of paint that I could use instead of going through the whole process again so I decided to go with our Sherwin William’s Quest Gray that we also have in the other room across the hall from this one.  I probably should have purged first but I got a little excited to paint and just started moving everything into the center of the room. 

 

Once everything was painted, I started purging.  I started a shred pile, donate pile and put elsewhere pile. 

After the purge and the walls were painted I started a list of my needs for the office.  I knew I could probably find what I needed at Target and Marshalls and maybe even World Market.  Here was my list.

-Chairs

-Printer stand

-Curtains

-Accent table

-Art/Décor

I may eventually go with all white or all black in the room but right now I have black, white, golds, silvers and I wanted to add a fun pink.  I was it to have a very relaxing and girly feel to the room.  I was amazed to find that I found the curtains and chairs at Marshalls.  Then I found the printer stand and accent table at Target.  

I found a cute teacup and candle stick at Marshalls along with a really cute love print that I just had to get.  I also picked up a cute basket to put by the steps because we tend to dump things that need to go upstairs right next to the steps.  I think I was feeling very inspired and very determined because I can hardly ever make a decision as quickly as I did that day.  I even used my Target Cartwheel app to get the accent tables!

I moved around some of the things that were on the walls before and got rid of the random baskets I had for returns and paper recycling.  I now have two baskets that match that I place those items in and even labeled them so everyone knows where to put those things. 

Now that the room is together, I want to do a little reorganizing in the Ikea shelving unit.  I am sure there are things in there I am no longer using or would like to place them a little different to fit my needs.  I am even throwing around the idea of spray painting the magazine files.   

I really love working in this space now and everything is so organized and accessible now

Desk - Traget
Cube Shelves - Ikea
Ipad Holder (Cookbook holder) - World Market
Chair - Marshall's
Pillow - Target
Bookcase - Pier One
Teacup - Marshall's
Black and Gold accent table - Target
Baskets - Target
Basket beside stairs - Marshall's
Love Canvas - Marshall's
Mercury Glass Candle Stick - Marshall's
Printer Stand - Target

Welcome to the New Year! A Fresh Mantle

The Holidays are over and all our décor has been put away.  Everything looks so empty and it is slightly depressing not seeing the glow of the Christmas tree and other lights around the house when I wake up in the morning.  Our mantle also looks so bare and unfriendly when I look at it while having my cup of coffee and morning yoga session so I decided to give it an update.



Before



After

 

I have said to several people that I wanted to paint our fireplace to match the trim, doors and bookcases in the house.  Some people cringed at the idea I was painting the pretty oak and others were onboard.  I am glad I did it, it looks so much better!

I am a huge Sherwin Williams fan, but I think it is because of their customer service and ease of finding the perfect color and not necessarily the paint.  I really love using Behr paint.  I sometimes find my color at SW then take the swatch to Home Depot to color match.  This time I just picked up samples directly from Home Depot.  I went with "White".  It is literally called white.  The paint was awesome, no smell, included a primer and went on perfectly.  I also went with a flat paint.  My husband seemed a little unsure about this but liked the end result.  I had to do a little sanding with a sanding block before I started painting. 

 

 

I used an angle brush to paint and ended up needing to use one of the kids' small brushes to go between the grooves in the design.  I love the handy pail for these projects and they have liners that make cleanup really easy.  We also have a brush cleaner that really helps keep your brushes nice.  I didn't get a very expensive brush for this project.  I just picked up an economy angled brush.

 

Our mantle needed some love after the holidays so I kept my eyes open for some décor during my last Marshall's trip.  My husband mentioned a clock since we don't have one in the living room and his initial choice was horrible but them we walked past this one and I loved it!  I can't tell if the face is black or blue but we have both in this room.



 

 

While at Target I picked up this lovely banner.  My son picked it out and I really like it, it even has hooks to hang Valentine cards. 

 



 



 



Of course I never consider anything truly finished because just like ourselves, I think that your home should constantly be growing and evolving.  I may do a DIY with XO or LOVE letters or maybe even a printable for Valentine's Day.

 

The next project will probably be painting the office.  That is the last room to paint in the house since we moved in 2 years ago.  I am planning all my projects for the year with my lovely planner from Target of course!