The Office.....A Before and After Story

The office in our house started out as a "man cave" by the previous owners.  Nothing special, just a small bedroom with Berber carpet, yellow walls, and a window that lets in very minimal light (it's on the shady side of the house).  After we cut another door opening in the wall (see previous post here) it brought in much needed natural light and made the flow of that part of the house make sense. We decided it was an ideal location for an office.  Since this is still a pretty dark room, lighting is very important in making this space workable.  Before, I had a wall unit desk that included a hutch and desk with under cabinet lighting in the hutch.  There was a chandelier in the center of the room but the room still felt very dark.  Additional lamps were added but it just didn't work right.  I decided to sell the hutch and desk and start over this time realizing a couple of things.  First, I don't want my back to face the room.  I want to be able to look out and see around me and with a wall unit, you spend most of your time looking at the wall unit.  Second, lighting needed to be balanced. Lastly, I wanted an eclectic mix of furniture that was functional, versatile and vintage.  So, I set out to buy the credenza and desk from Craigslist (see previous post here) and went from there. The credenza I have left as found for now and for the desk, I had a piece of mirror cut to fit the top.  The original top is a wood grain Formica and I didn't want to mess with it.  This desk is interesting because it's chrome and wood. There are three drawers that are all wood along the front and I love the mix of the super shiny chrome with the natural wood.  The mirror makes this desk very modern looking and I like that it reflects light. I am using the same vintage chairs that I've had in here previously but they are now both reupholstered in a neutral linen.  The curtains are made from the same linen that is on the chairs so it keeps a neutral background.  The wall of mirrors are all vintage and I love how it makes this room feel larger.  They also do a great job of reflecting the light around the room.  The lamps are from Marshall's Homegoods and I like the old wood with the burlap shade.  It's a nice contrast to the new ultra modern vintage chrome chandelier.  The doors you saw as a before (see previous post here) and I stripped them, sanded and painted them and then did a wax finish to give them a little age.  The doors had to be mounted off the wall because there are electrical outlets that we need to get to.  HH mounted them so you can pull the door away form the wall to get to the outlets. They also slide so if they become uneven you can straighten them like you would a picture. Vintage brass picture lights are above each door and because the doors are offset from the wall, the combination gives the room depth.  The easel is old and I like having this here to display art and having the option to switch it out when I want. The chocolate brown and gold metallic cowhide rug was added to give a little punch to the room. Are you ready to see it?  Let's start with some before shots first. 

This was the credenza that I had before.  It is now living with a dear friend close by.

These are the doors that I bought for the wall.

 

This is one of the chairs that got reupholstered.  This was a dirty chartreuse velvet.  Not pretty. I got one of these chairs art a local thrift shop and the other one on eBay. 

 

Now, for the after...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, there it is.  What do you think?  P.S.  Can you spot that blue that I am just loving right now? I found it in this wonderful velvet and then made pillows for the chairs.  They pick up the blues in the painting on the easel and feel soooo soft.  I love working in here and once again, am thankful to my HH for all of his hard work and indulging me in my requests. I should mention that for praticality sakes, the printer and my files and other office essentials (files, etc.) are in the closet behind where I sit.  You can see a little bit of it in one of the pictures. This closet  is outfitted with shelves so I can keep things organized and then be able to close the door when I'm done.  Just in case you were wondering where the actual office equipment is. Have a wonderful day.