Home Office Makeover - From Dark and Dreary to Light and Dreamy

Why do we wait to remodel the rooms that we spend the most time in?

Our home office had very humble beginnings. No overhead lights meant we had to use a floor lamp and table top lights to see.

The walls were a deep burnt sienna color that didn't bounce much of that light around.

I had a big computer armoire that was dark inside. But, worst of all, Pretty Handsome Guy and I worked together in the room with our backs to one another for 3 years!

I dreaded sitting and working in that room. As a graphic and web designer, I had no inspirations, no creative energy. And being the light obsessed person I am, I was depressed by all the darkness in the room. I took frequent breaks just to escape from the office.

I dreamed of a home office with one wall of built-in bookcases and storage and a work surface that jutted out in the middle. I tried to sell the idea to my better half, but Pretty Handsome Guy just couldn't picture it.

As luck would have it, three months later, Sandra at Sawdust and Paper Scraps just completed my dream office in her home!

Sawdust and Paper Scraps Built-in Dream Office Come to Life

She posted the pictures on Remodelaholic. Hey Sandra, thanks for taking too long to finish it. Just kidding. But, If she had posted her pictures three months ago, our office may have looked very different.

Sometimes fate is a good thing, and in this case I am thrilled with the end result of our home office and it is all thanks to an inspiration I had when I found two of these:

$15 for a pair of solid wood doors with beautiful cherry stain on one side. 

I snatched them up at a church yard sale! You can imagine the look on Pretty Handsome Guy's face when I came home with these hanging out the back of my car. "Um, don't we already have doors on all our doorways?"  I answered with one word, "Potential."

We didn't do a thing to the doors except to remove the hardware and use the hinges in other rooms of our home. The stain color was a perfect match to our existing furniture. 

If you look back at some of our earlier posts you have been privy to some of the changes we made in the office.

The upholstered rattan backed chair: 

 

The bistro table with custom slipcover:

And the bookcase face lift:

Well, we finally put the finishing touches on the room, and I'm ready to show you the results.

New window treatments, and freshly scraped and painted ceilings.

 FIVE! Yes, count them, five ceiling light fixtures.
4 can lights + 1 drum shade pendant = 5 glorious ceiling lights
where there were ZERO, ZIP, NONE before!

A corner bistro table where we can sit and have coffee.
I can meet with graphic design clients. 

But, mostly so the kids can color, work on homework or
someday start a blog called MyMomIsPrettyCrazyGirl.com

Enough about those crazy kids. This is where I blog!
So, do you see my inspiration door?

Here is a hint: There is a layer of custom cut glass on top,
and a keyboard tray mounted underneath.

Plus a hole to run the cords through.

 How about now? Do you see it now? The doors are our desktops.

This is where I blog, design, and work! 

So open and airy.

We simply stacked the two doors on top of one another.

 And bought two pedestal file cabinets from Office Depot.
(I had to cut the legs shorter on this one to accommodate for the
difference in height with the two doors stacked.)

And voila! Two desks in an "L" shape.
No more back-to-back working.
Plus, lots of natural light bouncing around. 

In the corner under the two doors, is an $8 yard sale bookcase that holds my computer, back up drive, CDs, books, and more supplies. It is hidden underneath, which is a good thing, because it desperately needs a little TLC.

The doors may have been my inspiration then,
but having a view out this window brings me loads of inspiration now!

This room is so special to us. We can sit and work, talk, catch up, and the boys have a great spot in the corner to color or practice reading on Starfall.com

The color paint we used is: Benjamin Moore Aura paint in Hot Spring Stones. It is the perfect warm gray beige color (in my opinion). The rug is from Home Goods. Curtains from Overstock.com. And fabric on chair, bistro table, and bookshelf back is called Fermini Sky. The drum shade pendant was from Amazon.com.

Curious where other bloggers blog? Check out the "Where do you blog? Party"  at Centsational Girl's site today!

Want to see more amazing Before and After Transformations? Check out the Before & After Competition on the CSI Project today.