About a year ago, I started turning our former guest bedroom into my home office and after tackling some of the larger projects last winter such as painting the walls, refinishing the desk and adding organization and décor, all work came to a halt as I became distracted with other projects.
At the beginning of 2023 I set a goal to completely check my home office off my to-do list and finish all of the planned projects for this space! The beauty of allowing an entire year to go by is that I had the ability to live and work in the space and make changes to my plans based on practicality and style tastes.
With changes happening in other rooms of our home, our antique armoire found a new home in my office, forcing me to rearrange and realize that this new layout actually gives me more space! I love how my desk is now flanked by the gold etageres and I can tuck away office supplies and every day essentials on the shelves within reach.
The item on my to-do list that seemed to glare at me every time I was in my office was painting my dresser, which I use for craft and office storage. While the previous green was a beautiful color, it clashed horribly with the Farrow and Ball ‘Dead Salmon’ wall color. The new color, ‘Adventurer’ by Behr is much softer and completely elevated this piece! I shared this transformation along with simple painting tips here!
Adding a wall mural is definitely not something that was on the list last year, but as my style has evolved and I have learned to take more risks, this accent wall now completely transforms the vibe of my office!
A year of learning to love thrifting and bringing SO many treasures into my home means that I have curated some special pieces for my office including my milk glass and brass lamp and this darling pink scalloped lamp shade!
I also thrifted this huge basket for only $7 where I keep my photography equipment and tripods.
And the newest thrifting find and thrift is this $6 ginger jar that I spray painted white. The texture just POPS now in the monochrome tone and looks so high end on my shelf. You can see more of what I thrifted for my office here!
Adding a mirror to my space allows the light to bounce around the room giving the illusion of a larger space. I didn’t love the large silver mirror we already owned, so I gave it a little makeover inspired by the Amelie mirror from Arhaus. You can see exactly how I did that here!
Lastly, I have been dying to get some window treatments for this space! The sun POURS into my office in the afternoon which can be both beautiful and blinding. These stunning custom curtain panels are from TWOPAGES, a custom drapery company. They were so great to work with and made measuring and making all the important curtain decisions a breeze! You can receive an additional 5% off your order with code THERURALLEGEND!
The Budget Breakdown
So how much did it cost us to refinish this space? Considering the only furniture we had to purchase for my office were the chair and the 2 etageres, we saved SO much money by making what we already own work in this space!
And by thrifting a lot of the décor and making some of it myself, I felt comfortable splurging on my stunning wall mural and custom pleated drapes that just make the room extra special! I don’t want to think about what the total for this transformation would be if we had purchased everything new!
I can’t believe the office if officially done! I am so notorious for only completing a room 95% so the fact that this room is 100% complete feels SO amazing! If you missed any of the projects or transformations in the space over the past year, you can find them all below!