If you follow me on Instagram (user: JillGG) you know that we have done a lot of work to our main floor this past fall. We painted the entire main floor white (!!!) and then ripped out the old carpet and laminate floors that were peeling and gross and replaced them with hardwoods and then added a little island/peninsula in our kitchen which reconfigured the floor plan of our open plan home.
In the process, my office (which is a front room/bonus room) got a complete makeover as well. Previously my office just never worked for me, no matter what layout or furniture I chose (most of which was hand-me-downs - now I see why) it was never inspiring or organized. And since I spend every morning in here I really wanted something that not only was practical and efficient, but it also needs to hold my kids art supplies and few toys seeing as when they are around they want to be in here with me. But mostly I wanted something that was simple and GORGEOUS! I wanted to be inspired when I came in here to work.
I didn't have a huge budget nor did I really want to spend a lot of money. The desk is actually a dining room table from IKEA and having it floating opened up the wall behind it for (almost) wall to wall IKEA bookcases. I have TONS of books that I love to see displayed and then office supplies like staplers and paperclips are stored in baskets. Family photos and our growing collection of National Geographic magazines are also stored neatly away. At some point I would like to really style and have some fun with these shelves but I want to live with them for a while too. I find living in a space for a while inspires me about how to use it best. Organization comes with experience.
My splurge for the room was the cow skin rug (also from IKEA) - not that it was that expensive ($199, I think) but that it's a little indulgent looking, no? So far it has proved easy to vacuum and it holds up well to the kids tramping all over it. Besides those three major things (desk/table, bookcases, rug) the other items in the room I already owned and pulled from other rooms or they were no longer being used and were temporarily in the basement.
The campaign dresser was a $50 Craigslist find several years ago. It was previously in the living room with the tv above it, but when we moved the tv above the fireplace this beauty needed a new home. It holds TONS of kids toys, art supplies, entertaining supplies and office needs in it's huge drawers and I find that the more beat up it becomes the better I like it. I would love to get a mirror top for it - someday!
The lamps used to be in our bedroom and this past summer I got new ones there so these guys needed a new home. I love them to pieces, they just didn't work in our bedroom. The lamps were a Home Goods find several years ago. The art work was a diy I did a few years ago and used to be in our bedroom but no longer fit there when we got our new bed last winter so I saved it in the basement and was so happy to pull it out again. I'm not a great diy-er, but I do love this piece.
It's a quite simple room, I would love to add a new chair at some point (this one is second hand from Room & Board) - but I want to wait until I find the perfect one that I can't live without! In the meantime, this chair I borrowed from my kids' desk/work area in the basement and it fits in perfect. Again, sometimes you really have to live in a space to get a feel for what the space needs. The antlers and milk glass jar are both antique finds.
I hope you enjoyed this little peek into my home! I hope to feature more of our renovations soon!
