Emily A. Clark

design. simplified.

My Home Office Makeover

Aug122010

And, after many months of slooow progress, my home office makeover is finally complete.  To gain a full appreciation of how it ended up, here’s what it looked like when I started:

It had inevitably become “that room” after we moved in where we threw all of the stuff we weren’t using elsewhere.  When I decided to get serious about my design business last fall, I knew this was no place to get inspired.  So, I went to work creating a home office–on a budget, of course.  The result:
 
I started by painting the walls Trout Gray by Benjamin Moore.  I offset the dark color by using modern, white furniture.  The one exception (and my favorite piece) was a campaign-style dresser that I found at a second-hand furniture warehouse and painted kelly green. 
I (somewhat) patiently waited until it became available again and ordered the white desk from Overstock (a knock-off of the popular West Elm version at a fraction of the cost) and the bookshelves are from IKEA’s Expedit series.

 

To give the bookshelves some height, I bought this old frame for $5 and sprayed it white:
Both chairs were also a steal.  The gold one in the corner was part of a pair I found on Craigslist (pillow is from Ross).  My desk chair was a $10 yard sale find.  After everything else was in place, I decided to brighten things up with my window treatments.  My aunt made the panels for me; the fabric is Covington “Wilmington.”
I had originally planned to paint this chair but decided I liked the “distressed” finish afterall.  I think a good mix of old with new and sleek with curvy makes for a more interesting overall look. 
You may remember my $10 lamp project (base was found at Goodwill):
To make the space feel more personal, I created a gallery wall with some of my favorite photos (and a mirror from HomeGoods):
And, there you have it.  Home office complete!

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Comments

  3. Emily it looks amazing! I love the bookshelves, green dresser and $10 gold chair! I need you to find me some deals on craigslist! I have no luck there! It is a gorgeous office, that Im sure inspires you!

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  4. Emily, it really does look fantastic. I love the grey wall and how it makes the white shelving unit ‘pop’. The green chest is a good accent choice and the vignette of frames propped up against the wall looks stylish and relaxed. What a lovely space to work from!

    Reply

  13. Your office is lovely! I love campaign dressers and after seeing yours I was so inspired. I found one this week and am painting it this weekend. Any tips? The gallery wall looks amazing!

    Reply

  28. I am dying for that Expedit storage case, I have seen it in so many different rooms and it looks just perfect in your office. The makeover is great!

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  31. Totally worth the wait here, I am in love! What a fantastic space to get creative in, you really outdid yourself here for sure!!

    Amazing job!!

    Reply

  33. As others have said, this looks simply beautiful! I love how the lamp on your desk ties back to the green dresser. Love the colors brought in from the drapes, how pretty they are! And the photos on your gallery wall are so precious. Congratulations. Now, just sit back … and work! :)
    Love,
    Michiganhome

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  34. The dresser has to be my favorite part of the room, along with the drapes that look gorgeous with it! Wonderful job, and wow, it looks like a really sizable room! Enjoy working here and all the best with your design business, you deserve all the success you desire! Janell

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  36. This is fab!!! So exciting to look at! Would you ever consider doing a guest blog on craiglisting and that gorg kelly green chest, cuz I am the biggest kelly green fan!

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  37. Absolutely gorgeous!The whole room is really fabulous….I really like the drapes and the whole wall with the dresser, oh and the dress form as well :) what an inspiration!

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  43. Gorgeous {As expected!}. Particularly love the campaign dresser and the gallery wall above. You are so good at gallery walls!

    Have a fantastic day!
    Karla

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  44. I have hopes of converting my catch all room into the “office”. I came across your psoting and what a surprise! I too have the IKEA Expedidt bookcase – who doesnt right? I too wanted to use bamboo shades and a blue gray color similiar to the one you used. AND to top it off you have the room in the same set up as I have (minus the clutter)! Thank you for visually giving me an idea of what my room is going to look like, gives me the motivation to get started! Great job :)

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  53. WOW that looks so amazing!! Found you from a tweet on twitter lol

    I have that SAME ampersand thingy lol-mine’s smaller..got it at Kohl’s on clearance..I’ll come back another day and look around more..You are very talented!

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  54. It looks absolutely beautiful! You have great style. Those panels look really similar to some that pottery barn used to do a roman shade in…that is until they discontinued due to safety :(

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  56. Yesss this looks so awesome and I am so thrilled because the color (dark gray wall, white furniture, green accents) is exactly the plan we have for our game room… and if our room looks half as good as yours, I will be happy!

    What a fun space to do your work in :)

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  60. Congratulation! It looks great and it’s fantastic that it was done on a budget – makes you use your imagination! I love the gallery wall!

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  63. Wow, love it all! The gallery wall is wonderful and love the wall color with the white furniture. I don’t think there is one thing I’d change. I spent all yesterday afternoon organizing my office. No point in re-decorating as we are moving but just being organized has made me feel instantly more productive. I am sure good things will come from this space!

    Reply

  68. Oh, Emily, I just love it all! You’ve really pulled it together so nicely & on a budget. Bravo, girl! Those drapes really add some punch and I love the wall color against all that white. Very nice! The green dresser just adds that bit of punch & interest also.

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  69. It looks wonderful Emily! Aren’t those IKEA units fantastic, I used the same one in the striped room! ;-) I am sure you are going to enjoy working in your new office and I hope it now brings you plenty of inspiration. Lovely job!

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  70. I LOVE IT, Emily! You did a terrific job! thos curtains are my favorite part of the room. Hmmm…they would look great in a nursery!

    Whew, are’nt you glad its done?!?! Now, you can do more;-)

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  76. I’m dying over your office-it’s seriously fantastic! I love the color combination and all the cute little finds that don’t feel cluttered at all. I would never have thought to paint that dresser green but it really works. I bet you love spending time in there:)

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  80. Emily, your office looks amazing. The drapes are the icing on the cake. There are so many perfect details in that room—you are one talented little lady!!

    Julie Wigal

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  83. It’s beautiful!! I LOVE the wall color.

    How does the desk seem to be holding up, I’ve been eyeing it, but I’m not do sure of the quality…

    Great job!

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  85. Its so fresh and beautiful. I’m totally inspired to do a room that color now! The dresser is perfect in green…it’s unexpected and fun! You definitely know how to find good deals!! i love it (:

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  88. Emily I love your office, it is inspiring. You did it so well on a budget that takes talent and you my dear are very talented, Great Job Kudos to YOU!! Kathysue

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  93. It looks great!! I love the curtains – they really pull it all together.

    We’re working on our office right now, and it’s a huge job. You’ve made it look easy!

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  96. Hi Emily. I just found you through Southern Hospitality and I am so glad I did. Love your office! And your portfolio — I had to view it a couple of times it was so lovely. I’m signing off here and going back to my own blog to add you to my Favorites list! I’ll be back again and again….:)

    Reply

  99. Hi Emily,
    I keep finding links to your blog everywhere! You have great style and I adore your office makeover. Can’t wait to read more….
    loves,
    edie

    Reply

  104. What an inspiring place to well, Be Inspired! Wishing you good luck with your new venture! And I love all the aspects of your room, the new, the old, the handcrafted! I really love the window fabric. It just might be the fabric I’ve been looking for to make some throw pillows for our living room.

    Thanks for sharing it all!

    ~♥~
    Kristal

    Reply

  106. Hi Emily! What you did with your office is really awesome. You and I have similar stories…I moved into my new home a year ago and my soon-to-be-designed office has been our storage facility since. I plan to reveal my big before & after soon.

    LOVE the green dresser!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply

  107. so nice!!! we have a big blank wall in our living room and that wall inspires me to no end!! Where is the mirror from and where did you find the letter C please?!

    Reply

  109. So lovely! I love the design. My husband and I are planning to build our home office after the Holidays. And for starters, we contacted some New York janitorial services for cleaning the space where we’re going to build the office. This commercial cleaning services (NYC-based) company is also doing residential, so we though we try it. Anyway, the gold chair looks fantastic! I must say, this really added up the excitement of another DIY project of me and my hubby.

    Reply

  113. Greetings! I love the vibrant color you used to repaint this dresser—and it matches perfectly with the decor and accessories you have on/around it. I featured your dresser in a series called Get Your Color On—it’s about how to use color in decor and this post was about using green to welcome spring. Feel free to grab my button!

    http://creativeblossoming.com/2013/02/25/get-your-decor-on-jumpstart-spring-by-decorating-with-green/

    Reply

  115. Wow, what a huge difference! I especially love the bookshelves because I think that is a piece of furniture that gives just so much storage space to play around with. You can display your favorite collections, a vase, picture frames and many others. I simply adore the concept and your wall color simply makes the entire setup look more homely and cozy. Great job!

    Reply

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