TRICK? or TREAT? ONE ROOM CHALLENGE - WEEK 5: THE OFFICE

For those of you just tuning in, I'm nervously struggling along with about 80 other bloggers trying to re-design a room in 6 weeks - The One Room Challenge!  You can click on the other bloggers links here.

My challenge is my future Basement Office.  To review look at Week One here, (I was out of town for Week Two and not much to show for it - so, I broke ORC rules and skipped my blog post), Week Three here, and now Week Four  (yikes!).   But, today is the beginning of Week Five and I'm ACTUALLY beginning to feel GOOD about my project!  I still don't know 100% if I'll finish by next Thursday, but I'm aspiring to - and the best part about all of this is - I NOW have a plan!  

My initial problem when I signed up for this challenge was that I had no plan.  I knew I needed to organize and create a working space for myself, but I had no clear-cut PLAN on what I was going to do.  So, each week I focused on the larger things - like what desk to buy, what lamp to purchase, lampshades, office desk.  I was looking at the bigger pieces and not thinking like a designer.   What makes my rooms special are the details.  And, what this One Room Challenge OFFICE lacked was details!  

So, after complaining to my friend and client, Rebekah, last Friday about all of the challenges of my Office;  Rebekah just said - well, what about your office - how are you going to finish it?  Rebekah didn't want to know about all of my set-backs (although she listened with interest - "thankyou Rebekah"!) - she wanted to know and see the finish outcome!  So, with her interest in wanting to know how the story ends, I put on my best Designer Hat and started thinking of solutions to my problems.

Problem 1:  I bought one Crystal Column lamp last summer from Home Goods.  I needed two, but there wasn't a 2nd lamp to be found anywhere.  So, I nixed that idea and bought a 2nd set of lamps for my desk.  Only problem was - there were Art Deco style column lamps and not at all what I had in mind for my Office.  

Problem 2:  All lamps needed lampshades.  But, finding a basic, inexpensive lamp shade isn't just as simple as you'd think!  What it all amounted to was this - in general - an Office doesn't call for using many fabrics in it.   In order for me to bring more "fun" and color to this space - I thought introducing color to my lampshade would be a much-needed jolt of interest in this project.

Problem 3: Painting these BLACK bookcases WHITE is more of a hassle than I orginally thought!  It's taken me several coats to finish the first bookcase.  I dread starting and finishing the 2nd bookcase.  I'm trudging through this ordeal, but not happily.  Suffice it to say, that I will never be painting a piece of furniture again  (well, not until 2014!).  This doesn't include the piano bench that I found and have painted the legs white!

SOLUTIONS!  Where there is a design problem- there MUST be a solution!  My job as a designer trains me to find creative solutions to problems.  I wasn't tacking this Challenge correctly!  I've found my solutions!

Solution 1:  I went online and googled Crystal Column lamp.  I think I may have found the match to my Home Goods lamp!  I ordered it and it will arrive Friday!

Solution 2:  I found beautiful silk pagoda-style lampshades at my local lighting store.  Problem was - the Hot Pink Pagoda shade that I fell in love with was discontinued - only one in stock.  I bought it anyhow.  But, I also found a pair of gorgeous green silk shades from the same company - that were discontinued and selling for a VERY reasonable deal!  Purchased!

Solution 3:  Went to Home Depot yesterday and bought White Enamal spray paint and a small can of Primer paint.  Best to start off the second bookcase with the correct materials!

Solution 4:  I wanted to add more color to the backs of my IKEA Billy bookcases.  As you might remember, I was lamenting that I bought them in the stylish brown-black Wenge finish (trying to be cutting edge, ya know!).  Anyhow - I'd originally planned to paint the backs PINK.  But, after struggling with painting my bookcases, I realized this was a horrible idea for me.  Instead, I decided that applying a pink wallpaper might be a better and more sane idea.  The pale pink leopard wallpaper "Bagatelle" from Osborne & Little would be the perfect complement!  Problem - it's discontinued - no stock (story of my life!).  After about a day of tracking down dead leads on the internet, I found a solution for my pink wallpaper.  EBAY!  I love eBay!  I found a cute pink wallpaper (leopard, of course) on ebay that I purchased.  When the owner contacted me to tell me that she only had one roll in stock (not the two that was advertised), I told her to just send me the one and I improvised!  While in my powder room, I realized that I had the perfect solution!  Remnant powder room wallpaper would remedy the problem.  This blue/pink Chinoiserie paper will go on the backs of my White Knot bookcases.  It will bring in more color to the room and brighten up a boring wall.

Solution 5:  Details.  It's all in the details, folks!  I dashed out to Hancock Fabrics yesterday to find grosgrain ribbon.  I didn't find what I was looking for - but found the finishing details for my room plus trims for my window valences.  

Solution 6:  Art.  Since I didn't blog last week - you won't know that I found the most fabulous mirrored frames at Target!  You don't need to know that I must have scoured 4 or 5 Target stores to find these frames (when I was able to locate these frames, disappointment was palpable when I'd see huge chips or cracks in them).  But, I have three of these beautiful frames.  And, I've put two of Jennifer's from The Pink Pagoda, prints in them.  I love how they look!  The third frame is empty and I'll probably fill that will a swatch of colorful fabric.

Piano bench - painting phase

leftover Osborne & Little fabrics - over for bench

SO - long story - longer!  I am happily on my way to finishing by Week Six of the ORC.  But, now, I'm happy with my room.  Thanks for hanging in there with me!  I appreciate it!

   

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE - WEEK 3: THE OFFICE

Okay....I thought that the One Room Challenge would challenge me to work super-duper fast to finish this Office Basement project that's been looming over my head since June.   Instead, I'm second guessing my choices and wondering if there are more fabulous fabric and furniture options out there for me!  What it amounts to - is I hate designing for myself!  It takes me forever to make decisions - I'm my own worst client!
If you are a designer out there reading this - you MUST understand!  I, typically, have to pull a scheme for myself and look at it for about a year (give or take a few minutes) until I can pull the trigger.  But, because the ORC opportunity became available, I went for it!  I didn't think about my scheme or how I was going to implement it - I just started in!

The BEFORE photo (yikes!)

AFTER:  Painted walls and re-organized!

Week One - posted my embarrassingly messy Design Library photos.  I felt a little "dirty" after Week One - exposing my ugly basement trash room!

I didn't realize it when I signed up for this Challenge - but, for Week Two - I would be out of town!    Before leaving, I had to make an agonizing decision - do I order the Pottery Barn Bedford White Office Collection?  Or, do I order the Home Decorator's Martha Stewart White Office Collection?  This kind of decision can wear me down quickly and consume my waking hours!  I knew that I had to take serious action and decide quickly!  Week Two would be over before I knew it - tick-tock, tick-tock - I HAD to order quickly and now!

Martha Stewart Living Craft Desk

I opted to go the Martha Stewart route.  Why?  I LOVE Martha!  But, seriously - cost was a factor.  Also, I kind of wanted the furniture to be bright white - to create a more stark contrast against the beige walls (the PB desk is creamier).  Also, the MS Desk and Filing cabinets are leggy.  This will make my Basement Office appear visually larger and more airy.  Also, I just thought the Martha Stewart collection was more feminine!

So, before Week One ended - I ordered all of my desk stuff and the

Pottery Barn Bedford Desk

Chinese knot bookcases (in black).
I find an inexpensive White Office chair from Costco ($62) and bring it home.

Week Two  - my boxes from Home Decorator's Collection arrive.  However, I am already on vacation.  So, I do not post.  I feel bad about not posting, but obviously, not THAT bad!  I enjoy my time at the beach and worry about what progress I will be able to talk about for Week Three!
Happily, I got (some) of my act together and put together my new White Martha Stewart desk and filing cabinets!  It looks good!  I love the wide expanse of working space.  I add my white Desk chair and, VOILA!  Tres chic!

It is in this "white" moment that I wish my brown IKEA Billy bookcases were WHITE.  I curse the day (two years ago -when I thought I'd be "edgy" and buy Wenge bookcases!  What was I thinking!  So, I won't paint them white (already thought about that) and buy trim to make them look like custom built-ins .  Instead, I've decided to embrace my "edgy" bookcases - leave them as they are and just paint the back boards a pink color.

Week Three - stay tuned.  I will put together my two Chinese knot bookcases and paint them white.   Hopefully, I'll have the stamina to paint all of the Billy bookcase backs pastel pink, too.  I'm just hoping that I survive this Challenge and can limp across the finish line in time!  (fingers crossed)

Drafting Wall - will replace those 2 Lowe's laminate cabinets with "Chinese Knot" bookcases.

"Chinese Knot" bookcases - in boxes.....calling my name!

One Room Challenge - Week One!

I'm super-excited (and slightly dreading) this One Room Challenge event.   I think it's fantastic that Linda from Calling It Home  blog has graciously opened the doors for other bloggers and heartfelt design enthusiasts - to accept the challenge and join in the fun!

My Project:  THE OFFICE

I can't wait to get started transforming my scary basement Fabric Library into my new "luxury" office space! Over the summer, I mentioned that I'd been hoping to transform a room in my basement into an Office space.  Now that I've committed myself full-time to my interior design business, I'm feeling the urgency to escape my current office- located on the first floor.  It's just too easy to get up and start doing laundry, or cleaning, or, well...snacking!  So, this past summer, I painted the room and purchased a single lamp for the space.  I needed a pair - but, after scouring all of the Home Goods stores in Atlanta and Pittsburgh, I settled with just owning one.  That's all I've done so far.  This challenge will force me to finish what I started.  So, for that, I am grateful!

THE BEFORE:

Wall A and Wall B

BEFORE....Wall B and Wall C

My basement is the dumping ground for all things unwanted.  I, literally, pile all of my "Office" things in this room and shut the door!  Wouldn't you?  It's a disaster zone!  No one would want to work in here. YET.

MY PLAN:

Integrate my dark wenge IKEA Billy bookcases with a lighter palette.   Purchase an afforable, but large desk with filing cabinets, purchase more white shelving storage.  Utilize leftover Osborne & Little chinois fabric from an old project.  Cover the dark green wall-to-wall carpet with a lighter prettier area rug.

If budget allows, add a cream area rug and dashes of PINK!  It will be the only room in my male dominated house that will have pink! yea!

NEXT WEEK:

More photos and a better plan!