I answered the questions about where everything came from in my last office post, but I thought I’d put together a page with the sources and links for everything. Check it out here.

© 2011, published by Making it Lovely as Where Did You Get That? (Office Edition) | 16 comments

I think it’s looking really cute. Let’s take a closer look at each of the issues I addressed…

The Rug Vs. the Chair

The existing zigzag rug stayed, and I managed to find an affordable used Eames Management chair. In pink, no less! I would like to reupholster it someday, but I can rock the eighties’ dusty rose for a while.

The Computer (and the Wall Behind it)

The old computer that was sitting behind my new one (a silly thing to do) is now in the basement, and I’ll be setting up a desk down there for it eventually. I cleaned up the cords beneath my desk and from the desk to the printer behind me as well.

I chose art to go above the computer that could actually be seen, and moved the mirror (that was half-blocked) to the adjacent wall. The bird painting is by Amy Ruppel, the portait was from Paul Ferney, and the wall sculptures were discussed here.

Storage and Organization

I had to empty the huge shelving unit to paint the wall behind it (what a pain in the rear that was). The good thing about that though was that it forced me to rethink the way I put everything back. I was able to go through a lot of the books and things that I had on the shelves, and I pared it all down. Then I added some matching baskets along the bottom to make the toys look nicer, and I didn’t need to do anything further to organize my things.

The Curtain as a Closet Door

The curtain is gone! A door was fitted and hung for the closet, which cost more than I had anticipated and took a third of the budget. I love it though! A curtain for a door is fine, and a lot of people like that solution, but a true door feels more polished and keeps the kids and cats out. I painted the door the same color (“Snowbound,” #SW 7004 / LL17, semi-gloss) as the rest of the trim .

The Window

I painted the window white as well and chose to hang simple curtains from IKEA that match the wall color. I also planned to add a sheer roller shade, but my usual go-to (Enje shades) are unavailable right now.

Painting the Trim and the Walls

I used the new line of paint from HGTV® HOME by Sherwin-Williams for the office. The walls are “Contented” (#SW 6191 / LL12, flat finish) from the Livable Luxe collection, and I painted all of the trim “Snowbound” (#SW 7004 / LL17, semi-gloss), a white from the same color collection. The wall color is that hard to define color between green, blue, and gray, and it seems to be popping up everywhere these days. The color was a bit of a departure for me, but as I narrowed down my paint swatches, I kept finding myself drawn to it.

Lighting

The old ceiling fan that came with the house had seen better days. I still love the Jonathan Adler light that I chose for my former studio (now Eleanor’s room), so I picked up another to swap the office ceiling fan out for.

A Place for the Kids

I spend a lot of time in my office, so I was sure to include space for Eleanor and August to play. The small table and chairs are light enough to move them out of the way, but Eleanor loves coloring or playing there.

There you have it!

I love the way the office turned out. The office in our old apartment was pink, and when Brandon and I moved here, I chose the exact same color to quickly get my office ready. After nearly a decade with a pink office, I’m still getting used to the new color but I’m loving the white trim and the closet door. It feels good to have the space freshened up.

© 2011, published by Making it Lovely as My Newly Redone Office | 121 comments

That’s Sean. He’s the contractor we worked with on the basement. We still have a lot of our tools in storage, so I called him to install the closet door for us.

Part of the high cost lies in trying to match the existing hardware of our hundred-year-old house. (101 years, actually.)

I’m going with this old-fashioned doorknob. It’s not a perfect match, but it’s pretty close. And speaking of matching: the doors don’t. I’ll be painting the closet door white though, and most likely the door to the office as well too, so that won’t be a problem.

No more makeshift curtain hung from a tension rod!

© 2011, published by Making it Lovely as And That’s Why We Had a Curtain for So Long | 17 comments

What do you think about these? The original C. Jere Urchin sculpture has been reissued and is available through Jonathan Adler. The other is called Nova Starburst, but appears to be heavily influenced by the Jere Urchin. I like both and was considering the less expensive set for my office, but I’m not sure.

So, “inspired by” or “knockoff of?” And does it matter to you?

© 2011, published by Making it Lovely as Jere Urchin vs. Nova Starburst | 19 comments

© 2011, published by Making it Lovely as Painting My Office | 23 comments

Looking for a used Eames office chair (real), at a knockoff price. (Who isn't though?)

June 20, 2011 3:34 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@makingitlovely

Nicole Balch

Not long after I declared my search on Twitter, I scored one for a tenth of the new model price without going the knockoff route. YES! It’s the chair that I was considering when I wrote my last office post.

The problem? The reason it was so cheap? It’s from 1984, and the fabric makes that very obvious.

The good news though is that it’s comfortable. More comfortable than my previous chair, even though it’s nearly 30 years old. It’s in great condition too. And hey, it’s pink! Not a great pink, but still… leave it to me to find a pink one. I’m in the process of gathering quotes for a reupholstery job, but I can live with it as-is for a while if I need to.

I love it. Brandon doesn’t see it. “It’s not even well-designed!” he says. Psshaw.

© 2011, published by Making it Lovely as Straight Out of 1984, By Way of 1969 | 47 comments

I started to make some changes to it last year. I rearranged the furniture, brought in a pretty mirror and a crazy zigzag rug, but that’s where the progress stopped. I was going for a kind of granny chic look, remember? Then I found out I was expecting (and I had zero energy), and we also started on the basement remodel (yes, I still need to finish my studio and the playroom too). Then I had my baby (sweet little August), and well… work on the office kind of stalled.

The room is more than just an office though. You’ll see in the video below that it’s also where Eleanor and August spend much of their time playing, and I would like the room to feel cozy and happy. Want to see how it looks right now?

To recap, these are the main issues I’ll be addressing.

• Either the rug needs to go, or I need to reupholster or replace my office chair. They don’t match, and since I do like the rug a lot, I’ll probably switch out the chair. The Eames Management Chair is still the chair I dream of owning, but they’re very expensive and I don’t want to buy a knockoff. I’ve been watching eBay and Craigslist, but I may have to keep looking for an alternative.
• I need to move the redundant computer and clean up the cords on my desk.
• Storage and organization: Yes, please.
• I’ve had a curtain for a closet door since we moved in to this house in 2007. Our house is 100 years old, so nothing is standard. We’ll need a custom-sized door, which is why we’ve put off fixing it for so long.
• The window needs curtains and a new shade.
• I’ll be painting the trim white, and painting the walls. The HGTV® HOME by Sherwin-Williams colors are grouped into 8 collections to make it easier to choose colors that will work from room to room in your house (I liked the Livable Luxe and Traditional Twist collections). There are a lot of nice greens, but I’m leaning toward a light, creamy neutral for the walls, along with painted white trim.
• It’s time for the ceiling fan to go. It’s not terribly ugly, but it hasn’t been working well lately and I’d like to replace it with a prettier light fixture.

Now, about those two giveaways…

• Need some color and design help in your house? Enter the What’s Your Color Now? sweepstakes for a chance to win a $5000 home makeover from BHG.com and HGTV® HOME by Sherwin-Williams!
• I also have a 4GB Flip MinoHD camera to give away (so you can make stellar videos like mine, ha). Just leave a comment on this post to enter for the camera (one entry per person). This giveaway is open to US and international entrants, and will run through June 30 at midnight CST. One winner will be chosen randomly on July 1.

Good luck to you in both giveaways!

p.s. How much do you think it would cost to reupholster an Eames Management Chair? Say, if I found one from 1986 with really awful fabric?

July 1: Congratulations to Jennifer, winner of the Flip camera! And remember, there’s still time for everyone to enter the What’s Your Color Now? sweepstakes.

© 2011, published by Making it Lovely as Working on Where I Work | 473 comments

Organizing the catch-all closet in my office was one of the tasks on my 30 Before Thirty list (item number 12).

It’s hard to tell, but one of those bookshelves was already there along the back of the closet. I put it against the right side instead and brought up one more from the basement. All of my copies of Lucky and Blueprint (along with a few other magazines and catalogs) fit along one shelf.

Winter gloves, hats, and scarves are in the pink box on top of the bookshelf. There are also hooks above the shelves to hang a few things.

I gathered my many IKEA shopping bags into one big bag (the red one), and corralled the rolls of vintage wallpaper into a big plastic container. The green and white bag holds some random decorative knickknacks.

The coats are still hung along the left wall, along with my wedding dress at the back.

The end result isn’t as pretty as my bedroom closet, but it’s so much better than it was. I didn’t spend any money either, though I would have liked to have all new, coordinating storage boxes. Some day I do plan to replace that bare light bulb, but that can wait for now.

Have you tackled any similar projects lately (or are you going to now)? It’s not fun while you’re in the middle of working, but it’s so nice when you’re done!

© 2010, published by Making it Lovely as My Organized Office Closet | 53 comments

Still, the closet is looking so much better already from using the organizational odds and ends that I already had. Here’s a little inspiration though to check out while I continue working… How gorgeous are these Stockholm files? Lovely.

© 2010, published by Making it Lovely as Still Organizing the Closet | 19 comments

Notable contents:

• giant styrofoam ball
• argyle dog sweater vest
• every issue of Domino and Blueprint
• IKEA catalogs dating back to 2002
• five rolls of vintage wallpaper
• acoustic guitar
• my wedding dress
• empty boxes to be recycled
• embroidered Serge Gainsbourg pillow
• vintage 50s fur coat that was given to me over a decade ago but that I have never, ever worn and probably never will because I feel weird in it

© 2010, published by Making it Lovely as I’m Going In | 68 comments