One Room Challenge: The Office | Week 6 - The Reveal!

I wish there was a way to express that jumping up and down, happy dance feeling in text, because that's totally where I'm at right now. Well, I'm not actually jumping because I just worked a 12-hour day at my new job, but that's not the point. In my head, I'm happy dancing.

Staying true to the One Room Challenge started by Linda at Calling It Home, I managed to finish revamping my office in six weeks, stay on budget(!!), and document the process along the way. If you want to go back and see all the not-so-pretty moments and rants along the way, click the links below. If you want to hustle up and just see the pictures already, keep scrolling.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5

Before I reveal too much more of the finished office, let's reveal the before pictures, shall we? This was a blank, gray room off the dining room.

I think you've heard me (read me?) yap about this room enough, so I'll let the pictures speak mostly for themselves. However, it would be totally unfair of me to post the pictures without thanking my mom, dad, and andy, who all were great builders, craigslist picker uppers, haulers, encouragers, and super patient with me while I worked through this. In the last six weeks I have: interviewed for a job, wrapped up an old job, started a new job, gotten engaged, started planning a wedding, AND redecorated a room. The patience was SO SO necessary.

Overall, I'm so happy to have an energizing, happy, pulled-together space to work and relax in. Here's my office!

I don't feel like I challenged office norms all that much - the basic elements that you would expect were all there. Desk - check. Shelving - check. But I love how cozy and warm the room ended up. At first I was begrudging the lack of overhead lighting, and now with lamps in place I'm loving the softer glow. I'm thrilled to have a room to get some serious and creative work done, and another spot to lounge when Andy is playing Madden in the living room :)

Let me know what you think and if there's anything you would change!

P.S. - the cabinets are getting hardware soon. I'm just scared to drill holes and then realize they're not centered or level. Totally normal fear.

One Room Challenge: The Office | Week 3

[et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="Row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] Ok, catch-up time! I decided to participate in the One Room Challenge as a Guest Participant and blog about the progress of my office makeover. I can't believe all of the amazing things that over 200(!!!) guest participants have been posting, and this challenge has already earned a special little place in my heart. My week 1 post showed you my design plan and mood board for my office. During week 2 I picked a rug and found a couch, and continued to make fun of my boyfriend, Andy.

Well GUESS WHAT?!! In my week 3 post I get to make fun of my fiancé!!!!!  Last week Andy asked me to marry him, and of course I said yes. Because hello... anybody that lets you make fun of them on the internet but still treats you amazingly well and loves you is a catch. Seriously though, I could not be any happier. It's been a GOOD WEEK. Also, he did SO WELL with the ring. I still just sit and look at how pretty it is all the time. (please ignore my alien hands that are clearly in need of moisturizer)

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But let's get back to the issue at hand... One Room Challenges don't have a pause button even if you get engaged and want to spend all day looking at wedding blogs and dreaming of flowers. Luuuuckily for me, this week involved way more work for my wonderful father than for me.

Because here's the thing, when you decide you want built-in looking cabinets and shelves, but you can only spend about $500 on them, you start sending your dad pictures and seeing what he's willing to try to pull off. Fortunately my dad is AMAZING and was totally willing to take on my crazy project within this crazy time frame.

Here's the picture I sent my dad of my vision for the built-ins.

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I wanted the middle section to be at desk height instead of cabinet height so that it could double as another work space if my desk is a disaster. I also wanted lots of space to display all my various pretty things and show off my ability to hoard magazines. A wall of shelving was absolutely the right answer.

When it came to talking about finishing of the built-ins I seriously torn. I narrowed it down to either black or white based on all of these BEAUTIFUL inspiration images (click for source), but I still haven't totally made up my mind about what will end up in the final space. What do you think? Go dark and dramatic, or keep things light and airy?

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label="Row"][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://dw1ixebl10gex.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/HouseandHome-BlackStudy-ScottYetman-NV11.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="off" sticky="off" align="left" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://www.simplifiedbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/SF-Decorator-Showcase-2015-his-office.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="off" sticky="off" align="left" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://dw1ixebl10gex.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/DSC_0064_SUP_HH_MY09.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="off" sticky="off" align="left" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/726/22937635601_dfa23a7eac_b.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="off" sticky="off" align="left" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label="Row"][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://amiecorley.com/wp-content/gallery/clayton-lane/CLAYTON-LANE-1COVER-.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="off" sticky="off" align="left" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://www.peridotdecorativehomewear.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IMG_4785.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="off" sticky="off" align="left" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://p-fst1.pixstatic.com/507595bfdbd0cb305d001de2._w.540_.jpeg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="off" sticky="off" align="left" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/20/70/9b/20709b1a15ffc0eac0723c9370d035f2.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="off" sticky="off" align="left" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"]

The desk is probably the most important piece of furniture in the office, because that's where all of my brilliant work is going to get done - right?! I started looking around and had my eye on very minimalist, streamlined designs. I didn't want a big bulky desk with lots of drawers blocking the view of my beautifully styled built-ins. And since I generally embrace my wacky priorities, that was one of the key factors. The other was that I really like to spread out when I work. While some of the desks below are beautiful and would be wonderful in a smaller room or alcove, they just didn't seem to cut it for my needs. I actually ended up looking at a bunch of dining tables in addition to desks.

Anywhere, here were my top 7 desks.

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1. Pilsen Salt Desk | 2. Strut Teak Work Table | 3. Anderson Desk | 4. Dahlia Marble Desk | 5. Modern Dining Table | 6. Chaya Desk | 7. Ewen Writing Desk

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If you've been following along, you will have realized that I rarely just find my favorite piece of furniture and buy it brand new. These pieces are beautiful, and most are pretty inexpensive by furniture standards, but I'm just not living with that kind of budget. (Don't even get me started on the costs of the wedding I'm now thinking about too. I'm pretty much hating that Andy is so likeable and has approximately 854,869,023 friends that are all REALLY GOOD BUDDIES. You know, like that awesome dude he met in line at Hyvee the other week. He has to be there! ha.)

But hey, if my dad is already making built-ins, a desk can't be that much more to ask... right? Yeah, it was a lot to ask, but it's my dad, and I'm his favorite daughter :) , so he's slaving away on furniture for me.

I went up to visit him last weekend because my mom was driving golf carts around Florida, I had a ring to show off, and I figured he could probably use a little help with everything. I wasn't that helpful, but I at least got a sneak peek at where things were at.

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It's all looking so good and I can't wait to see it in the space instead of in my parents' entryway. I feel like we're making good progress toward the 6-week deadline, but I'm sure I'll be eating those words in a few weeks. Either way, I'm deliriously happy with where life sits right now.

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One Room Challenge: The Office| Week 1

[et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://www.thecasualcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/guestparticipant.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="off" sticky="off" align="left" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] Earlier this year, I wrote a post called The Year of Diving In. In it, I talked about how this year I was going to make more of an effort to do things I wasn't 100% would go well for me, but that I knew I would enjoy or at least get satisfaction out of completing. The One Room Challenge falls squarely in this category.

For those of you that don't know, the One Room Challenge was started by Linda at Calling It Home, and over the last 5 years it has grown to basically be the biannual highlight of the interior design blog world. I was trying to explain how it worked to Andy (for those of you just joining Andy is my boyfriend and self-proclaimed worst design assistant ever), and naturally I had to resort to sports metaphors to do it. Design bloggers from all corners of the internet will participate in the challenge to makeover one room of their house, and blog about it once a week for the next 6 weeks. On Wednesdays 20 selected bloggers, basically the varsity squad, will post. On Thursdays, anyone else can join in and link up their posts to be included as guest participants. I'm something akin to a scrawny 6th grader trying to play with the JV squad. But hey - diving in, right?!

This challenge actually came at a really good time for me. 3 MONTHS ago (yikes!) I posted about my general design plan for my office redo. Well...after 3 months of a lot of work travel, family events, and world-class procrastination, my office still looks about exactly the same.

As a refresher, here's how the room looked in the listing photos before I bought my house.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label="Row"][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://www.thecasualcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2014-12-12-09.45.54.jpg" alt="Office Before" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="off" sticky="off" align="left" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://www.thecasualcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2014-12-12-09.45.49.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="off" sticky="off" align="left" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label="Row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"]

I did have a big L-shaped ikea desk in there as a placeholder for a while, but that's about it. The office is open to the dining room through french doors, and once I had the dining room all done and put together, I really felt like the office had to be more cohesive with that space.

Here is what you see of the dining room from the office:

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Without further ado, here is the updated design plan:

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://www.thecasualcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/office-mood-board-part-2.jpg" alt="Office Design Plan" title_text="Office Design Plan 2.0" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="off" sticky="off" align="left" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://www.thecasualcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/office-layout-e1451962713629.jpg" alt="Office Space Plan" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="off" sticky="off" align="left" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"]

Moving things around in photoshop is pretty easy, but making all of this come to life and you know, hopefully look good, in 6 weeks is pretty daunting.

My list of tasks includes:

• Paint the room
• Find a rug
• Find a desk
• Find a couch
• Build and paint built-ins
• Curtains
• Art and frames for a gallery wall
• Figure out the lighting plan - this room has NO overhead light, and I'm not an electrician
• Style out the shelves and the desk

Now I believe in managing expectations, so let's be real clear. I've got no sponsors, no pro design friends helping me out, a budget of about $1500, tops (lol - that includes furniture. this should be interesting.) and none of these photos will be taken by a professional photographer or be professionally staged. Andy will try to be helpful, and I love that man, but let's be real - I better be prepared to tackle most of the design work on my own.

Now that I've adequately lowered your expectations I'm sure you CAN'T WAIT to check back next week and see how the office is progressing (or not). Seeing all the other amazing rooms and designers challenges has definitely made me feel inspired to take this on though. So ready set - DIVE IN!

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