Tag: office makeover

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE: WEEK 3 – ART, FABRIC AND ORGANIZATION

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ORC inspiration week4 reviving charm

I am attempting to makeover my office/studio/creative space over the course of six weeks as part of the One Room Challenge hosted by the Linda of Calling It Home. I have two short weeks left. I fell behind a little bit so this past week was all about catching up and starting new projects. The most important thing was to finish painting the walls. I am happy to report that I can finally cross that off the list. With the painting done, I was also able to tackle a few other projects this week.

New Art. Art work plays a key role in a space. I am designing the room in a series of vignette spaces with the main wall (the one you see when you first walk into the space) originally planned to display a series of floral photography alongside an over-sized mirror. Now that we are halfway through the Challenge I decided to change my design plan with respect to some of the artwork going into the space.

Has anyone else changed their plan halfway through the design?

 

A while back I created some artwork for the our master bedroom using vintage milk glass brooches. Unfortunately, they were never hung on the walls. The background was originally a gorgeous melon colored Clarence House silk but I decided to swap out the fabric for crisp bright white linen that will fit in with the scheme of my new creative space. This is a great way to put your beautiful jewels on display and enjoy them on a daily basis. It beats having them stored away in a drawer where they will most likely be forgotten about. Here are a couple of the pieces I created.

reviving charm artwork one room challenge office makeover vintage jewelry as art 1

New Fabric: I went shopping for fabric and found a wonderful linen for the my new/old desk chair. If you live in Southern California you must to pay a visit to Dorell Fabrics in Fountain Valley. It is a warehouse full of great finds at exceptionally reasonable prices. The linen I found is a nice heavy weight, backed fabric for only $9.99 per yard. I asked an employee about their fabric lots and was told that they purchase from various manufacturers so it’s not uncommon to find well known and designer brand fabrics. A while back I purchased a Lee Jofa fabric for $19.00 per yard. It was a Kelly Wearstler design which would typically cost well over $100 per yard (retail).  I felt like I hit the fabric lottery with this find.

one room challenge office craft room makeover reviving charm fabric shopping

The linen I selected is laying on the cutting table.

Organization. The towers of storage are in place and I started organizing a bit. The first thing I wanted to tackle was labeling the many, many, many storage drawers in this space. I purchased the drawers about two years ago from Ikea. All I can say is this: best purchase ever. The amount of storage they provide is phenomenal. I started adding metal label holders to them but never finished. I resorted to using post-it labels as a temporary measure because I wasn’t able to find anything. Afterall, all the drawers look the same! This week I started to put on the missing label holders and am replacing the actual Dymo labels with printed labels using the same font as my blog header. You’ll see the finished result in the reveal. It’s a simple detail but one that will make a huge difference.

one room challenge organization before

KEY ITEMS yet TO BE ACCOMPLISHED:

  • Find desk chair.
  • Finish painting walls. 
  • Paint window trim and closet door.
  • Order area rug.
  • Hang light fixture.
  • Install one new receptacle outlet.
  • Buy fabric for chair and have  it reupholstered and painted.
  • Buy supplies to make a bulletin board.
  • Order window coverings (I’m sure the neighbor’s will appreciate this one!)
  • Frame artwork.
  • Spray paint accessories (I have been waiting for the wind to die down)
  • Freak out because there are only 2 weeks left in the challenge.
  • Other….(because I am sure I am forgetting something!)

That’s about it for this week. There is still quite a bit to be completed but I’m determined to get this done! Be sure to also check out the other One Room Challenge Wednesday featured designers, other guest participants, and Linda’s blog.

Thanks for following along…XOXO, V.

HAPPY FRIDAY

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Dear Friday,

I am so glad we are back together. I am so sorry you had to see me with Monday through Thursday, but I swear I was thinking of you the whole time.”

Reviving charm happy friday inspiration quotes

I hope you have a Happy Friday, Happy Weekend. Tonight I have a hot date with Purdy. It’s just me and my paintbrush trying to get the rest of my office/studio painted. I want need to finish my office makeover in 3 weeks. I reminded myself today that once the room is painted I can start working on the fun stuff like shopping and decorating. Now that is something I can manage…

What plans do you have for the weekend?

WEEK 2-ONE ROOM CHALLENGE: PAINT AND INSPIRATION

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Last week I announced that I would be participating in the One Room Challenge. My goal for the Week 2 was to create a blank canvas by clearing out the room and painting the walls. This is probably the most stressful part of the challenge for me because selecting paint colors is not on my top ten (or top 100) list of things to do. A great plan means nothing if you don’t get the foundation right. If your foundation isn’t right something will always looks a little “off”.

calling it home one room challenge orc reviving charm

Before: Marking my territory on the existing grey walls.

I will admit to leading a double life (executive by day; blogger and creator by night). I have a full-time job so evenings and weekends are the only time to get things done. Over this past weekend I was able to prime and get the first coat of paint on the walls. The second coat of paint will have to wait because I will be out of town in San Diego this upcoming weekend. Being out of commission for one weekend puts a little added pressure to get things done but luckily I planned the trip before the start of the challenge and adjusted my schedule accordingly. However, I had planned to actually finish painting the walls during week 1 so my calendar will need some additional adjustments since that didn’t happen. No stress, right??!!

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”  –Arthur Ashe

 

I did a lot of research to find a lovely, sophisticated shade of blushy, pale pink. Yes, lots of research on paint, of all things. If you follow me on Twitter then you already know that I consulted my House Beautiful paint guide (as I do before each paint job) to help select the perfect paint. This is a resource I have had for years. It was money well spent.

house beautiful paint reviving charm one room challenge

I decided on “Intimate White” by Sherwin Williams. It doesn’t look like much on the paint strip but even with one coat on the walls, it really came alive. I can’t wait for the second coat to go up. I can already tell that it is a beautiful hue that will make a huge impact on space and create a wonderful backdrop for things yet to come. I haven’t done any interior photography with my “real” camera in a while and with so much going on I was really too tired to bust it out for a few practice shots. These photos don’t do the color justice (granted they are iPhone pictures) so this is as good as it is going to get for today…

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE REVIVING CHARM WEEK 2

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE CALLING IT HOME REVIVING CHARM OFFICE STUDIO CRAFT ROOM MAKEOVER

With week one down, I now have a new blank canvas to (almost) work from. The soft romantic feminine vibe I am trying to achieve is slowly coming alive. My Sweet Seaside Studio makeover is finally happening! Thanks, Linda for hosting the challenge as it was the perfect motivation to get me started!

Other news to report:

  • With a stroke of luck, I found a desk chair. I need to make arrangements to pick it up.
  • The room accessories I ordered have arrived. Each day has felt like Christmas!

key items to be accomplished:

  • Finish painting.
  • Order area rug.
  • Hang light fixture.
  • Install one new receptacle outlet.
  • Buy fabric for office chair and have  chair reupholstered.
  • Buy supplies to make a bulletin board.
  • Order window coverings (I’m sure the neighbor’s will appreciate this one!)
  • Frame artwork.
  • Spray paint accessories.
  • Other….(because I am sure I am forgetting something!)

Meanwhile, I have admired a few other office spaces I thought I would share. After all, sharing is caring…

REVIVING CHARM OFFICE MAKEOVER ONE ROOM CHALLENGE

Source: Unknown

reviving charm pink peonies office

Source: Pink Peonies

one room makeover reviving charm office studio craft room

Source: unknown

one room challenge reviving charm office makeover inspiration

Source: Linnnk.com

That’s it for this week. Thanks for following along!   XOXO, V.

Also be sure to check out the other One Room Challenge Wednesday featured designers, other guest participants, and Linda’s blog.

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE: MY SEASIDE STUDIO MAKEOVER

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REVIVING CHARM ONE ROOM CHALLENGE STUDIO OFFICE MAKEOVER

If you are new to this blog…welcome! I am a Southern California creator who owns a seaside ranch home that is in process of being decorated one room at a time. To learn more about me check this out.  Over the course of the next six weeks I will be participating in the One Room Challenge.

What is the One Room Challenge? 

The One Room Challenge is hosted by Linda of Calling it Home. Linda challenges design bloggers to transform a room of their choice over the course of six short weeks and document their weekly progress from start to finish. I will be participating by making over my “Sweet Seaside Studio” and posting updates each Thursday. The final reveal of my completed space will take place on May 12, 2016. Let the challenge begin…

CALLING IT HOME ORC REVIVING CHARM BEFORE

I admit that it is taking a lot of courage on my part to post these pictures. But if I want to participate in the One Room Challenge then I really should include some “before” shots of space. I thought showing this montage of photos will give you a better understanding of what the space has looked like in its various forms,  whether it was tended by the prior owner or myself.

I keep reminding myself that a really, really bad “before” picture will make the best “before and after” story when all is said and done. –V.R., Author of Reviving Charm

 

No. 1: These pictures were taken the first time we toured the home in December 2012. I know what you are thinking…run…and run fast! Even though this space was a total hot mess we still decided to purchased the home. In fact the moment we walked into the house Mr. B said “This is the one.” At that point we had not yet even seen the entire home, including this room. You can say we both had vision. Lots of vision. Hence, the title of this blog…Reviving Charm. We felt that a little TLC is what the home needed and reviving its’ charm would be an exciting endeavor for us.

Old pictures of the home show how the previous owner attached beadboard to portions of the walls to serve as headboards for two twin beds. I am not sure how the beadboard was attached but it damaged the walls extensively when it was removed. The baseboard was also either missing or damaged. The pictures show the poor wall restoration done by the prior owner. You can also see that the original hardwood floor was in horrible shape after being thrashed by  the former human and canine occupants.

No. 2: Before we moved in we had professionals come in and repair the walls, restore the hardwood floors with a beautiful custom stain, install new baseboard and remove the popcorn ceilings throughout the entire house. It was better to do these things before we moved in without any furniture to get in the way. At the time I wasn’t sure what color to paint this room so I had the contractor leave the walls white. These pictures were taken after deciding to paint the walls grey. You can see several paint swatches on the wall.

No. 3: Who’s silly idea was it to purchase furniture that you have to assemble yourself?

No. 4: Photo from 2014. Grey paint is now up on the walls and I was still moving in. I was never really successful at moving into this space completely. I had every intention on finishing this space but it just never came together. Luckily, I can close the door to this room when guests come over!

No. 5: I purchased this chair for the office space at my old home and tried to make it work at my current home. The chair is by Suzanne Kasler for Hickory Chair and I love its design. However, as part of the One Room Challenge it will be finding a new home in the family room to be paired up with a new desk in that space. I hope I can find a suitable replacement. There is a bit of nervous nail biting action going on with respect to finding a new chair in a timely manner. I do have a few things in mind so both you and me will be surprised with the final selection.

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE CALLING IT HOME REVIVING CHARM OFFICE

The goals for this project are simple:

  1. USE EXISTING FURNITURE. I will be reusing most of the pieces in the room. There is the potential of swapping out two small storage pieces and I am looking for a new desk chair. Whenever possible, I try to re-purpose a piece or reuse it somewhere else in our home. For example, the antique buffet now in this room was previously in the dining room at our old home. It provides a great amount of storage space.
  2. CREATE A MULTI-PURPOSE SPACE. The room will be used for a variety of creative uses. I use the space to write, blog, wrap gifts, make jewelry, sew, paint and papercraft. I need desk space and lots of storage. The room is located at the front of the house so I would like to maintain the desk near the window so i can enjoy the scenery when I work at my desk. I want the room to be an attractive space but I also have to realize that it is still a studio space so finding creative storage options will be on the list of things to do.
  3. LIGHTEN UP THE WALLS. The room is currently painted “Intellectual Grey” by Sherwin Williams. I love the dark, moody color but since this is a creative space I think it could benefit from a lighter color.

INSPIRATION BOARD ONE ROOM CHALLENGE REVIVING CHARM CALLING IT HOME

So here it is…a glimpse of what is to come. What do you think?

I have quite a bit to accomplish so be sure to check back here each Thursday so see what progress I have made. Alternatively, you can always subscribe to my posts and I can come to you (via your inbox) so you don’t miss a thing!

Also, make sure to check out the other One Room Challenge Wednesday featured designers and guest participants who are all so brave to tackle the six week challenge.