My office was ready for a makeover and it was time to rethink what would best suit my needs. As the smallest bedroom in the house, it is perfect for an office. But I also needed at least one extra bed in case someone came to visit. I wasn’t looking to spend a lot of money on this makeover, so I started by using some beach items and fabrics that I couldn’t justify getting rid of.
I began the makeover by selling a huge armoire that took up the entire corner of the room in the picture below. The armoire gave me lots of storage that I couldn’t afford to lose. To solve the storage and bed situation, I replaced the armoire with a daybed from Ikea that has three nice deep drawers underneath.
The room was previously decorated in a blue and white beach theme. Stored away upstairs in a closet, I had rolls of beach themed fabric from a lake house purchase, that at the last minute didn’t go through some years ago. So, to make good use of those fabrics, I redesigned the room in shades of beige and white, with a touch of aqua. The duvet cover is a king-size bedspread from Target that I simply folded in half. I sewed it shut and stuffed it with a down duvet I had on hand. There was enough of the bedspread leftover to make a couple extra pillows to tie it all together.
A new mirror from Target and ivy arrangement underneath finish off the wall.
As I said, this is a small room, so in order for it to also function as my office, the wall across from the bed contains my desk and shelves that hold the printer.
This photo makes the room look a little busy and cluttered, but actually the room has a very peaceful feeling.
Above the desk and shelves, is a wall to wall peg rail shelf where I can display some of my beach décor and shell collection. It also allows me to hang baskets where I can store smaller items.
And on the remaining wall of the room is another large piece of furniture, my beloved open credenza my brother-in-law made for me.
On the open bottom shelf are more baskets providing storage for some of my Etsy items and supplies. I have three linen covered boxes in various sizes from Ikea that I also use for storage.
Many of these items were, as I said before, leftovers from the lake house that didn’t happen. This sail boat and “dream” sign I have used for years in this room. They were originally blue. With a little bit of beige paint, I was able to transform the items I loved most, just by repainting them.
Pencil holders, picture frames, letter trays, and even the closet door, all received transformations with beige paint.
This seagull and old vintage side table might be about the only things that didn’t get a makeover.
Winter and summer this room receives the best light in the house. It has become my favorite room and a wonderful place to do the necessary paperwork that no one enjoys doing.
It is a room that was “once upon a time” the dream of a lake house at Lake Erie. Now it is a room filled with many treasured items that continue to remind me to “dream” on.
I know I’ve said it before but you do wonderful work, Cindy. Everything looks magazine photo perfect to my eyes. I’m sure you’ll enjoy working in the renovated room and that your guests will enjoy staying there. I think you’re ready for your next career as a decorator 😉
Thank you Kris for your kind comments. I actually took interior design classes at The Ohio State University when I worked for The Ohio State University Hospital. One of our benefits was we could take classes for free. Since I never had the opportunity growing up to attend college, I decided to take at least one class each quarter. I took classes the whole four years my daughter attended college there. But because I had never had any college classes and was so far removed from high school, several of those years were math and English classes. I took every thing they had and once they phased out the interior design classes, I decided I was done. It would have taken me until 65 to get a degree, and I really was not interested in taking chemistry classes and some of the other things they waste your time and money on. It was a great learning opportunity and the best part of the experience was being in college with my daughter. We started and stopped at the same time.
In case you didn’t get my email, which I replied to from the email that delivers you blog posts, I wanted you to know I try to comment on many of your posts, but for whatever reason, the comments will not go through. I tried numerous times yesterday and tried to figure out how to fix it, but nothing worked. I also never see your return comment unless I open up the blog post and go back to my comment (that’s when it actually goes through). I must admit, after typing out a comment, I usually just give up when it doesn’t appear. I’ve had Blogger ask me to log in to leave a comment, but I don’t have an account with them since I use WordPress. I did want you to know that I do read your posts and love looking at your lovely array of flowers, most of which I’ve never seen before.
You have worked wonders again Cindy. 😃 You should be working for one of those top home decor magazines! I think your eye for colour and light, as well as the creative skills to put your ideas into practice are amazing and enviable. The theme is also one I love, reminding me of one of my favourite places in the world on the east coast of England. 🐬⚓️⛵️
Thank you kindly Cathy!!! I love decorating. It has always been a passion since my teenage years and is right up there with my love for gardening. My greatest fondness for many years has been towards beach/coastal style decorating. I’ve gotten away from that trend somewhat, but since I had all those fabrics, I couldn’t justify buying new ones. Whether in blue and white, or beige and white, I love the clean and bright look of a coastal decorated room. It is always relaxing to me and the next best thing to being at the beach.
Maybe a small room but packed with beauty and function. It makes me nostalgic for my little cape cottage I had in N Linden for years.
I love the seagull🥰
It is a small room with great function, and if you can believe it, since writing this post, I’ve squeezed one more thing and function into this room. For the next few months, under the window is a folding table, grow light, and trays of seedlings. When you have a small house, you have to think it through and make the best use of every inch of space. But in my opinion, small houses are the best, especially cottage-style houses.
I love the seagull too. Some items always survive the cut when downsizing and purging. Maybe that is why this is my favorite room in the house. Everything thing in it is full of memories and by-gone dreams.