Home office start.

I spent last weekend helping repurpose a bedroom. A room that had sat unused since the oldest son had flown the nest. It had become a collection area for things that were unwanted, unnoticed, unloved as well as some dusty memories needing to be organized for "someday."…

This room sits in a very small rambler where space is at a premium. There is very little room to breathe, to have space for ones self, to have a peaceful place from the busy and stress. It was time to create some usable space in the form of a home office. Desky items that have been scattered throughout the home will find a purposed place in the new office. This will free up the kitchen to be a kitchen. It's all good. 

The hardest part of repurposing is starting isn't it? Walking into a cluttered, dirty unloved

space... bending over and picking up that very first item. This is paramount. This is the mountain that has to be climbed to start. Once you hold that first object in your hand ask yourself just three questions… keep, donate, or throw? 

As we sorted.. we cleaned, boxed, trashed and redistributed to other rooms where appropriate. And when all the sorting was finished, the walls and floor were cleaned. We then created a shopping list of items needed to set up the office- desk, filing cabinets, and lights. We talked about turning part of the closet into shelves for storage, and what the homeowners envisioned for the "look" of the room in regards to window treatments. We suggested woven wood blinds or curtain panels (for privacy) hung high and draped to the floor- set off the actual window to give it visual width. 

Now it was time to decide what new color the room would wear. I spread out one of my paint swatch books- Benjamin Moore is my favorite swatch book, though Sherman Williams has a really beautiful book. And here's a tip- you can take your Benjamin Moore color number to Home Depot and they can mix the equivalent in their Behr brand which will save cash. The Carpenter uses Behr paint for most of his projects. A beautiful rich blue was chosen.

The second day we painted. And two of us got two coats done in 3 hours. We used edge brushes rather then taping which really sped up the job. 

A few days later after looking at pricey and cheapie desks on-line I headed to Pinterest for inspiration. A home office can be put together on a budget! Older desks, tables and file cabinets (the Carpenter just painted his beige beat-up filing cabinet matt black with Rust-oleum paint http://www.rustoleum.com and it looks practically new!) can be bought via Craig's List and updated with a fresh coat of paint. File cabinets, desk chair can be researched to keep within a budget, and accessories can be scouted out at Savers, Home Goods, Marshalls etc. to complete the room! I know it takes a creative person(s) to be able to visualize this part. Well you know where to find one of those! ;)

For me tackling this project was fun to do. I like to see order come out of chaos. It is a very satisfying feeling. And I hope that it will create some happiness as well as set in motion the rebirth of the rest of the home. That would be a very good thing.

~ the Artist

*The office isn't finished so no photos. But I've found some inspiring ones for you to view below via Pinterest. These are examples of inexpensive solutions.

*We offer 3 services the can help you repurpose your home! "Color Me Happy", "Current" and "Fresh Air". Info is here: http://applewoodremodelers.com/services/