In the past year and a half, we have seen so many people realize the importance of having a work space within their home. While I have ceded the study to my husband, I've always used a spare bedroom as my work space. What started as a craft room for my calligraphy business, it's always been a catch all space for old furniture that I repurposed for storage without a cohesive design.
With the growth of my real estate and design business, I began craving more organization within an intentionally designed space. The first step was to decide what pieces would be staying in the room. Since I was working with a small budget, I knew I would need to keep several pieces.
My spoiled but precious welsh terrier and basset hound are the king and queen of snoozing while I work and I love their company. They have adopted the oversize orange chair as their own and I knew it would need to stay. The table is also a sufficient and neutral work space while the blue dresser provided plenty of storage for samples and tools. These three pieces would stay and from there it was time to work through room balance, organizational needs and color palette.
As the bold red-orange of the chair could not be easily changed, I chose to design the color palette around it. As I had a teal rug in storage, I chose a complimentary color scheme with the teal being the secondary color and the red-orange as the accent color. When disbursing color, you want to chose a dominant color that will cover 60% of the room while the secondary color should be 30% and the accent color should be 10%. I chose to let the current Sherwin Williams Repose Gray be the dominant color to maintain the level of light in the room.
Three of the walls would remain Repose Gray while I created two opposing accent walls. When creating a focal point in a room, you want to draw the eye vertically and create a balanced vertical effect on the opposite side of the room. I choose the larger wall to be solid Green Bay to create a cozy atmosphere while choosing a brush stroke stencil for the smaller opposing wall. This reflected the color, created a vertical line and added interest to the space!
After laying out the major changes it was time to coordinate the new furniture with the old. The blue of the dresser was not complimentary with the color scheme and I used Sherwin Williams Pure White in latex paint to create a shiny, bright spot against the dark wall.
As the dresser did not fill the wall, I found a great deal on black metal and glass bookcases from Walmart! When shopping for budget friendly furniture, try to steer clear of cheap laminate that scratches easily and rarely mimics wood very well. These bookcases gave me the opportunity to balance the room as well as space for additional storage boxes and display items that are helpful to my businesses.
Decor items can quickly add up to it was important to me to discover affordable options and flea market finds, and DIY projects!
Our area has thriving flea markets and I found this gorgeous wood stand at one of them. The gold mirror is from Homegoods.
Acrylic frame: Target
Gold and glass vase: Kate Spade
Faux hydrangeas: Hobby Lobby
The table & lamp were found at Home Goods and it's always my first go to when looking for an affordable find.
The curtains are many years gold from Target and the darling sign was a local find.
Of course I have Studio McGee's biography as well as other interior design coffee table books.
The concrete bowl is is actually an antique find that I created a faux concrete look for. You can make it yourself by following the instructions on my other blog post.
A snake plant is a great starter plant for those without a green thumb (like me!). It doesn't require sunlight and only needs to be watered when the soil is completely dry. I chose an affordable terra cotta planter from Lowes to compliment the red-orange color in the room.
I actually crocheted the pillow and it's quite easy to learn. I bought the pattern from Ruby Webbs.
The chair and blanket were TJ Maxx finds which is also a wonderful place to find affordable down pillows and other textiles for your home.
Never be afraid to introduce color into your home but always have a plan for how you will distribute it! Don't forget the 60-30-10 rule and be sure to research how colors go together. Need help with floor planning or color choices? I offer E-design services that are affordable and ensure your space will look the way you envision!
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