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Bower Power

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Office Wares

OUR 2nd HOUSE

Just so you know – you are gonna be disappointed.

I just wanna forewarn you.  There aren’t a whole lotta furniture makeover ‘afters’ that you will see in this post.  Take a pill, eat some chocolate, pour you a pitcher of wine, do whatever you do.  You will have to wait.

BUT I PROMISED THAT I WAS GONNA GET THESE POSTS OUT TODAY AND I AM WORKING ON IT!  So hold onto your house slippers because the ride ain’t over.  This post is to mainly explain what we are putting back in this office.  And to show you some pretty paper-less floors.  First up – the sitting chairs.

I love me an office with sitting chairs.  I can’t help it.  Whenever I go into an office, I wanna sit.  Even if it’s not my office.  So I figured that my guests needed a little relaxing area too.  So I brought back in these old caned chairs that I have had forever.  I got em at Goodwill ages ago and reupholstered the cushions to white.  They were actually in the original old office – way back before it was Will’s nursery.

BLING!  FLOOORS!

Anyhoo.  I also brought the desk (duh) and a bookcase.

I really needed some extra storage and this black bookcase fit the wall perfectly.

Me and this bookcase go way back.  Like all the way back to college back.  That was over ten years ago.  whoa…that was back in the day when I bought Jock Rock cds and slipped them right there next to Big Willy Style.  You know you did that too.

So after college days, I was able to bring this piece into our last home, top it with a mirror and use it in the kitchen as dish storage.  Yet another thrift store find scores a goal for team Bower.

This was the only piece in the whole lot that I hand painted…and that is why you get to see the makeover.  A little spray primer –

And a very crazy iphone photo of a lime green bookcase.  I promise it’s not that crazy.  If it were, I’d name it Charlie Sheen…err…Charlie Green 🙂

Moving right along, we have the much contemplated office chair.  I debated the pros and cons of the office chair conundrum on a guest post here – and at first I thought I landed my tush into a plush blue wingback I have in storage.  But the color was more muted and I wanted my chair to be a punch right in the face…err…rear end.  So out with the wingback and in with a less comfy but more personality girl I like to call – Goodwill Chair number seven.  She lived at our old house for a while in the upstairs hall…until she got the boot and went into our basement storage area.  I think she needs a resurrection with bright red and fun fabric.

 

Speaking of fabric, we used her in the upstairs bathroom for a while and it looks like wet feet were not a friend of this fabric.  And yes, I am very aware that it looks like someone had an incontinence problem while seated here.

Still with me?!

Okay – so in the corner we had this little bookshelf stashed.  Yes, it’s just a cheap laminate version.  But it’s free because we already own it and all it needs is a little love and a whole lotta paint.

It used to live in our old living room.  Aww.  There she blows…behind my green chairs 🙂

Last bits of reused furniture – this little desk and chair from my old dressing room.  I need a little sewing area and this desk is perfect for a tight space.

Now comes the fun part – the new stuff.  I only bought one new large item for this room.  I thankfully was able to use all the furniture we had on hand and make it work…but when I saw this giant white board in the thrift store for $22 I told Jeremy that I really wanted it.  I have no idea how much white boards normally cost…if I had to guess new, one this size would probably run around $100…but putting a pricetag on being able to look at all my blog/photography/giveaway/reminder info really has no pricetag…so I coerced my boyfriend into loading it into the car and bringing it home.

So there you have it folks.  You ready now to see the final product?  Me too.

Let me go so I can edit/upload/download/write….see you later tonight!  (hey that rhymed!  Awesome rhyming award for me!)

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Comments

  1. I’ve been checking and checking for this post (need a life much?). But don’t kill yourself getting it done; it’s not brain surgery or life and death.

  3. LOVE THE GREEN!!! And looking back at your previous living room, I now really want the green and navy combo! Too bad I have hideously ugly avocado-ish green couches that aren’t going anywhere and may be too hard to slip cover… can’t wait for the finished product!

  5. Hey Katie!

    I love your office so far! Where did you get the magazine holder in the last picture? I would love one for my office!!

    Thanks!

  6. I am loving how nice this room is starting to look! Though right now it looks like invisible people having an interview. haha.

    I just painted my condo this weekend the whole time I was wishing I had a paint sprayer thing like you got. I am going to be posting about it this week, so feel free to come check my place out!!

    http://www.wafflingdesign.blogspot.com

    now i am going to go sleep this muscle pain away…

  7. Love your white board! We Love large writing surfaces and have one huge chalkboard (We’re Math people and so pretentiously only use chalkboards) in our garage waiting for a home in our new house and another smaller one off our kitchen for lists.

    I’ve been reading your blog for awhile and I just love how you write!

    -Cassandra
    http://www.ckandnate.com

  8. Whew!!…..I honestly thought that I was out of breath after reading that post!! LOL! 🙂 LOVE that green!!! I’m going to go drink some gatorade now and replenish my electrolytes while I wait for the rest…can’t wait!!! 🙂

  10. Yippee!! It’s like Bower Power Christmas up in here today 🙂 Too fun that you’ve assembled so many posts for today. Once again, thanks for sharing. The office is looking amazing.

  12. oooohh LOVE the green… it makes me happy 🙂 Can’t wait for the final reveal!!

  13. This is shaping up to be my fav room in your new house BY FAR!!! love all the pops of color you are adding, love the sitting chairs, love how you are positioning your furniture in the room, love the wainscoting and ceiling and how this rooms looks less like new construction and more like an older home, love the chandelier, love the wall color. I’ve liked the other rooms you’ve done so far but i haven’t LOVED them… this one I’m LOVING.

  14. Oh and have you considered doing a two-toned treatment on your desk (white on bottom, stained on top)? Might help the white desk pop against all of your white wainscoting 🙂

  16. Katie-

    This is my first time posting but I’m an avid reader of your blog and an idea popped into my head as I was looking at today’s posts. On the topic of furniture I noticed you had the daybed in your old dressing room and thought if you ever wanted to switch it up it in the office the daybed could look cool in place of the two chairs. Then you would have another place to add a pop of color with pillows and a place for a nap! I’m not sure if it would work because of it’s size or if you even still have the daybed but just thought I would share.

    Can’t wait to see how the room turned out!

  19. I actually didn’t think of that – only because when we found out we were pregnant we decided that it would be a good idea this time around to put a twin bed in the babies room….I didn’t last time and wish I had one to lounge on while nursing or to sleep on when they are sick.
    xo – kb

  22. Hey! Just a story/thought from a fellow photographer: I had my office similar to this a while back and noticed that clients were kinda freaked out by the desk/sitting chair set-up–I think they felt nervous and didn’t open up much because of it. I realize that you’re just moving in to this space, but thought you wouldn’t mind the feedback. :0) looks gorgeous anyway, so maybe you should just ignore me.

  23. Ha! We tried selling our whiteboard (just like yours only faux wood around the edges) at our garage sale for $5. It didn’t sell so we gave it away for free. Kids love drawing on it though, so I’m sure Will (and future children) will love it some day.

    Can’t wait to see more of the office, I know it’s going to be gorg!

  25. I LOVE that daring green bookcase. And I love that you’re posting many times today, giving me an excuse to not write my essay and not study for finals. Which is perfect, because if you didn’t I would probably end up watching some lame reality TV.

    Also, I tell my Grandma she should let me renovate her house because I read DIY blogs. Meaning I read yours and Sherry’s and have have big dreams.

  26. You’re up late, Katie B! I’m very grateful for this, as I recently lost my job and I’ve adapted to my 3rd shift hubby’s schedule while at home – something to look forward to at this time of night! 🙂 Loving what you’ve done so far!

  27. Can. Not. Wait!!! I am so excited about the reveal!!! 🙂 GREAT JOB thus far, and if I’ve learned anything from reading your blog – the end result will not disappoint!

  29. P.S. Is the term “sitting chair” a southern thing? What other kind of chair is there? lol. that tickled me for some reason. <—- I just sounded like an old lady… xo

  30. I will definitely keep that in mind – right now I don’t do any pre-shoot client sessions but if I ever go that route, I will definitely switch things up. Thanks for the advice!
    xo – kb

  32. So cool! I wish I had your motivation. Instead it’s almost 1:00 AM and I’m about to go to bed. Can I blame the pregnancy? I’m going to.

  34. I’m totally coveting your office… and everything in it! 🙂 I’ve never been more hyper-aware of how small my rooms are or how low my ceilings are… gee, thanks for that! 😉 No, for reals yo… the room seriously is going to be magazine-reveal worthy. You have an amazing eye for this stuff!

  36. WOW! The difference between the before (dark and dreary) to the almost after (bright and airy) is huge! Can’t wait to see the final photos!!

  38. It’s looking awesome so far…can’t wait to see it. Plus I’m super excited about the mixing of colors, blue walls, green bookcase, red chair fabric…I tend to go super safe and matchy, so I’m really trying to branch out a little and coordinate rather than match. BTW, you got a STEAL on that whiteboard. Great find!

  40. I’m pretty sure those large dry-erase boards sell for 300-500 dollars, so you actually got an *excellent* find! Can’t wait for the big reveal!

  43. I don’t know what it is, but aren’t offices some of the most fun to decorate? Maybe because there aren’t really any guidelines around them…color, texture, pattern, fabric, furniture. Or maybe I’m just weird (ENTIRELY possible)….

  44. WOW! The room is already looking so fresh and really popping! Love the color choices! I was hesitant at first cause I’m like the one person that liked the dark chocolate molding. But now I can’t wait!!

  45. Totally fun…especially when the office is just for you and you get to cater to your own wishlist 🙂
    xo – kb

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