Step into My "Office"

Since I've had projects & organization & punchlists on my mind, the most neglected area of our little basement, the "office," has come up on the radar. Before we moved in, it looked like this (below):

I found these super-functional life-saving wall files (below) at Joanne's fabric (I didn't know they sold other stuff there) for around $13 EACH! I planned to paint them when I got the chance & they've remained this color since July! (eeeeek)

So I finally got the chance (ok maybe I forced myself because of my last few posts?? haha) to paint them. I used leftover paint we already had (remember Ralph Lauren's 'Hopsack' from the paneling?) and gave them a few coats while watching a movie. So easy & makes such a difference!!! I use them to put my current client project binders in & they keep me super-organized.

Here's the pretty desk we found a couple of years ago at Lucketts. (The antique store) Fell in love with it & my in-laws gave it to us as a gift. (Yes, I know, me = lucky) So sweet of them & I just LOVE the color & the faded finish. It has worked as a console table & it's also great floating. The chair is one of my old kitchen chairs just filling in. [So this is where I'm doing most of my blogging... but sometimes I take the laptop around the house with me]

The lamp is the same navy blue lamp in the before picture. It also got some 'hopsack' and a new shade. (Much betta!)

I hung my linen bulletin boards inside of some frames I had. I wanted to try something a little different to make them take up more visual space on the wall. I just hang random stuff up there that makes me happy or that I'm working on or that has no place to go. (I definitely de-junked them for these pics! ;)

I have to show you this one photo on there (below). It's of Christian asleep at the fabric store. He conked out on one of Calico Corner's beds!!! The ladies who work there (love yas!) snapped a pic. Such a good boy...

Below are some of my flea market finds. These change like everything else, but I always need a little tray or bowl or compote because "stuff" just accumulates & when it gets full, I clean it out. The little painting os one of those kitsch ones I love when diplayed irreverently.

The built-ins (below) are a godsend. My fabric sample books fit on one shelf and the canvas fabric boxes house more fabrics & other samples. There's even room for pretty things on here!!

Do you remember the beakers I loved so much from Betsy Brown's house?? Well, I found some on Ebay (below) for practically nothing. They're up here till they're needed along with a mini cloche, an antique fishing bobber from my grandparents & the "crystal ball" I got when I was younger.

I also love little boxes & containers like this old tool box (below) I found at one of my favorite thrift stores, the "Treasure Trove." I keep my thread in there.

Here's a shelf from Ikea that acts as a wall partition for the entry/ office into the living room. Again this baby is super-functional & houses more samples, catalogs, magazines, accessories and supplies.

I love these old wooden crates for storage. I found them set out for trash at our old townhouse. (People used to throw away the best things there!!! I found a skull and crossbones flag once!!! Another time I found this pretty rug at night & brought it in & then realized it was my best friend/ neighbor's who'd thrown it away because her dog had peed all over it.... ew!)

The area that backs up to the sofa acts as a console for our drinks & books & magazines. The old door knocker is from "On a Whim." (The goal was to use it as a towel hook, but it hsn't made it up yet.)

We got all these great little baskets at ikea when we bought the shelf. I always leave a couple empty for spillover. I keep the black & white photo of me as a little girl on top to hide the mess.

I totally splurged on these magazine boxes from (da-da-da-dun...) the Container Store. I fell for the texture (of course!) and the durability. Don't regret it because I have some ikea ones that haven't fared as well.

Our old neighbor worked at Trader Joe's & gave us tons of these wooden wine boxes. They make amazing storage bins. this one hides extra fabric:

This one houses my style files. These things are my lifesavers & all of the pics I rip out from magazines/ print out from blogs get filed into here under 14 different categories. (If you don't do this, I really recommend it!!)

Here are more of the Ikea baskets that can hide so much:

And, I had one more thing on my painting list & it was this very blue chair:

What a shocker!!! It got hopsacked!!! (Yes, I do own other paint, but it happened to be out :) See how much more he loves it now that it's puddy-colored?? ;) ;)