Spring '24 One Room Challenge (ORC) - My Home Office - Week 2

We're already 2 weeks in to the One Room Challenge. So far, we've cleared everything out so we can get to work on the fun part. I'm also realizing how much stuff I need to purge, and create a organization system after this makeover is complete. The twins were 5 weeks old when we moved into this house and I literally just threw things into cabinets and called it a day. I'm embarrassed to say it hasn't improved, it's probably gotten worse!

This week I wanted to share my design for the space. There is so much potential to create such an inviting and beautiful space for me to work each day, and it's so exciting to imagine it completed! I really hope I can pull it together in the next few weeks. 

When I originally started the design plan for this room, I was only planning to add wallpaper on the window wall for an accent. But, I follow several designers and I remembered a few said that if you're doing paint or wallpaper you have to do the entire space, having only one wall done will look dated. My only struggle was that because my office is a loft, there isn't an obvious stopping point on the larger wall that extends over the entry way. Thus, I figured wallpapering the entire space was just not in the cards, and I'd still be able to achieve the look I wanted with just one wall. But once the idea was in my head, I could not stop thinking about it! I figured that I could eventually add trim to that wall to create a stopping point where the ledge is. Ideally, when budget allows, I would love to create a faux beam and trim work to really define the space a little. Unfortunately, I don't think we have the budget for that now, so it will be phase 2 of this project! 

Ok, back to the inspiration and design for the space! 

The statement for this room is going to be the wallpaper. Originally, I had found this darker floral pattern that I loved (see my original mood board at the end of this post). But once I laid eyes on this room from Caitlin Flemming using Meadow Sweet by William Morris, I knew that was the paper for this space! When I started looking at wallpaper samples, I had to keep in mind the desktop surface. Because the built ins have this nice Corian surface, I didn't plan to change the desktop and needed to select something that would play well with the dark green color. I think Meadow Sweet will do that beautifully.  

When I saw this room on Caitlin's Instagram I stopped immediately. I just love the traditional, cozy feel of the space. It feels lived in and aged in the best way possible. It's exactly what I want my office to feel like. Obviously, it's not an office, but with any luck I think I can capture the same style and feeling here.  Also, the trim in this first photo between the living and dining room is what I imagine to eventually frame out the loft a little bit and define the space. 

The next decision was cabinet color. Originally, I thought I wanted to refinish the cabinets with a darker stain to add some warmth to the room. Our house is painted White Dove throughout, and I'm craving more warmth and color. Unfortunately, I realized the cabinets have a veneer surface, and I thought it would be more time consuming and costly to refinish and stain them. With that decision made, it was time to select a paint color. And as you probably know, that is the MOST difficult task in interior design. So many options! 

I ordered several samples from Samplize to hang around the room and watch in various light. I had considered a taupe/off-white color, or something brown to compliment the flower stems in the paper. The designer who shared the paper originally said that Swiss Coffee was her go-to with this paper. But like I mentioned, we have so much white in the house already I really wanted to warm it up a bit. Finally, I landed on a nice brown called Cocoa Whip by Sherwin Williams. It's very similar to the stem on the flowers and I think it will warm up the space and be neutral enough for the green desktop and wallpaper.  

And now for the fun part, the details! I want to add a bit of interest with a subtle pattern valence above the window, similar to the curtains in my inspiration photo. I hope to DIY (with my Mom's help). I also want to create a cork board area under the cabinets to put my vision board each year. On the wall adjacent to the window that you see from our bedroom and the hallway, I plan to do a gallery wall of family photos. For the hardware, I'm planning unlacquered brass with a combination of bin pulls and knobs. I'll also need a new desk chair, light fixture, and fun decor. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for an antique cabinet for added storage as well. 

I need to be better about sharing progress in stories on Instagram, I'll post some videos I took so far later today and get you caught up! I imagine once we really get started with the work I will share updates more regularly. So far it's mostly just been planning what I want to do for the space and scouring over paint colors. I have such anxiety about choosing the wrong color! But the painter is scheduled and there is no turning back now!

I have a whole new appreciation for all the designers who are participating in the challenge. And just designers and DIY enthusiasts in general. Especially those who are working full time or have young families! I already have decision fatigue. 

Be sure to check out what everyone else is working on over at the ORC link up page! Next week, I'll be able to share a cabinet painting update!! Fingers crossed it all turns out as expected. I decided to hire it out because I can't imagine how long it would take me to do myself in little bits of time after the kids are asleep or during nap on weekends. My entry table project literally took me an entire year to complete. So, it's in everyone's best interest, ha! 

Be sure to follow along on Instagram to catch the progress in real time!

Here's a look at my original design board for this room, before I found the Meadow Sweet wallpaper!