| February 1, 2004 At last I have finally completed my new office project. Actually the bulk of it was finished almost two weeks ago, but some small setbacks occurred. I bought the wrong length for the curtains, then when I went to return them I found out the curtain I liked best didn't come in a shorter length. So I went online and bought my second choice. The new curtain was considerably shorter, but still too long. I also forgot to buy a decorative rod for the new curtains. So last week I bought the rod, installed it, then I ironed the new curtains only to find out I forgot to buy the no sew hem tape. So I sat in my office for another week with an empty rod waiting for curtains. Well, yesterday I bought the no sew hem and last night I measured and ironed the tape on for the new hem. I hung the curtains and stood back to take in my completed office. I think I pulled off the sleek and efficient work area I wanted.
When I'm in my office I am comfortable and ready to work. I have the sun I longed for when I was in the basement and now I have the efficient workspace I was unable to create in my much larger basement office. When I first started this project I didn't believe I could accomplish an efficient work area in such a small space, but I did. It took much thought and careful planning, but I won't bore you with those details. Instead I'll let you see for yourself.
January 24, 2004
Well, I am two items away from the finish line! Today I bought my curtain rod and three picture frames. I was able to frame two items, but the third frame will take a little more work. I have to either paint the background paper or find something around the house to use for a background. I'm not worried too much about the frame. I can't wait to turn the last screw, step back and breathe. I already know I love the colors and my desk is awesome. I've been working for the last week in my office and it is a wonderful improvement over the basement. Since I still have a couple of things to install I am posting a picture below that served as my inspiration for my new office. Next entry should be one of the last for this project and that usually means a bit of a let down for me, but you will finally see the finished room.
January 22, 2004
Well, it's been a week since I posted an update, maybe a little longer; but such is the way of a writer. While I love to redecorate and create cozy spaces in my home, I have a deeper need to write not to mention that I bought the wrong size curtains and had to wait for the reorder to arrive. Well, my curtains arrived today only I can't hang them because I don't have the awesome decorative rod I saw at Linens N Things. I actually have no rod at all, so I really can't hang them.
Basically all I have left to do are minor touches, you know the little things that make the space truly yours. Once I hang the curtains and the last few pictures and organize my file cabinets I'll be finished until I want to hang a new picture. The wall space above my bookcase will look blank in the final pictures because I want a place to add photographs of people, place and things I like. The top shelf of my bookcase may still look empty as well because I'm not a knick-knack person and after all the purging of unnecessary stuff I have an entire shelf open! I actually have more quality space in my new much smaller office then when I had over 300 square feet in my basement. Go figure, I would have never thought I could have more in a smaller space. The final pictures are coming, I promise.
January 11, 2004
I spent Saturday shopping for all things office and came home with my new L-shaped desk, a comfy horseshoe chair, lamps, bookcase and curtains. I know it doesn't sound like much of this will help with the function of the office, but comfort and loving the room you're in is important if you're going to spend between 7 and 10 hours a day there.
Today I spent my morning putting my desk together with my husband. Within 90 minutes we had both pieces of the L-shaped desk together, thirty minutes less than the instructions said it would take and no bickering between my husband and me. After we put the furniture together we took a trip to our local Target to try and pick up some extras for my office. I received a gift card for my birthday and was itching to spend it. And spend it I did as well as most of what was left in my budget for my office.
After my Target shopping spree I spent the rest of the day taking care of final touch ups with the paint and moving my computers into their new home. Monday I will begin the bookcase assembly and loading in the rest of my office. I'm going to take my time with putting everything in its place so that I only put what I actually need in my office. Even though I went through everything after the hurricane last September, I'm sure I can find more to purge. After pictures coming soon. View current pictures.
January 9, 2004
I rolled the last coat of grenadine onto the walls around 6:30 pm and I love it! The color had me relaxed and my mind was racing with ideas for my novel. I'm excited and can't wait to finish the room, so that I might plop down in front
of my desk to write or maybe sit in my comfy chair. All that's left for the paint are the baseboards and a little touch up around the ceiling.
The cable guy actually showed up twenty minutes into the two-hour window I was told the day before. Within twenty minutes of that he had the cable run through the floor and out to the hook up, and five minutes later I was back on the Internet and e-mail trail in my new office. I have added the pictures of the wall color to the album below.
My next step is to buy and put together my desk and new bookshelf, touch up the paint, so tomorrow is more of a shopping day. Check back next week for the final touches.
January 8, 2004
The vanilla bean color is on the walls! It took three coats and painting until 8:30 pm, but I finished it and tomorrow I will be able to tape off the ceiling and walls to apply the grenadine. I am excited about the red; it is totally opposite of anything I've ever used in a room. When I previewed the color at Lowes.com (look under the colors for Eddie Bauer) it felt cozy and professional. I not only want my office to be a place to work but a place to escape too when the family is driving me nuts. I believe it's important to have a space of your own that you only have to share if you want too. Sounds selfish and it is, but it's crucial to my sanity and my husband 'gets it'.
Today I also called my cable company to set up a date and time for them to move my cable outlet to the new office. To my surprise they'll be at my house on Friday between 4 pm and 7 pm. we'll see if they show up during that time frame. The weatherman says we're supposed to receive a dusting to two inches of snow and the cable outlet needs to be moved to the second floor. More than likely the cable person will have to access the roof and that really wouldn't be safe with snow or ice. So we will see.
January 7, 2004
I'm ahead of my weekly schedule, the room is cleared, the ugly metal closet door is gone and the walls are primed with two coats of primer. All I had left on my to do list was to buy the paint and I bought that this afternoon. Tomorrow I will start painting. I love this part rolling on the fresh paint and watching my vision come to life, it's much like writing only my mistakes are a harder to correct. I can't hit the delete key if I make a painting mistake. Delete key aside, this is one area that I seem to flow with the mistakes; if I can't use it I fix it.
While I was out, I did a little browsing at a local store and found the curtains that fit perfectly into my vision of the room. I also found a table and standing lamp combo in a brushed nickel finish that fit my budget. I will head back to the store this weekend to make my purchases. I could have bought them last night, but I wanted to think about them and make sure this is what I want, especially since my budget is tight.
Sometime Friday I'll have photos of the new paint scheme to share, so check back.
Week One's To Do List January 5-9
1. Empty room-Complete
2. Remove Scooby Doo stickers and border-Complete
3. Remove Closet Door-Complete
4. Prime walls-Complete
5. Buy Paint-Colors Grenadine and Vanilla Bean-Complete
6. Added 1/7-Paint walls. Two coats-Complete
January 6, 2004
I scrubbed and scraped and finally removed the Scooby Doo border. This process only reaffirms my total dislike for wallpaper, no matter how water-soluble it's supposed to be. My day of scraping has me rethinking the decoupage project I was going to try on the closet wall. There's no doubt that who ever lives in my house next will not like it unless they are fans of Escher and Salvador Dali. My plan was to take my favorite pictures from last years calendars and instead of framing and hanging them I was going to make a collage. So as I prime the green and blue walls today I will think more carefully about my decoupage project. Now it's time to give my arms and hands a rest.
January 5, 2005
I've been homeless since September 19th, 2003, well more like officeless. I don't want to be overly dramatic. After working in my large basement office the corner of my dining room just isn't cutting it. Even though I wished my basement office was above ground many times I never wanted it under water. I was lucky; my office equipment came through with minimal damage however I lost everything else from books to furniture.
Today begins the transformation of my new office space. I will no longer reside in the basement! I am taking over my daughter's closet of a bedroom and she has moved into the now "famous" Nascar room. Not to worry my husband will have a place for his Nascar worshipping (see basement project).
Here's my new canvas. The Scooby Doo blue and green will move out for my vision of the writer's home office. Check back often to watch the transformation.
Before and After shots
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This Dali picture from my 2003 calendar was the inspiration for my office. |
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Another view of L-shaped desk. |
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Lamp and art on the closet wall. |
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New horseshoe chair and standing lamp. Metal closet door replaced with faux suede curtain. |
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New bookcase on entrance wall. |
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Silver checkmark bookshelves above desk. |
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This wall and part of the window wall will be home to my new 'L' shaped desk. Color coming for this wall and window wall Grenadine. |
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This wall color will be Vanilla Bean and will house a bookcase. |
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This wall will also be Vanilla Bean. The closet door will be replaced with a curtain that matches the window. If space allows I will add a comfy chair. |
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Closet future home to storage shelves and a file cabinet. |
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The new colors before the small touch ups. Genadine and Vanilla. |
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