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Home Office Makeover Reveal: I Finally Got It Right!

This isn’t the first time I’ve tacked this home office makeover, but it is definitely the LAST. After many iterations, this space looks and functions exactly how I want it to!

We’re crossing off the projects on our home redesign one-by-one, although the progress is happening a bit more slowly than I had planned. Here’s what we’ve tacked so far:

And now I get to cross the home office makeover off the list!

As promised in last week’s post where I used Annie Sloan chalk paint to jazz up my desk and console, it’s time to pull the curtain back on another room reveal…woot woot!

The Evolution of My Home Office Space Over a Decade

Over the past decade, the room that currently serves as my home office has undergone quite a few significant design changes. This is what it looked like for the first few years when it served as the playroom when my kiddos were tiny:

room set up as a toddler's playroom.

After we finished the basement and relocated the playroom there, I finally began to shape and mold the room into my very own home office (previously, I had to share with my husband in the adjacent room).

It started with an Ikea Billy bookcase, and the purchase of a beautiful desk/chair/console set.

empty room being decorated and furnished as part of a home office makeover.

Since the day we moved in, I had always envisioned floor-to-ceiling built-ins along the back wall of this room. Don’t you think that wall was just made for them?

So I hired a local trim carpenter to execute my vision for the bookcase, and added beautiful chunky crown moulding around the ceiling perimeter.

Awesomesauce, right?

{here’s what home office makeover 2.0 looked like}

elegant neutral home office.
decorated home office with a bay window and built in bookshelves.

It certainly was a huge improvement over the Romper-Room version that we started out with, and I loved it. For the most part. But as my taste in decor has evolved over the past few years, I started to feel that the room was just a bit too formal and stuffy {and a bit too beige}.

When it was time to repaint the house, I knew that I needed to bring a dramatic pop of color into the room. I decided add that pop on the bookshelf wall in the form of a beautiful blue/green hue (Sherwin Williams Riverway.)

The main walls were painted in Benjamin Moore’s Sweet Spring. This is now the primary color that runs through the majority of the common areas.

home office makeover in progress - painting bookshelf walls.

The paint color switch-up was a huge improvement, but there were still a few tweaks that needed to happen in order to complete this room.

First and foremost, the pale yellow color of the desk and file console looked all wrong against the new wall color. I also thought it would be great to incorporate some additional blue into the room somewhere, in order to make it feel a bit more cohesive. And then there was the matter of needing some additional closed storage in the room.

newly painted built in bookshelves in a home office makeover.

Ready to take a peek?

contemporary home office with built in book shelves and blue accents.

Although it remains the most formal space in our home, the vibe is definitely more contemporary.

contemporary home office with blue furniture and floor to ceiling built-in bookshelves.

I solved the storage issue by incorporating another file console, which I use to store files and office supplies.

contemporary blue and green home office with lateral file cabinet and built in book shelves.

My carpenter is a magician.

These bookshelves have always drawn quite a bit of oohs and aahs from visitors. But with the addition of the dramatic blue backdrop, the bookcase wall is definitely a show-stopper.

floor to ceiling custom built in shelves in a home office makeover.

I went nuts over the new lampshades, which look amazing against the neutral walls and the newly painted console/desk {you can read all about my Annie Sloan Chalk paint furniture makeover here}.

file console and matching office desk painted with blue chalk paint in a home office.

Of course, the chair needed it’s own mini-makeover, complete with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Old White.

reupholstered office chair in a home office.

As part of this home office makeover, I also dusted off my electric staple gun and used it to quickly update the chair seat cushion as well in this pretty, linen-like fabric:

woman reupholstering an office chair with a staple gun.

This chair is not the most comfortable, but it is oh so gorgeous. Eventually, Eventually I will need to source a more ergonomically correct chair (because nailing the right office chair in your home office set up is actually pretty important).

But for now, I’ll continue to bask in its loveliness.

reupholstered office chair in home office makeover.
home office file console with photographs.

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission, which helps keep my blog up and running but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

I’m hoping that you love this home office makeover as much as I do! In case you’re wondering, I’ve included a source list for the key components of the room:

Home Office Makeover Source List

decor accessories on top of a file console in a home office.

What’s your favorite thing about this home office makeover? It’s hard for me to pick just one thing, but if I had to it would be file console/desk/chair color change.

I do love those lamp shades though!

Check out our whole home redesign progress to date in the My Home Refresh Series:

10 Comments

  1. Such a beautiful transformation! I love the built-ins. The new blue color pop is ah-mazing. 🙂 I’m with previous commenters, will you come to my house please? Or can I just borrow your office? I feel like inspiration must float around in the air in that office.

    1. Awww, thanks Mistie! Yes, I love working in my office! It’s an inspiring space indeed!

  2. Seriously, after looking around your site – can you just come over and fix up my home? 😀 I love these colors and your style!

    1. Thanks Mary. I love the colors as well. It makes working so much more enjoyable when you love your surroundings!

  3. Oh my gosh, this is absolutely beautiful! I love how painting the back of the bookshelves added depth and real dimension. Awesome! It looks like a truly beautiful space to be productive, but feel serene.

    1. Thanks so much Michelle! I am a huge fan of the color on the bookshelves. It’s fun to work in this space 🙂

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