My Studio | Office is one of my favorite rooms in our house. This room does double duty for me. It is where I work and where I create.
I keep my art supplies in an antique Hoosier cabinet on one side of the room and on the office side it is all business with an antique desk I found on FB Marketplace and an antique file cabinet I bought at Gold Rush.
Office decor
I just have to tell you that as I sit here writing this post a slight breeze is coming through the windows and the scent of the lilacs is floating across my desk.
This room was originally a sunroom/three-season porch with tongue and groove paneling that was aging in an orangish color. Over the years our family has used this room as a den, summer sitting room, summer sleeping porch, and dining area. It has electric baseboard heat, so in the winter I have to remember to turn the heat up before starting work!
To add more light and charm to this space, Kirk recently hung a vintage 1930’s era chandelier that belonged to my grandparents. Growing up I remember this chandelier hanging in their home in Indiana and later in the cottage in Michigan that was a favorite place to visit for my sisters and me.
Last fall I painted the knotty pine walls. I picked the same colors as my friend Marian used in her home studio: Benjamin Moore Aura paints in Eggshell for the ceiling and walls. The ceilings are Patriotic White and the walls are White Dove. The trim is in the bright white out of the can in Advanced Paint in Satin. I knew I liked her color choices and trusted her judgment. Using her colors saved me the time of searching for a color!
I can’t even explain how much a difference it made in painting this room! It is so bright and cheerful now. Adding some pictures, a bulletin/inspiration board for future projects and my favorite things gives function and form.
We moved the printer from Kirk’s office to mine since I use it way more often than he does and I have more space. This little metal cart is a perfect use for the printer. I found it for a steal on FB Marketplace for $15. The framed strip of drawings with watercolor was done by my grandfather and I love having that creative connection with a grandfather I never had the chance to meet.
The vintage pencil sharpener belonged to my father-in-love. Pencils are my favorite so this sharpener gets used often.
I paid $5 for the oak filing cabinet I found at Gold Rush in Oronoco, MN. The file drawers were stacked on top of another 4 drawer file so I didn’t get the opportunity to really check it out, but for $5 the price was worth taking a risk. When we went back to pick it up, we were surprised to see it was missing a side.
Adding a couple of oak boards to the side is on the long list of projects, but until then, this side rail from the crib our children slept in years ago is doing the job quite well as an added magazine rack.
It’s a tiny office and studio, but I’ve managed to get everything I need in it, including a bookshelf for books, and plants.
And a comfy chair to sit and read.
The Hoosier cabinet that holds my art supplies – watercolors, calligraphy supplies, lettering supplies, etc. was a purchase we made for our first home kitchen almost 40 years ago. We have considered selling it a few times, but the re-use, re-purpose side of me isn’t ready to give it up.
My office/studio is full of little hacks to make it functional and still pretty. I’ll do another blog post soon to share some of my hacks, like the crib rail magazine rack.
To check out other Gold Rush treasures check out this post.
For more inspiration, check out my Pinterest account HERE.
You can follow my Instagram account HERE
