Home Office Makeover Before After
A beautiful home office makeover before and after. Taking a traditional office to a modern elegant space. Let's take a look at where we began and the steps we took to create the beautiful space.
Where we Began
The traditional space has great bones but needed some updating. These steps were taken over time. The design evolved as we finished and lived with each change we made. The first step was building the modern bookcase.
After the bookcase we added a board and batten accent wall and modern crown molding. Check out the board and batten addition here.
The final piece to create a modern home office makeover was painting the room and updating the desk, hutch combination. Painting a room is always a simple way to freshen the space.
Modern Elegant Bookcase
The modern elegant bookcase was designed after a piece I found at the Magnolia Home store in Waco, TX. The piece was beautiful but wouldn't fit in our space so my husband and I built our own. I thought about this piece for months and finally decided we could build our own to fit the space. Here is the inspiration next to what we built.
We didn't have any plans just a picture. There were a few trips to Home Depot to figure out what materials we wanted to use to create the look we were after. There were a few steps to make and create this beautiful piece. It is amazing what you can build when you set your mind to it. I think we created something stellar, very much resembling the piece I loved but wouldn't fit in our budget or space. Coming up with a design I loved and has so much character.
You can check out the bookcase build here and here.
Board and Batten Accent Wall and Crown
Board and batten is a quick and easy accent wall to create that makes a huge difference in the space. Creating a beautiful backdrop in our office.
We did something a little extra with this board and batten accent wall. Because it is an office and off the entry I wanted to make it unique. After the board and batten was installed we used quarter round trim to add another dimension to the board and batten.
It adds some expense but also adds an elevated elegants to the accent wall. While we were in the process of adding the accent wall we also added the modern crown molding.
The modern crown is inexpensive and easy to install, but elevates your space. I love the look of the beautiful crown, it is simple but looks expensive.
This modern crown is easier to install and less expensive than the traditional crown molding. A little something extra creates something spectacular.
Updating the Traditional Desk and Hutch
We were on our way to creating a modern elegant home office but there was one huge hurdle. The large traditional desk and hutch combination. I have done a lot of furniture updates but this was going to be our biggest piece yet. The key to getting the look you wanted is taking your time. I analysed and planned the process in my head. Discussing with my husband but also being brave enough to just take the plunge.
There were a lot of steps to take the desk and hutch from traditional too modern. Removing all the ornate pieces. Creating a free standing desk from the attached hutch. You can see what we did here and here. It was a time consuming project. Since we spaced it out and did things one step at a time it wasn't too overwhelming. I was excited to see the finish line.
Setting Up the Desk
Our home office gets used every day. My husband works from home when he's not traveling. Not only do I want it to be pretty it also needs to function. Nothing about a computer is pretty but you can do subtle things to make it look as good as possible.
The biggest issue is cords. When the desk was attached the cords ran from the desk into the hutch without being see. Because I wanted a free standing desk we had to deal with cords. The desk has openings to run the cords through but we had to bring power to the desk. We used a small power bar and heavy duty velcro strips to attach it to the desk.
We ran the power cord from the wall, under the chair mat then used some heavy duty velcro to attach the power set up to the desk. Making it as unnoticeable a possible. Here is a great power strip with serge protection and the velcro strips used to attach it to the desk.
Decorating the Hutch
To create the clean minimalistic look I found pretty baskets to hide papers we wanted to keep in the office but not out in the open. Baskets are a great solution and look really pretty. They are a perfect storage solution. Check out these cute baskets here and here.
We have some leather bound elegant books I like to display. These are books we've had for years, beautiful leather books that will look elegant on the new hutch.
To keep with the minimalistic style I added a few family pictures I love. Pictures of our sons and daughter in laws. Then a collection of pictures of our grandbabies. A key to making everything look good is beautiful frames.
I found a couple of modern cement style pieces. I like symmetry so making the ends coordinate works best for me. The final piece was adding a modern art piece.
Cost of Hutch and Desk Update
When we started this project I didn't know how expensive the furniture makeover was going to be. The removal of all the ornate pieces was free, just a little time. The most expensive piece to the makeover was finding the metal legs for the desk. Less than $10 in wood for the shelves then paint. To get the whole new look was under $150.
To purchase what we have would have been hundreds if not more than a thousand dollars.
This projected was a huge undertaking but so worth it in the end.
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