Office Redo Inspired By a Temper and a Painting

I admit I can have a bit of a temper.  A lot of time this flare up of my temper is after a time frame of pent up frustrations.  The smallest frustration at a certain point can cause my temper to surface.  In response to this I sometimes sulk or yell.  Every once in a while, I use my temper for good and not evil.  My Office Redo is one of those cases.

I was in a temper at my boyfriend at the time and was walking by my "office", which at the time was nothing but a room with junk and bad carpet (disgusting really).  So, for some unknown reason, I found a razor blade in the garage and proceeded to rip the carpet out.  I spent hours moving furniture into the bedroom, rolling up carpet and avoiding assistance to carry the garbage carpet down the stairs.  Once I was finished...I had no idea what to do with the room.  While the offensive and smelly carpet was gone, I had nothing to replace it.

Evidence #1 - Mid carpet removal and I started taking pictures of the disaster.

Evidence #2 - Junk, junk and more junk as well as a whole lot of white.

Evidence #3 - The adornment above the closet was the leftover plastic from the ceiling redo...several years earlier.

In speaking with my ever helpful mother, she told me she had purchased some laminate flooring she was no longer going to use.  And, things started to click.  The baseboards would come out and be replaced.  I am a firm believer that is the fastest and easiest face lift to a room.  The walls needed painting and the room needed a big purge session. 

I have a painting that used to be in my grandmother's office that has always held my attention.  It reminds me of one of my favorite poets, Robert Frost, and his poem The Road Not Taken.  So, this would be my inspiration piece for the room and I would draw warmth and browns from the piece.

My inspiration piece.

The color for the walls I chose is called Tender Twig.  I loved the color, but I may have loved the name more!  All the walls were painted and the flooring was going in.  Please note in the picture the underlay is actually upside down.  This is a big no-no as this can create shifting of the flooring later on as I found out.

Do not lay your underlay upside down.

Clean, white baseboards were put in using a circular saw and a family friend.  New door base was also added to give the feel of luxury.

Lowes actually has door moulding kits that are pretty cheap.  Next I need to dress up other areas of the room.  I went to TJ Maxx, Burlington and Ross and located some wicker baskets for closet storage.  I also located some unique and a little "mismatchy" items to place above the closet.  I am not a big fan of using fake plants, because I don't want to dust them.

I chose some items a little outside and inside the scheme of the room's decor.

Closet reorganization.

Keeping the existing shelving, I painted a fresh coat of paint.  I also removed the clunky doors and added artistic linens using linens from Anna's Linens in two colors and a curtain rod.  Some tie backs were used to swag the space and offer an open feel.

The desk area was also cleaned up and adorned with a rich piece of art.  I love the look and feel of maps as they remind me of history and travel.  I also added a bit of differing texture in the room using a shag style rug that is still low key enough it works well.  I also like working on the computer without shoes, because of the rug.

This shot was mid clean up.  I also donated the Nintendo video games and am still in trouble with my brother.

I cleaned up a work space that is a scrap booking table.  This is great for storage.  It is also on wheels and can open up even further.  I may still dress the window.  I just have not been able to commit to a linen yet.  I am thinking some solid to contrast the linens used on the closet.

Finally, I added personal items to the room.  This includes some caricature drawings.  I love the personality and unexpected that they add to the room.

Moral of the story: every once in a while your temper may be a good thing?  Not sure if those are words to live by as this type of project start and finish is not always the result nor is it guaranteed.  I enjoy the space and love the touches that exist every once in a while that almost do not appear to belong.

This particular room was done a few years ago and is under review for some more updates.  I think the chaise may be replaced with a futon lounger so the room may double as a guest room.  But, then again, I may change my mind a couple more times.  And, that is just fine.

Building a Frame Out of Chair Railing

I have a beautiful Klimt "Kiss" oil painting.  A reproduction, of course.  It will work beautifully with the color scheme downstairs.  My Grandma told me when I first moved in that it was too intimate to put downstairs, so I have had it in my bedroom.

Back to the idea of my own rules.  The painting is moving downstairs.  I love it with the color scheme downstairs.  I have talked to my G-ma again and she states she does not recall ever saying that and has proceeded in trying to locate more Klimt reproductions to marry with the "Kiss".

The Kiss by Klimt before the frame is created

My reproduction has some white appearing at the top and since it is being placed in my more elegantly styled downstairs, I decided it needed a frame.  So, as usual I went snooping on the Internet for a 3' by 4' frame to encase my painting.  The frames I liked were a bit more than my wallet liked.  I got to thinking something could be created.  After wandering around Home Depot, I spoke with my very crafty mother and she thought of moulding.  In the moulding area of Home Depot, I located chair railing.  Bingo!

Chair Railing with some nice detailing to keep with an elegant look.

I love some spray paint.  I bought some chair railing for $20 and Hammered Copper Spray Paint for $12.  A wood chisel was also purchased for $8.  I spray painted the two chair rails with the Copper making sure I did clean sweeps when spray painting so I would not get drops or weird blobs.  The nice thing about using spray paint with texture is that you have room for error.

Hammered Copper Spray Paint meets Pine Chair Railing.

The wood chisel allows you to chisel away any additional ledge you may need on the back to fit the picture (and cover the white space in my case). 

Measure width by length for the chair railing.

After allowing the paint to dry and chiseling the ledge, you need to measure the angles (45 degrees).  A miter box (about $10) can be used to cut the angles.  Wood glue the corners together on the painting and attach clamps to allow the glue to dry.

Here is my framed oil painting.

Copper wire and screws (on the upper portion of the frame - far right and left) were used to hang the painting.  This was all purchased at Home Depot for about $5.  At the end of the day, I spent about $155 on this piece.  The piece itself was about $100 at an oil reproduction shop a couple years ago.

I am still debating on adding black, iron corner pieces.  What do you think?  I also think a mate may be better in this space.  The Kiss is center with the living room start but not the windows.  I may be nit picky, but I think this may clarify the space and make a bit more sense with the space available.  Still debating.  This is an ongoing process and my addiction.