Where I Blog

Kate at Centsational Girl is having a linky party where bloggers show the space where they blog.

 

My home office is a separate room on the 1st floor of my home where I have tons of storage and desk space.  As a decorator, storage is key. 

These photos are reminding me of all my to-dos related to prettying up the office!  I don’t really use the drafting table any more and am thinking of  replacing it with a round table that I already have.  (A painting I did at art school adds some colour.)   The bookcase for  magazine storage is built at this height so I could accommodate the drafting table or table below.  I really must get rid of that clunky all-in-one printer as I haven’t received or sent a fax in ages!

I built this chalkboard because my daughter loves to play “teacher” or I can leave important reminders for myself.  This is probably only 1/2 of my magazine collection which is scattered throughout the house.

Before the house was built, I had the builder bump out this wall (on the left) by two feet to accommodate the large storage drawers and to have ample room for a desktop with two workstations.  My daughter loves to do her crafts while I am working or blogging.

Yes, these chairs aren’t the most comfortable – I only brought them in for the photos!  Our regular desk chairs are not that pretty, but oh-so-comfortable and are similar to the one at the drafting table.

So, there you have it!  I’m probably the only person on the planet that doesn’t own a laptop.  I would love to have a more portable office and be able to work/blog in other areas of the house, so a laptop is definitely in my future!

Painting out Wood

My sister lived with the orange stained wainscoting and faux grasscloth wallpaper for a dozen years (at least!)  Well, she had finally had enough  and called me over to help her choose paint colours.

Before:

Before:

Before (they removed this unattractive 80’s light fixture as well):

Before:

After:

After: Doesn’t it look all fresh and bright?   I chose Benjamin Moore HC-173 Edgecomb Gray (one of my all-time favourite colours) for the top and Cloud White for the wainscoting.  They wanted colour (yellow or red) but I suggested keeping it neutral and fresh because they planned on hanging their lovely collection of original art (painted by talented family members) throughout the room.  Edgecomb Gray is neither gray nor beige – somewhere in between and it changes throughout the day.  It also works beautifully with the colours of the stone in the fireplace.

My skilled (and oh so nice) painter did a lovely job and when I went to see it yesterday I was blown away by the transformation.  My sister and brother-in-law couldn’t be more pleased as well.

They still have a few things left  to do in the room.  They had the table and chairs made by a local craftsman who is also making a wood mantel to fit over the existing stone one.  They were going to replace the stone fireplace but decided to keep it as they really didn’t mind the look.  The mantel and a larger, more neutral area rug will be installed over the next few weeks. 

When am I coming over for dinner, Sissy?  (Did I mention that my brother-in-law is a talented chef?)

I’m linking up to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.

If you would like to transform a room in  your home, please email me at vanessa@vanessafrancis.com.