For over 6 months, I’ve been thinking about transforming our dining room into my personal office. I have a small desk in the kitchen but it’s been difficult keeping that area clean at all times. It’s kind of a catch all station because it’s located right next to the garage door. Mail, kids’ schoolwork, and all other miscellaneous items land in that drop zone. I really needed my own space that was near the kids but in a separate room. Our dining room is used maybe a couple times a year as an actual dining space. For the past couple of years, it’s been used as a lego room but recently, the kids moved that upstairs so this room has sat empty again. Since Jimmy’s family has been staying with us, my SIL began using the dining room as an office space. Seeing someone else use it as an office made me realize it could totally work because I sat there many evenings working alongside her. I love my new space so much and it gets used every single day now. The great thing is that it can still easily be converted into a dining room if we ever need it. Here’s what it it used to look like.
BEFORE:
We moved this table into the dining room after I redid my childhood breakfast table set.
I love this table so I decided to utilize it as my desk.
Jimmy and I moved the console table to the right corner of this room. The small side bookshelves used to live in Jules’ room but we brought those down to complete the matching set. To decorate this new office, I shopped around the house with the exception of a few items that I found at garage sale with my MIL.
AFTER:
AHHHH I love it!! I keep a lot of my blog props in here including jars, cake stands, linens, etc. You know I gotta keep everything organized!
This is my new place to do my devotional and it’s been a gamechanger. If you don’t have a set place to do your quiet time every day, try creating one. It doesn’t have to be an office but just a space where it’s specifically designated for that time with Jesus.
I got my green tea, favorite pens, vase of flowers, and a pic of my little munchkins. These things make me so happy!
On the bookshelf, I have a picture that was taken in 1996. I met Jimmy at a church retreat when I was in high school and this was our very first photo together. The one on the right was from 2 years ago and taken by our favorite photographer, Craig Obrist.
I love the classic look of blue and white pieces and wanted to display them in this room. This room is so me because it’s a mix of classic, rustic and modern glam.
I use baskets to hold my linens and fabrics. The coke crate now holds some of my precious wooden pieces from my trip to South Africa when I was in college. The bottom drawer hides some office supplies that aren’t as aesthetically pleasing.
Books, frames, and souvenirs from all over the world are on this bookshelf.
The bench is sitting pretty in front of the window. I got that blue and white lamp for $4 at the garage sale. Total score right? You can see a bit of my curtains here but I sewed on some navy fabric to lengthen the drapes. The higher you put your curtain rod over your windows, the larger your windows will appear. It makes for a more dramatic effect. The table runner is from World Market and was a gift from my sister.
In the other corner, we placed the console table. It’s my new standing workspace and another area for my projects and photography. I found a green shutter from the same garage sale for a couple of bucks and painted it white. I love having our wedding portrait displayed right where I can see it.
What do you think? I love my new office! I’m sitting here now blogging about my new room transformation!
Do you have a space that’s unused in your house? A dining room doesn’t always have to be used as an eating area. A den doesn’t have to be another formal sitting space. Think about how you utilize the rooms in your home and if those spaces are working for the needs of your specific family. Let me know what you think about this transformation.
Don’t forget to enter the chalkboard giveaway on my facebook group page! There aren’t a lot of comments right now, so you have a pretty good chance of winning! The giveaway closes on Wednesday by noon.
<><yuni
“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” Daniel 6:26-27
Unbelievably gorgeous! You’re my hero!!!!!
That looks fantastic.
We’ve been in our house for 15 years now. When we first moved in there were a few rooms that were completely unused. This house was built in stages; as the people before us could afford it, they added on to it. That meant that things that worked well before, didn’t work so well after. We had a couple of rooms that were more or less very big, glorified hallways. One bedroom was completely useless, as it doubled as the landing for the stairs. We’ve built walls, put down floors, torn walls down, raised the roof in a couple of rooms – there is only one room in this house that is structurally the same as when we moved in.