home | new office + dressing room tour

just before christmas I decided to finally tackle my spare room. when we moved in it morphed into a dumping zone where we left old furniture, mirrors, boxes of paintings and bags of clothes.. I tried really damn hard to ignore it but eventually I caved.

I started going through all the junk and arranging collections of the furniture we no longer needed. I separated the clothes and homewares into three categories (keep, donate and eBay) and it made a huge difference! once the room was cleared out we replaced the two old windows, painted it again to freshen it up and put down a new white floor which really brightened up the space.

the room is long and narrow so I had planned to buy a daybed and make it into a guest room but it occurred to me that it would probably make a much better office. it's one of the brightest rooms in the house and my desk fit perfectly into the dead space behind the doorway.. so I hijacked it!

I had quite a large collection of clothes but I've managed to cut it down to two clothes rails (the rest fits into my big vintage dresser.. just about.) I decided to use the other two thirds of the room as dressing/storage space so all my clothes are officially confined to one room. yep, james is pretty happy about that part.

so I figured I'd show you around.. read on and I'll share my favourite items with you!

my mulig clothes rails are from ikea, they're simple and unfussy (and surprisingly take a lot of weight!) if you want matching hangers like mine check out my DIY copper hanger tutorial.

I've kept my desk as minimal as possible so I don't get distracted when I'm working. there's a window to the side so it's a nice bright area if I'm taking pictures.. I can't wait for summer to arrive with it's bright evenings. 

we inherited this vintage dresser from james nan and I love it- I sanded it down last year to remove the shiny varnish and it's left it with a much nicer finish. the side compartments are perfect for storing all my jeans and jumpers, the small drawers are where I keep my watches, jewellery and sunglasses. 

the hanging planter on my door was a DIY and the flamingo is an old urban outfitters purchase. I really adore this guy- he's forever being moved around the house.

I picked up the string of large bulbs at george home, they're a really nice addition in the evenings if I'm working late at my desk!

my desk is from ikea and the adjustable trestle legs are super handy. I've had to raise mine up as there's a sneaky little radiator behind my desk and I didn't want my mac overheating. the eames chair was a christmas gift from james, I've always loved the design and it's wide enough for me to sit crossed legged on (embarrassing story- I sit like a child when I work!)

I've managed to squeeze my most loved/worn shoes into the area under my rails. I used to keep them in boxes but it turns out kipper is an avid hunter of cardboard and liked to eat his way through them... 

the most noticeable feature to my office is probably my DIY wire memo board, it's great for displaying personal items and reminders on. the other thing I've tried to include lots of in this space is plants- either big potted ones or cuttings in vases. 

I wanted to the room to feel fresh and airy- keeping a clean colour palette and adding plants is such an easy way to achieve it. I feel so much more organised now, it's a great feeling and I'm hoping I can make the most of it. (no more hoarding!)

what do you think?

back soon

caroline x