I needed a home office for various side gigs I was working on. Plus, I needed to keep my family organized and be able to store all the ''stuff" plus all the paper. Have you found that there is still a lot of paper in our paperless society?
Creating a home office from an unused room
A home office has never been more important. Now people are working from home - either temporarily or perhaps now permanently. Having a space that is comfortable to work and is either in the hub of the household or tucked away is a personal preference but a very important component if the home office functions like it is needed.
An Unused Dining Room
It was a great dining room but we started to use it more as a homework station, just to use it. My side gigs and work-from-home projects needed space. This room was eyed as a room with a future new purpose and a whole new look!
I was unsure of the color to chose so I posted my two runner-up colors on social media. (I thought it was smart to hide decent size paint samples behind the curtain panel. Check out my paint sample post to see how you can hide decent-sized paint samples while trying to decide on specific colors)!
As an fyi, the color 99.9% of my social media followers voted on was the darker gray. This beautiful gray was Sherwin Williams Dorian Gray. I ended up loving it for years and using it in many other projects!
After - A home office with lots of storage
Can you believe what a difference the paint color made?!?! I know the furniture adds to a whole different look but wow, the gray paint color just totally changed the look of the room!
This isn't our forever home. I was concerned about being able to sell the house (years down the road, neighbors, don't worry!) if we changed the dining room to an office. It's the room you see right from the front door. Solved that problem by having cabinets where I had my china hutch and a table/desk where a dining room table would traditionally be. It still would allow people looking at my home to envision the dining table. I think it would show the versatility of what this room can be. I don't even know if there is a future for a formal dining room. What do you think?
And, I think we made a smart decision. These cabinets are furniture, not built-ins. The difference is that we can take them with us when we move. See the little desk part between the two cabinets, it detaches and then you have two cabinets. Easy to move into our next home : ).
Details of My Custom Cabinets
See the fleur-de-lis in the middle of the glass pane? I love it. It's a little salute to our 'Canadianism'. And then, I added some whimsical cabinet knobs.
I had originally seen some very similar ones at a huge flea/antique market. But they didn't have four matching ones. I was thrilled to see these at a hardware store. They might not be antique, but they still had the sparkly look I was after.
Flea Market Decor Finds
You know how sometimes you go shopping and find nothing (hate when that happens)? Well, that wasn't the case that day. I found the industrial gears that I had been looking for for months. They were super heavy (came from actual farm equipment). I would take 25 steps, put them down for a few minutes and then repeat. My car was parked FAR! Oh well, it was worth it.
They fit into the space between my two doors perfectly. And they gave it a nice industrial look that I was after. And, they were only a total of $70.00! I had been looking on e-bay and they were each over $75.00!! Love it when you find what you are looking for and it's at a great price! I also bought some stars for the other side of the room entryway.
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Don't you think the stars go great with the abstract Starship Enterprise print? My son got that for me! Because he knows that in my heart I'll always be a Star Trek fan (Yup! I proudly admit it!!).
I'm so glad my husband talked me into converting a room we hardly use to a room I use for hours each day. Every day! I still can't get over the difference that the paint color made.
Once again. The before room, as a dining room.
The after. Once it was painted and furnished. Lots of room for work, storage, and organization. What I loved the most about this home office, I didn't have to hide it! It was in view as soon as you walked in the front door. But, the office decor was chosen to be in plain site and not hidden away.
My Home Office
Have you repurposed a room to become more functional? Have you taken a traditional space and turned it into a non-traditional functioning space? Please share that with us!
For more details about this home office conversion, take a look at my previous post where I show a sneak peek of this office and share more about the process.
Courtney
Would LOVE to know where you found these cabinets!
I’m also going for a “built ins” look without actually making them permanent.
momcrieff
I had these cabinets custom made for me. I looked around at Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn and designed something that fit into my room. If I ever had to do something similar, I would find an existing dining room piece and refinish it. That would save a ton of money!
Lotes N
This is beautiful! I am wondering where you purchased the cabinets? I know this article was published a couple of years ago...thanks in advance.
Leah
I would LOVE to know where these cabinets are from! Is there anyone that knows by chance??? THANK YOU! 🙂
Allison
When you don't answer people's questions it makes them not want to come back to your site.
Stacey
Where did you get the cabinets? I love them and have been thinking of doing something similar but also had the slight fear of doing builtins.
Anonymous
Your makeover is outstanding, Susan! What is the name of the paint color you used?
Holger Marten (eetscribe)
Having a bright office, with natural light, makes work so much more pleasant.
Tracy
LUV the room!!!!!!