The Office….
If you’ve watched “The Big Bang Theory,” you must say “the office” with Sheldon’s affectation. That’s how we say it…. It makes us laugh. Hauling books up the stairs in very heavy bags purchased specifically for the move did NOT make us laugh, especially when I realized they wouldn’t all fit and I had to break the news to Tyler and Zach that they had to take at least 6 bags of books all the way down to the basement. I am not sure if they have forgiven me yet.
Our new office came fitted with 3 built-in bookshelves, a built-in desk with file drawers, a fireplace, and unbelievably a built-in wet bar.
The problem with built-ins is that they aren’t always the style or color that you would choose. Ours are no exception, but I decided to make them work as it would be way too expensive to replace them. Keeping that in mind, I had to design the room around the aesthetics of the original builders of the house. The fireplace has an art deco screen, which is pretty cool but not in keeping with anything else in the house. To make it blend better, I purchased brass and black handles for all the cabinets and replaced the outdated ones. That helped spruce things up. The roll top on the desk was broken, so we took it off and covered the exposed edge with a piece of the roll top as trim. The ceiling fan was one of those old brass numbers from the 90’s that we replaced with a black fan.
The fan was one that I picked out for the kids’ rooms but realized AFTER I purchased them that the boys didn’t have lighting other than recessed lights. Oops….
The walls were originally painted the same yellowy color as the rest of the house. I decided to paint the walls and the tray ceiling the same blue that I was using elsewhere in the house. Jeff and I had a disagreement over whether to do this or not. I waited until he went to work and had it done anyway. When he came home, he looked at it and said “wow, that looks great!”
I told him never to doubt my design style again.
In the big picture window, there was originally a built-in seat which would have been lovely for curling up with a good book. Unfortunately, the bench was completely rotten and moldy as was the wall behind due to roof leaks. The roofers repaired the area that was leaking, and our contractor fixed the walls. I decided to forgo the window seat and purchased a used desk that matched the rest of the office furniture. For $95, Zach and I found a desk with a glass top protector that fit the space perfectly. We also found a used side table for $30 that went well with the chairs. I had to do a bit of refinishing work, but they look great.
The built-in matching fridge that was in the wet bar was broken so we replaced it with a wine fridge. We now have a retreat where Jeff and I can have a glass of wine and relax. We haven’t been able to relax just yet, but we are hoping for the day where that is possible.
Soon, we hope….
