Home Office Makeover on a Budget
Hi! It’s Jordan, and I’m excited to share my latest project with you… my home office makeover! This space has been functional, but a blank canvas the past couple years. It feels great to finally have a fully designed office where I can be both creative and productive at home. Click through to see more of the design process, budget interior tips, before & after images, and a tour of this room with sources!
If you’re feeling confused because you previously scrolled through my dark green home office tour last fall, that is actually where my husband works from our home. This office is all mine! We’re lucky to have enough rooms in our home that we can each have our own workspace. Both rooms have added function and personality to our builder-grade home. If you’re looking for even more office inspiration, check out Sarah’s home office reveal, and the Tuesday Made office, where Sarah and I both work- a few days a week.
Before
As is typical of a builder-grade home, the before image of this room was simple and boring… no window trim or coverings, brushed nickel door knobs, a boring light fixture, and gray paint. You may also notice the layout of the room is very similar to my husband’s office- they are basically mirror images of each other. My workspace has an additional window and a smaller closet… two things I wanted to address in the room design.
I made a few quick decisions that helped shape the design of this room. First, I decided to use a hand-me-down desk that I got from my parents. It’s made of heavy, solid wood and has a great amount of surface area. I also made a make-shift credenza with two storage cabinets from IKEA to store my office and craft supplies. Last, I purchased a jute rug to layer over the gray carpet. Other than that, this room has been a boring catch-all for various half-finished projects (oops) that I wanted to remedy with a cohesive design plan.
When I began pulling inspiration to complete the office, I considered painting the walls with a dusty blue or pale mauve, but ended up sticking with the original white. I love the way the sunlight bounces around the room throughout the day and I feel energized working in a bright, light-flooded office. I also enjoyed the idea of keeping things neutral so that when working on design plans for other projects, my workspace would not interfere with the decision making process. To bring in texture and personality, I focused on drapery, light fixtures, and artwork (plus a couple more DIYs I’ll be sharing here on the blog soon!).
Drapery & Textiles
The number one thing that completely changed the feel of this room was the addition of custom window treatments. I selected these drapery panels from Pepper Home that added the perfect amount of texture and even a subtle touch of color. Do you see the gorgeous blush undertones? These panels are fully customizable, which made the installation process easy. I selected the color and pattern (Emma in Sand,) the pleating style (tailored pleats- I love the European feel), and the lining, width, and length of each panel. You can also add trim options! They shipped quickly and after trimming out the windows and hanging these drapes (with a quick intermission using Sarah’s tutorial on how to “train” readymade curtains) the entire room suddenly felt cozy and intentional.
While I was at it, I couldn’t help but snag this pretty bolster pillow from Pepper Home with fabric from their latest Paradiso collection. The peacock velvet was the perfect compliment to the touches of blue and pink that would eventually be sprinkled throughout the room. It’s also customizable…lots of shapes, sizes, and trim options to choose from!
DIY Wall Art
My next step was choosing how best to fill the two blank walls in the room. I knew early on that I wanted to include something to hold my various swatches that inevitably clutter surfaces during my design and creative process. What better way to organize these than with large pin boards? Three perfectly filled the negative space above my storage credenza. I wanted to find some fabric wrapped boards on a budget. Enter acoustic insulation board. This is a lightweight, easy-to-cut material that comes in 4 foot by 8 foot sheets for less than $30. This was more than enough to make my three large pin boards. It is a little messy and sheds when cut, but since I wanted to cover them in fabric anyway, these were the perfect solution.
Just a few quick swipes with a utility knife was enough to cut through the insulation board, then I wrapped them with linen fabric and installed them on the wall with brass screws and countersunk washers.
To finish off this wall, I paired each board with an inexpensive plug-in picture light, and added some vintage brass hardware to the storage cabinet beneath.
The last wall to address was the one behind my desk, next to the single window. I had one piece of DIY artwork I created a few years ago (with these marble reliefs), plus a bunch of secondhand frames. Like Sarah, I love a good visit to the thrift store and always check out the art section! My frame collection had been piling up, so I thought it was finally time to install them on the wall. A few of the frames had some art in them from previous spaces, and two of them had cork boards from DIYs from my teenage years (I used them to hang my jewelry in high school… I’ve always loved a good pin board!). While I had a good frame collection, I needed to fill them with art. Again, on a budget.
For a couple of the frames, I created some neutral plaster canvas art (see Sarah’s tutorial here). I also envisioned some drawing and etching style prints. One of my favorite resources for inexpensive art is searching the online collections of museums around the world. You can download high res images of public domain art- for free! Most of these came from The Met, then I sent the files to a local print shop to be professionally printed. A few of the frames required replacement glass, and I paired some of the artwork alongside a mat. For a scrappy gallery wall project, I’ve been so happy with the result! What do you think?
The last two projects for this room were a couple quick furniture DIYs. I built a gallery pedestal over the weekend with my dad, and recovered the seat of a chair I found on Facebook Marketplace. This post is getting long, so I’m planning to share separate tutorials for both of those. Coming here to the Room for Tuesday blog, soon!
Lighting
Last, I swapped out the builder-installed ceiling light with this pretty plaster pendant from the Tuesday Made shop (it’s on sale until tomorrow with code LIGHTING20). It’s paired alongside this simple ceiling medallion. The table lamp, on my desk, is also on sale! I was ready to style and enjoy my finished office…
My goal was to have a work space that felt polished and organized, even when I am in the midst of a DIY or design project. Craft supplies & project samples can start to feel messy, cluttered, and overwhelming. I’m happy to report, this room has delivered on keeping me organized and inspired. We are in full-blown yard & patio clean up over here, so this office has been a great home base for my landscaping ideas lately.
Get the Look: Sources
Click directly on each item below to be redirected.
simple gold frame // ornate gold frame // black gold frame (similar) // plaster pendant light // curtain rod // drapery // table lamp // desk (similar) // bolster pillow // leather ottoman // jute rug // terracotta vase (similar) // gallery pedestal (similar) // design books // picture lights // pin boards (similar) // chair fabric // vintage chair (similar) // storage cabinets // bone boxes // marble candle holders
FAQ
I found Frame Destination in my search for frame replacement materials. Most of my frames required standard glass sizes, but they also offer custom sizes- for both glass and mats!
The closet holds things like linens for our inflatable guest bed, extra blankets, and home decor. The cabinets hold office and craft supplies, project samples, gift wrap, and tech items- like extra SD cards and extension cords!
This ottoman was a last minute addition to the room, because I honestly love to put my feet up while working! It doubles as extra seating for the opposing side of the desk, and it offers an additional surface to rifle through the storage credenza. It will likely end up in our living room eventually, but then I’ll have to replace it with another ottoman…I love it so much and it functions well for me!
Related
If you’re on the hunt for more home office posts, I’ll link some reader favorites for you below…
- Sarah’s Home Office
- Tuesday Made Office Tour (where Sarah & I both work!)
- Jordan’s Dark Green Home Office
- 5 Things Every Home Office Needs
- Mapleleaf Offices : Part One and Part Two (where Emmett works)
- 5 Tips for Working From Home & Setting Up a Home Office
- Sarah’s Previous Home Office
- DIY Built-Ins and Office Organization
- DIY Linen Office Organization Board
- Roundup: Rolling Office & Desk Chairs
Thank you so much for taking the time to tour my home office! I hope it provided some valuable information and ideas on how to pull together an office on a budget… and maybe a DIY project or two for you to tackle in the future. Let me know if you have any questions, and have a great rest of your week! More to come soon.
