Hello friends. Before diving into a fun little reveal, I just wanted to do a quick check in. How’s everyone doing? Kirsten and I took the last week off to focus on helping our kids adjust to school. We’re so thankful that this job allows for some flexibility as it was definitely needed last week. So many of us are in different situations that are coming with a variety of challenges. So as we continue to move forward in this season of unknowns, make sure to show yourself grace.
Okay, now it’s time for some fun stuff. But first a little background to help you understand my mindset and how I decided on moving forward with this process.
My husband and I purchased this home in 2015. It was the only home in our search where we both walked in and it just felt like home. And while it certainly felt like home, the interior definitely needed some improvements.
Built in 1986, our home thankfully was built with more traditional bones. It feels very similar to a classic colonial home. With its classic bones and overall classic feel, we were able to look past the cosmetic issues and see its true potential.
Over the past few years we’ve been slowly changing things to let this home’s true beauty shine. And in addition to saying good bye to the 1980’s pink wallpaper, I have been slowly adding character. I love making newer homes look “old”. And not in the tired and worn sense of the word, but in a classic and timeless way.
Enter the office, or as we like to call it, the study. The previous owners used this as playroom for their boys. The first thing we tackled in this room was removing the wall details and giving it a fresh coat of paint in the same color. But after those two things, other home projects took precedence and this room functioned just fine for the time-being.
But last year I got the itch to add a little more richness to this room. So keep in mind, this was 4.5 years after moving in. Changing one’s home takes time. And often times when we take time to plan and let a space evolve, the results are really satisfying.
My goals for this room were the following: Moody, character, and classic. One of the first changes? Adding picture frame molding and crown molding. We already had a chair rail (the molding that runs horizontal across the room), but I wanted that classic old home look. For this part I hired Carson Cox with Rooted Woodworking. He was efficient and it turned out beautifully. He was able to take my vision and make it come to life. Check out the picture below for some of my office inspiration.
The next step was painting the walls a richer blue. The blue before wasn’t bad, but it was more baby blue and I was aiming for a nice rich dusty blue. Norwegian Blue by Behr ended up being perfect. It’s a beautiful rich blue that was just what I had envisioned. I painted all the walls, including the molding. My original plan was to paint the crown and baseboards but my hubby wasn’t on board. So for now they remain white. But don’t be surprised if one day you see them painted 😉
We said good bye to the old light fixture and hello to this beautiful semi-flush mount. With my ceilings only being 8 feet, I have to choose fixtures that don’t hang too low. I love the drama this adds to the room. Let me say, lighting is key! When you update a space, don’t forget the lighting! It adds so much.
Next up, these gorgeous velvet curtains. Would you guess that these are an Amazon find? They are such a nice quality and they added the warmth and drama I was wanting. And I have to say, I love the blue on blue look. I realize this might not be a look for everyone, but I love it.
We swapped out the rug for something that to me just screams classic library feel.
I added little touches of vintage decor which is one of my favorite things to do when finishing a room. I feel like it adds just the right amount of interest and flair that I need.
One of the last things I did was this ship gallery wall. I’ve been collecting ship prints for a while and I love displaying them in this space. A few of these prints were thrifted and a few I purchased from ShopVintageSupply. Not everyone is a fan of vintage art, but I have it sprinkled throughout my home so I feel like it works in here. And I’m sorry for the glare, but hopefully you get the idea.
So there you have it. I love how all the little details add up to totally transform this space. I think I was able to accomplish the moody library/study look I was going for. Now the trick is keeping it clean 😉
-M