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I started working from home full time about two years ago, and while I absolutely love lounging in my living room with my feet up on the couch, using my lap as a desktop isn't my ideal workspace. As the Assistant Home Editor at Apartment Therapy, I spend all my day writing about beautiful homes and admiring the chic spaces people create, so I finally decided to channel all that inspiration into creating my own home office.
My boyfriend and I purchased a 1,800 square foot home in Georgia in late August 2021. The home was built in 1971 and was definitely in need of some fixing up. The previous owners had lived in the home for 40 years but hadn't done much in recent times, so just about everything was outdated and in need of some serious modernization.
I decided to convert the second bedroom across from the master bedroom into a home office. This room has a lovely large window with some pretty dated décor, but this feature gives it a vintage feel that I love, and allows plenty of natural light into the room, making it perfect for working. The soft gray carpet makes the room cozy and all it really needs is a clean. The walls were poorly painted, an off-white shade barely covered by old baby blue paint, so fixing that was top of my design list.
The room was an empty box, but given its size, natural light, and ample closet space, I knew the space had potential. So the first thing I did was add a new coat of paint to the walls to brighten the space and fix some uneven finishes. I chose a clean white (Valspar's The Perfect White) with a semi-gloss finish that subtly reflects light to maximize the brightness of the space.
Once all the walls were painted and dry, I mounted a 50″ TV on the wall. I wanted to face the TV while I worked. I ordered the Threshold with Studio McGee wood console from Target that's a little wider than the TV. It cost $300. Perfect for mounting under your TV, this table not only hides your TV wires and fills the wall, but also displays your record player and provides storage with its six built-in drawers.
A few months ago, I was gifted the perfect desk to try out, and I had no reason to buy a new one. The Flexispot 55″ Standing Desk has a sleek bamboo top and white legs that match perfectly with the console table under my TV. I wanted a stylish, comfortable chair that would fit in with the room when I wanted to sit down, so when I found this brown leather chair at Walmart for $128, I had to have it. The rug under the desk is, as you can probably guess, from Target. I thought it would be the perfect finishing touch to the space and to jazz up the old wall-to-wall carpeting underneath.
I was trying to think of what to do with the wall next to my desk, so I decided to try a mirror. I mounted a full-length wooden-framed mirror that I bought at Target for $95 in the middle of the wall. Then I hung some framed artwork and diplomas I already had around it to create a gallery of things that make me smile.
In total, I spent about $830 on all of the new paint, furniture, and decor that I used to revamp my home office (and used some existing pieces, of course). It feels like the perfect space for me to work, write, and take Zoom calls. I spend more time here than in my living room, especially since it has the TV. I wouldn't change a thing if I had to do this entire project again.