Like most people, I've been working from home since the beginning of lockdown. That's currently 14 weeks working from the dining room table in a makeshift office, so I definitely needed a little workspace of my own. Obviously, due to the fact that so many different things were being juggled, it's taken me MUCH longer than I'd of liked to sort this, but we got there in the end! And I'm so pleased with how it's turned out - my own little boho-inspired corner. I mean, anything would have been an improvement though, get ready for the 'before' shot!
The really rather mortifying 'before' |
This corner has always been the most junked-filled space of the most junk-filled room in our home - the word 'eyesore' doesn't really cut it, I'm sure you'll agree. This corner was my airing cupboard, dressing table, old baby clothes storage, and general dumping ground. Every time I came in this room I cringed at this corner, so obviously something had to be done about it.
So to start off I replaced the dressing table for a desk with more storage, and relocated the chest of drawers to the master bedroom. Just doing this required a huge clear out (story of this house), and I had to be brutal with the things I was keeping. Every drawer upstairs was emptied and re-stocked, after which we were able to shift things around enough to clear two drawers. All the spare bedding and towels that were previously stored in these boxes on the shelves could now go into the drawers, meaning, crucially, the shelves were no longer needed and the little office I've always wanted finally had a home.
So to start off I replaced the dressing table for a desk with more storage, and relocated the chest of drawers to the master bedroom. Just doing this required a huge clear out (story of this house), and I had to be brutal with the things I was keeping. Every drawer upstairs was emptied and re-stocked, after which we were able to shift things around enough to clear two drawers. All the spare bedding and towels that were previously stored in these boxes on the shelves could now go into the drawers, meaning, crucially, the shelves were no longer needed and the little office I've always wanted finally had a home.
Once I knew this would be a possibility I obviously went into full-on designing mode, and decided if I was getting my own little corner to escape from it all then it absolutely had to be a boho haven. Desk choices were limited, due to the size of the alcove, but I fell in love with this one from La Redoute, and everything else was chosen around this.
Initially I was planning on going for wallpaper on here, but I couldn't find anything that I loved within budget. So paint it was. And believe it or not, it was a bargain duvet cover from H&M that provided the perfect inspiration. I fell in love with the colour and how well it went with the pink, so decided that had to feature somewhere.
The other side of the room featuring the duvet cover that sparked it all! |
After much to-ing and fro-ing, I decided to go for something a bit braver than the rest of the house. The colour blocking trend seems to be absolutely everywhere at the moment - its such a simple way of adding a pop of colour and character to a room, without committing to a full redecoration. I've gone with an arch shape in here, rather than a full feature wall, as I was worried about the lack of natural light in here.
This was actually a lot easier to do than I thought it would be, and only took me an hour or so to complete. To do this you'll need frog tape, a pencil and string, an angled paintbrush and your choice of paint.
The final pieces to the puzzle were all the accessories - including the chair, which I think might be one of my favourite purchases ever. I'd also been lusting over a rattan shelving unit, but at £90 it was way out of budget. I'd even thought about making one, when this absolute beauty popped up on Matalan for a third of the price. I definitely need to style it a bit better, but how perfect does it look above the desk there?
I've finished this room off with some pampas grass, new prints to tie all the colours together, and some desk accessories. I've relocated some old IKEA picture rails, and even had a go at making some plant and pen pots from old rubbish! (you can find the full DIY tutorial here)
Tip: When thinking about creating a gallery wall use paper to help you visualise the sizes of the prints, and how you want to lay them out - I've got another blog post on this topic coming up soon, so keep an eye out if this is something you're thinking of doing in your home!
And that's about it - how to transform a dumping ground to a mini-office, just with a lick of paint, some new accessories and a HUGE declutter. What do you think?
Have you got a corner in your home that resembles a dumping ground? Ever wanted to transform it?
Thanks for reading,
Sam Xx
This was actually a lot easier to do than I thought it would be, and only took me an hour or so to complete. To do this you'll need frog tape, a pencil and string, an angled paintbrush and your choice of paint.
Tips for hand-painting an arch onto a wall
The final pieces to the puzzle were all the accessories - including the chair, which I think might be one of my favourite purchases ever. I'd also been lusting over a rattan shelving unit, but at £90 it was way out of budget. I'd even thought about making one, when this absolute beauty popped up on Matalan for a third of the price. I definitely need to style it a bit better, but how perfect does it look above the desk there?
I've finished this room off with some pampas grass, new prints to tie all the colours together, and some desk accessories. I've relocated some old IKEA picture rails, and even had a go at making some plant and pen pots from old rubbish! (you can find the full DIY tutorial here)
Tip: When thinking about creating a gallery wall use paper to help you visualise the sizes of the prints, and how you want to lay them out - I've got another blog post on this topic coming up soon, so keep an eye out if this is something you're thinking of doing in your home!
And that's about it - how to transform a dumping ground to a mini-office, just with a lick of paint, some new accessories and a HUGE declutter. What do you think?
I've even made myself a desk planner to help organise myself a bit more - download & print a free copy by subscribing to my newsletter here |
Have you got a corner in your home that resembles a dumping ground? Ever wanted to transform it?
Thanks for reading,
Sam Xx
I love this corner of your home it looks amazing and that yellow arch is genius x
ReplyDeletehttps://www.katescloset.uk/
Ah thank you so much! I'm completely obsessed with it!
DeleteHey, I love this space, especially the pink and yellow together - would you mind sharing what colours/brands they are? x
ReplyDeleteThank you! The yellow was mixed by Decorating Centre Online to be a close match to Safari Spice by Dulux. The official colour code is S 2030-Y20R. The pink is 'Muted Blush' by Graham & Brown, and the white is 'White Chiffon' by Dulux. Hope that helps!
DeleteLOVE THIS! Where did you purchase the chair?!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It was from Beautify.
DeleteLOVE this coloured arch! Would you mind sharing the colour name and brand please? ��
ReplyDeleteThank you! It was mixed by Decorating Centre Online to be a close match to Safari Spice by Dulux. The official colour code is S 2030-Y20R. Hope that helps!
DeleteHi I love this design! Just wondering where you had your desk from? I've been looking for something in this style but with storage too!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! It was from La Redoute last year!
DeleteLove the room :)
ReplyDeleteWhere is the yellow vase from?
Thank you! It was from H&M last year!
DeleteI love the plant/ vase you have- it reminds me of a pineapple!(: Where did you get the vase?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! It was from H&M last year!
DeleteWhere did you get that round rattan wall piece?!
ReplyDeleteIt was from Matalan last year!
Deletethat's a really nice room! where did you buy that duvet?
ReplyDeleteThank you! It was from H&M!
Delete