Before and After: Tiny Office Under the Stairs

I'm so excited to share this office space under the stairs! This is the Before and After of

"P's" Tiny Office Space. It's finally done and turned out soooo pretty!!! If you remember, the initial budget was $500 to redo the room completely and I'm very happy to say I was able to come in under budget at $454.11 for everything you see in the After picture (minus a small white bowl on the desk for paper clips, the leather pouch, and the small green bird figurine)

Here is the Before:

The closet was being used as a game room/storage/bill paying station and was one of 3 options for an office space.

After taking measurements and talking with "P" about how she wanted the office to feel I made an inspiration board with different chair options, wall color, and wall art.

After she received it we talked more about the color combinations and the functionality of the space. My main concern was the chair and how it would work in the room. Although the initial mood board had chairs with legs I decided against them and started looking for rolling chairs. Since the room is so narrow the only comfortable option was a desk chair that could swivel and roll. I was able to find a brown "leather" chair and added it to the board with her approval and showed her some wallpaper that I thought would look amazing in there.

Below is the final inspiration board we used to guide the feeling we wanted to create in the room.

I really love the floral one and my idea was to wallpaper the bottom half of the room and paint the top half in a blue green paint. I also gave her the option of a grasscloth wallpaper in a blue green color if the flowers felt a bit bold for her. (In the end the wallpaper did not fit the budget but it's something she is still interested in and would like to do in the future). However, we did choose a beautiful green blue to paint the entire room in.

Over the weekend the closet was cleaned up......

And then painted.....

and here is the After...

What a difference!!! Here is the Before again for comparison.

On a side note and quick boomerang: I am absolutely aware that my Before and After pictures are not Instagram worthy.

The pictures are dark.

I agree. It's a closet...and for anyone that has never been inside of a closet... spoiler alert...they are dark...which is why they make the best places to hide when you are playing hide and seek.

The pictures are at odd angles and don't fully show the entire space in the most flattering way.

I agree. The pantry is 3 feet away from the door so I was literally inside the pantry squeezed in as far back as possible between some cup of noodles and mini powdered doughnuts (which may or may not have ended up in my mouth) trying to get a somewhat decent shot, HA!)

They need to be photoshopped so that they can be liked on Instagram.

I disagree.

And here is why: This is real life. This is a small office under the stairs created for an incredible mom who needed a space for herself. It's functional and turned out pretty and she was very happy with it. That's all that matters. And more often than not, we need to be able to work with what we have. Sometimes, if we're fortunate, it's a lot...but the majority of the time it isn't. Many of us don't have an extra $10,000 or $5,000. Sometimes all we have is $20 in our pocket and some determination. And that's where creativity and gratitude for what we do have come into play. By making the best of a situation, rolling up your sleeves, putting in some effort, and by figuring out a way to make a situation work, you have set your mind towards a better way of living that will bring more peace and contentment in your life.

Alright, enough about that...let's talk about the office!!!

On the right side of the wall we hung art framed in lighter wood...It help to bring in color and brighten the space a bit. The paint color is "Taiga Spruce" by Valspar. I wanted something that felt...I don't have any other word than "delicious". I needed the color to feel cool but at the same time cozy and inviting. Kind of like a Weeping Willow. Have your ever sat inside the branches of a Weeping Willow? I have a memory of this massive Willow and I remember walking into the branches and being surrounded by the green everywhere, soft brown earth, the smell of leaves and dirt, and seeing the sunlight flickering through the long hanging branches. I remember hearing the woosh of the wind and the rustling of the leaves and I felt safe and held by that tree...That's what wanted for her...For the space to wrap her up and just inspire her to do some of her own creating and bring out the best of herself.

On the left side are 3 hooks for a purse, keys, or sweater. There is also a small shelf to hold any desk supplies, notebooks, pictures, and pretty things. And next to the shelf is a "leather" pouch to hold bills and paperwork.

The rug was a last minute choice. I really wanted something to warm up the space a bit more and help to ground everything. The rust color also adds some contrast to the purples and green blue palette and helps to make the room feel finished.

And that chair! I need to tell you about it! When I was looking for a chair I felt so frustrated because it seemed every one I found was $230 on up. I knew it was going to be the priciest item because it had requirements of not just being comfortable but it had to be able to roll around and swivel. Since the room is so narrow the swivel allows her to comfortably turn and get into and out of the chair and rolling is much easier than trying to back up and adjust than on a typical chair with legs. When I found this particular chair I showed it to "P" and she told me she really liked it. I decided to put it on the inspiration board and started making adjustments to other items trying to figure out a way to keep things under budget.

And then...

By chance, the weekend I went to get the chair, I found it on sale!!! the original price was $249.99 and it was down to $106.24!!!

I was thrilled beyond belief and snagged it up immediately. Not only is the chair comfortable, but it's cool looking with this faux leather that has an awesome crackly worn look. And you CANNOT beat that price! I added a cream pillow to add a bit more support and the room was finished.

So we went from the "Storage Closet Under the Stairs" to "The Pretty Little Office Under the Stairs"! I'm super happy with how everything turned out and incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to create an office space for the "P", and with that I leave you for now!

-Diana

p.s. Just out of curiosity, would you have used the bolder wallpaper?