Trading Spaces

Remember that decorating show on TLC, circa 1998?  It was called Trading Spaces and in my mind, it was one of the first reality shows on that network, right behind A Wedding Story.  The premise was this: Two couples traded houses for a few days and with the help of a designer, totally transformed one room in the home in need of an update.  Well, I certainly don't have a designer and no one else is doing the work for me, but I do feel like a large majority of our home needed some decorating love after we moved in.  No gutting or heavy renovation mind you, but like Trading Spaces, it required a definite swap from one look to another.

Our first project was painting nearly every square foot of the house.  Then, room by room, I tackled decorating projects.  I got inspiration from many sources- Pinterest, of course, but also Houzz, Design Sponge, Nate Berkus books, Pottery Barn and Ballard Design catalogs, and a few of my favorite local gems- Shabby Love, Calico Home, and The Market at Grelen. 

One of the first rooms I overhauled was the front office.  Initially, we didn't know how we would use the space.  A toy room for the kids, a sitting room, a den perhaps?  But after becoming inspired by a beautiful desk from Ballard, I knew we needed to proceed with an office.  Here is the before of the space:

. . . And here is the After! 

I wanted a blue gray wall to pop against my white desk.  I love the desk because it seats two people on either end to enable simultaneous work.  I found the carpet on Overstock.com.  The buffalo check curtains I saw on a blog and dug around to locate the source.  I ordered them extra long to fill up more of the space on the high wall.  The oil painting is a family heirloom we cherish painted by Graham's grandmother.  The chair is from Shabby Love. 

I love decorating with birds and wanted to play off of these little cuties found in the garden shop at The Market at Grelen, so with them in hand, I went to my favorite Charlottesville fabric store and found two complimenting patterns!

The next step is to have two wingback chairs recovered with the fabrics, perhaps in a collage look?  The chairs will tuck into the corners of the office in hopes that they'll become a perfect reading spot for our family. 

As I write this post in our updated room, I'm pleased to say I wouldn't trade this space for anything!