New year, new office! At least that’s what my mantra has been. Going into 2018, I was just a little annoyed with our current combined setup and I went on the hunt to streamline our space and do it on a tight budget, since you know, we have a new baby coming and all…
When we first moved into this house 3 years ago, I had two babies under 20 months that required little surface area and just a few toys. Once they got a bit bigger, I realized they needed their own little corner to corral the growing pile of toys, so I sacrificed some of my office to give them a spot of their own. It was totally done on a whim and the storage situation has never been efficient. We re-worked (yet again!) this large shared space in our home to make it functional for our changing needs. The office, is technically a 4th bedroom on our first floor that is set-up to be used as a guest suite. We have guests, just not that often, so it obviously became my office that just had a sofa bed for guests when we needed it. So an office, playroom, guest suite, it is! But, the layout was never practical for the long term. With both boys being now 3 and 4, the toys have gotten much, much bigger and the need for things like a lego table started to takeover. Luckily I was able to partner with some great brands like AllModern & Plush Rugs on a revamp that fit the aesthetic I was going for (think, OM at home!) and a big thank you to my friends at South Shore Furniture for sponsoring this space. Couldn’t have done it without them!
Now, here’s the finished project!! It took about 4 weeks of work pulling it all together, but I’m absolutely in LOVE with the way the space turned out and it’s a place where we can all be creative, have fun and be happy together! The boys have took to it immediately and life seems to have gotten just a bit easier for us all. My office area is more streamlined and copasetic, which makes my life so much more efficient while I’m at work and the boys organization and storage couldn’t have made life any more easier. Clean up is a breeze and it’s helped them become more independent at playtime. Keep reading for details and sources….
The very first thing that we did was take everything off the walls and painted the entire room a bright white (Benjamin Moore: Chantilly Lace). It really seemed to open up the space and play off the natural light coming through all of the windows. I’m still in awe of what a difference a can of white paint can make! It really transformed the space into a bright, airy and open room that just promotes calm and peace. (and you know we’ll need a lot of that come 3 kids!)
Sofa Bed & Chair c/o AllModern
One of the first things that I had in mind when designing the space was keeping a functional piece in the room that served for overnight guests. The biggest challenge was finding something that was not only a sleeper, but small AND comfortable. We had already been down the futon route, and I always felt terrible knowing my guests didn’t have the most restful night’s sleep. I found this Brittany Sleeper Sofa that had a small footprint (key!), but also had a pull-out bed with a memory foam mattress included. It’s a nice dark denim color that hides little handprints and anything else my toddlers put it through and is super easy to spot clean. Believe me when I say, I felt like I hit the jack-pot on this one!
Activity Table c/o South Shore Furniture | Etagere Bookshelf c/o AllModern
The biggest thing that I had learned from the first time that we tried to make this space functional was that there HAD to be tons of storage involved this go round. Every piece that we brought into this room had to have an element of storage and have multiple uses to make this room work. I decided to go with a new desk (a craft table to be exact!) that had tons of built in storage and an adjustable work stool that slid under it perfectly to save floor space when it wasn’t in use and gave the boys more room to play. When I tell you that this thing was a match-made in heaven for me, I am not exaggerating. Go get yourself one and see! Every little crevice of this desk has the perfect spots for all of my equipment and I am secretly obsessed at how each thing has it’s own home. The clutter has severely been reduced and my mind-clutter has been cut in half!
I decided to make the entire one wall of the room into toy storage with an etagere bookcase. I took a lot of time to really map out what we needed to contain all of the toys and came up with what I felt was the best kid-friendly solution that held the most junk. I ended up finding these amazing rattan baskets at HomeGoods that were the perfect size. I separated each category of toys that they play with, so things like cars, Lincoln logs, action figures, a wooden train, and Magnaforms, each contained in their own bin. The soft handles make it easy for little hands to pull down & put up with ease. The boys now understand how to clean up and compartmentalize them when they’re done playing. This way all of the bins aren’t mixed with a bunch of different toys, because I always find that they won’t touch them when they’re a jumbled hot mess. It makes clean-up super easy for both us as parents and for them as toddlers. I’m obsessed. Adequate and smart storage is definitely the key to any playroom!
Another favorite part of the room for me is the art. I really wanted to keep it modern and cool, but also inspiring, so we all could enjoy it. Adding pieces into the room, like this Chasing Paper “Peace” art and the “Work Hard & Be Nice To People” print, really spoke to me and helped define the tone I was trying to take. We also added in some much needed ambient lighting into the room, that created a nice focal point and grounded the space. The Ikea Sinnerlig Pendant helped pull together that bohemian feel I was going for and brought in a lot of character that was otherwise missing. There are so many other places in a home that it can be used and it’s an amazing price! You can shop it here.
How cute are these lego storage cubes?!
Now, here’s a peek at the new little corner of my office!
Desk & Stool set c/o South Shore Furniture
I wanted a little space that was calming, but one I also felt creative in. Storage was a major factor, which made me choose this craft table/desk set from South Shore Furniture to keep all of my business “things” contained and away from small hands. This couldn’t have worked out any better, you guys. I am absolutely smitten with my new area and how at home I feel when I come into work every day. It’s crisp and clean with a smattering of my personal career things that inspire me to keep going. The Prada Marfa frame is from my friends over at Minted and I cannot sing their praises enough. I absolutely adore Minted for almost everything in my home. Keep scrolling for more of the details…
Last but not least, let’s talk about the rug, shall we? This rug pulled the room together perfectly. It also is SO soft and the design alone hides so much of the mess toddlers like to dish out from time to time. It’s so good at camouflaging that we sometimes can’t even find all of the legos (until we step on them, that is!)… This rug is a beautiful vintage turkish pattern in an understated color palette. I also love that the 8×10 was under $400! You can see the details here. Plush Rugs are great to work with and I can’t speak of them highly enough!
Full Source List:
Wall Color (Benjamin Moore: Chantilly Lace) | Rug| Sofa Bed | Macrame Lumbar Pillow | Shibori Framed Prints | Chair | Mudcloth Pillow | Storage Shelf | Storage Baskets (similar here) | ‘Peace’ Poster | Kids Activity Table | Lego Cubes | Fake Fiddle Leaf Tree | Wall Shelf | Macrame Fringe Wall Hanging| ‘Work Hard’ Print | Gold Ampersand Bookend | Rattan Pendant Light
Desk and Stool Set | ‘Good Work’ Wall Pendant| Letterboard | Prada Marfa Framed Print | Wood Ampersand (similar here) | White Wall Shelves | Gold Wall Grid | ‘In the Company of Women’ Book
A HUGE thank you to my partners on this room reveal, AllModern + Plush Rugs and especially for our sponsor, South Shore Furniture. This room reveal was probably my most successful one yet and I felt so relaxed and inspired while doing it. I couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out and I know the boys agree! What do you think about sharing a work space with your toddler and/or guests? I definitely think it’s something that’s becoming more common as more and more parents are now working from home. Would love to hear your thoughts on the room and what some of your favorite pieces are from this space! Share with me below. Xo
