the farm: my office

My office has been a bit uninspiring.

With big houses and the DIY couple, plenty of projects get undertaken but seldom finished on time or all at once for that matter. So is the case at our house. I have not finished decorating my laundry room. I still need window treatments, accessories and the mentioned cabinetry/molding fixes.

I was sitting in my office working starting my taxes, I gazed around. Blank blank blank. Nothing. I need something in here. Something needs to happen.

I will spare you the view outside of the windows for now. We need to do some planting. I simply ran out the door, Gwen in tow, and off to Benjamin Moore I went.

These images were taken quickly before I rushed out the door to Benjamin Moore. Walls are old bead board. Ceiling is bead board. It’s small, but cool. The previous owner did a Ralph Loren Crackle Finish and while I did receive plenty of compliments on the distressing, the green just started to wear on me.

I literally tossed everything I had onto these surfaces and was checking to see how much primer I had. These furnishings are from my office in Summit, where they fit much nicer and were more in tune with the building’s architecture. I’m not convinced it works here, and think at some point it will be needing to be changed, but for now, it must work.

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

How I wish I could get my wide plank wood floors now!

I would do the whole first floor and eliminate that tile. Alas, they will have to wait indefinitely.

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

A friend of mine recently replied when I asked her how to do something home renovation related. She responded in jest “You’re going to ask me? I would hot glue it, I hot glue everything!”

That, my friends, is my relationship with caulk.

Caulk is one of my favorite things. Really. It is. Only with caulk am I able to make this room go from drafty (a heavy sweater) to hot t-shirt temperature! I’m fully aware that there are all sorts of reasons I should use other materials such as wood filler (you-carpenter types you) and whatever that foul smelling putty is. But listen, give me a few barrels of caulk and I am a happy camper, it’s easy to work with and relatively odor free.

Caulk is the key to un-distressing things that shouldn’t look distressed. This allows the focus and emphasis to be on the parts that should be.

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

 Kindly disregard childproof door knob.

Before | After

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

Before:

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

After:

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

Similar gaps to the above filled.

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

 Before:

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

After:

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

 See what I’m talking about? Who gets enamored by caulking?

 Wall detail (desired)

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

Detail (paint on fixture undesired)

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

 Light fixture will be changed. That’s another post altogether.

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

Mini chandelier much needed!! This room needs some bling ;-).

I chose three whites in two finishes. I’ve been totally feeling the whites these days – along with distressed finishes and textures I’m bound to have some inspiration for windows soon, I hope! This room needs color and continues to be BLANK 😉 But at least it’s a clean slate. Now the challenge of figuring out what I want to see in this room, prints I’m going to hang, etc. Not an easy task!

AFTER:

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

After. I overexposed the windows – not the most fabulous view out of these. I plan to change that very soon. Can’t wait to get out in the garden. I would love to add some more or even a French door.

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

Super cool closet I plan on hand painting something on, maybe one of my swirlies from my blog design 🙂

Laura Bruen, NYC Photographer, NJ Photographer

Now I just need to figure out how I’m going to decorate it.

8 comments
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  • Patricia

    I think you might have gotten the same effect with a hot glue gun!!! LOL!!!ReplyCancel

  • I really don’t think it looks bad in here at all. I think all the white would really work with some of your pieces up on the walls.

    Can’t say Im digging the carpet too much but you could put down some engineered click floors yourself. I did it in my last house’s basement and it wasn’t nearly as hard as I though it would be. And a little sparkly light fixture would finish the room nicely.ReplyCancel

  • Yes, I think it will look nice too, once I decide what to put up as I have 3 months of whiteboard calendar from Pottery Barn to go up somewhere also (it’s gotta be functional for me as well).

    The carpet, while it’s not horrific, is not the best choice for someone with dogs (we have two). It attracts every bit of hair and for sanity one must vacuum it at least once a day! NOT my gig. Yes, I could go with those floors and that may not be a bad idea, considering the wide plank we want is still quite a few years off and it’s presumably best to have them all done at once – as in, the entire downstairs.ReplyCancel

  • OR – maybe a nice rug 😉ReplyCancel

  • Any suggestions for the windows? ReplyCancel

  • Looks awesome!!!!! If you are ever bored, grab your caulk gun and head over, I can keep you busy!ReplyCancel

  • […] new office inhabitant brings much needed color to my newly painted office.  (Not much else gone on in here folks.  Stay tuned…hopefully I’ll have some idea of […]ReplyCancel

  • […] for those that want to see in better detail the mastery caulking work I performed, check out the original blog post. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to miss that fun […]ReplyCancel