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Since I started working freelance and from home, I have moved into the mezzanine room of the house, under the roof, to set up my office and go about my professional activities.
It's been 5 years now that I feel like I'm camping in this place. Between the library full of books, the miscellaneous objects, the scattered papers, the baskets overflowing with junk, the remains of my various creations, the room looked like a real shambles.
So I have decided to tackle it and transform it into a pleasant place to work and enjoy spending time there.
Step One: Decluttering
Before thinking about renovation and pretty decoration, one step is essential: tidying up and sorting!
Armed with several garbage bags, I began to sort and throw away everything that was useless. I found in particular leaflets, old business cards, old bank statements, damaged candles, etc.
When you undertake this kind of big cleaning, you wonder why you keep such useless things. And you realize that it would be wise in the future to no longer let yourself be overwhelmed by paperwork.
The next step: spring cleaning
I don't plan on redecorating and reorganizing a room without cleaning it from top to bottom.
It was my turn to sort through more than 200 books, all laid on the floor to dust off the library! I took the opportunity to make a small selection of books to give away or sell.
I will not mention the cleaning phase, which is not very sexy! But if you want to find my tips, I told you about them in a post last year, entitled Housework, sport and therapy.
Painting the office corner
The state of play
For financial and practical reasons I chose to paint only one wall.
In fact, the white walls being clean and recently done, the beams renovated two years ago, I had no need to repaint everything. Unless I redid the whole house which was not on the agenda!
But I chose the wall on which my desk is placed to give a warmer and more contemporary feel to the room.
On the other hand, the walls were covered with wallpaper and painted white. This is fine for white paint, but for colored paint it is not very becoming.
So, it was necessary to tear off the paper, fill the holes, sand and apply an undercoat.
Six days of work, a huge mess in the room and a huge cleaning to do!
The painting
This step is starting to please me more!
On the advice of my client Laura Demanchean interior designer who entrusted me with the creation of his site, I chose a green satin paint from Tollens.
Small aside, if I could I would entrust the decoration of my entire house to Laura. When building her site I dreamed in front of her creations.
Laura is a competent professional, overflowing with talent and imagination. I would entrust her with my decoration with my eyes closed because we have the same tastes. If you want to “drool” like me, I invite you to visit her site and discover his achievements.
The windows and the wall
The mini windows have been painted in white to remove the old-fashioned look of the original brown.
For the wall I chose the Pantone color Tea Green from Tollens.
This shade of green goes well with the antique furniture that completes the room as well as the more contemporary furniture that I installed for its practical side.
In my opinion An office must be functional above all else. So I opted for furniture that allows me to store everything.
The decoration of my office under the roofs
I come to my favorite part, you guessed it, the decoration of the room.
I had planned to give it a little oriental touch with many baskets brought back from my recent trip to Morocco, but I changed my mind.
I was afraid of getting tired of this style which had too many exotic connotations.
So I went for a classic, Scandinavian and bohemian mix.
In decoration as in fashion, I like minimalism, neutral tones like white, cream, and taupe.
My desk consists of a white board and two trestles. My bookcase and drawers are from Ikea. Nothing very original but it suits me for working.
The two old wardrobes and the sofa are family pieces of furniture that I hold very dear and no trend will make me change it.
Office decoration details with Desenio
I had the opportunity of a great collaboration with the brand Design who offered to help me choose posters and frames.
The site is full of pretty photos that you can combine as you wish to create a gallery.
And, if you have no ideas, you can also opt for des packs, already concocted for you, depending on your mood and your colors. I find this idea original and very practical.
For my part, I preferred browse the site from top to bottom and make my own choices. I spent several evenings there to compose my atmosphere without any false notes.
I favored tones and natural and neutral atmospheres. Color harmonies oscillating between beige, willow green, gray and white. All reflecting a natural and soft atmosphere.
The general atmosphere of my decoration
An office by definition is a place of work, so the atmosphere must be zen and calming.
But it is also my refugea place where I like to listen to music, read and relax.
So I wanted to give it a warm and cozy feel while keeping a space dedicated to work. To do this, I added a Berber rug, a pretty armchair on which I threw a sheepskin. Various baskets, including one that I use to hide all the ugly yet essential wires, complete the ensemble.
The details
The library:
No question of parting with my books and records. Because even if we listen to music online, I remain attached to my Hi-Fi system and my CDs. I have even kept a small collection of 45s and 33s!
In my library, detective novels, novels, essays, and biographies complement each other. But some works are my favorites and I sometimes read and reread them. In particular, some classics that have not aged a day. For these favorite books, and many times consulted, I chose a pretty basket that allows me to find them without problem.
The office
Apart from the computer which takes up a lot of space on this table, I wanted small objects that are essential to my well-being.
Photos of my family and children in pretty frames. Memories given to me by my daughters.
An old leather box that I always saw on my grandmother's desk and which she used to store her collection of red pens to correct her papers!
I chose to use it the same way and my pens found their place in this pretty vintage box with a scent of nostalgia.
I replaced the metal wastepaper basket with a pretty basket brought back from Morocco.
No decoration without a green plant. A few succulents adorn the table. A candle with delicate scents is also essential.
Since I sometimes work very early in the morning, a nice desk lamp was essential. I replaced the black “special office” lamp with a small floor lamp that gives a softer light.
On the ground I chose branches, placed in a vase decorated with a string of lights for the atmosphere of rainy afternoons.
The rest of the room
The old “office” chair on wheels was replaced by a more modern chair and to keep the warm atmosphere of the place, I covered it with a sheepskin.
A few cushions scattered here and there, a green plant, a small stool contributed to giving this warm and joyful side that I wanted for this piece.
I am very happy with the result, because besides the decoration that suits me, this room, between modernity and nostalgia, is my secret garden, a place where my memories are gathered and where I like to spend time.
All I have to do now is rush to my keyboard to continue working, but now in a space that feels more like me.
You will be able to see all the details of the decoration on the dedicated video on my Youtube channel. You will also find all the links there from my decoration shopping.
Video to watch directly
What do you think? Do you like this kind of atmosphere?
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