Welcome to what might end up being the world's slowest design project, my office refresh. When I moved into this duplex my main goal for the office was to upgrade the function. I've accomplished that with a secondhand standing desk and walking pad to match, but now the room is feeling a little too white and devoid of personality. Even for my minimalist clutter-free heart.
I don't have an urgent need for this space to be designed perfectly, and since a lot of the existing elements I purchased new (the monitor, walking pad, chair, accessories), I want to focus on either building the remaining elements or finding them secondhand.
Why? Because its more cost effective and fun that way! After rushing through the renovation of the top unit of my duplex this summer has been all about slowing down and enjoying the process of diy/design. The best thing you can do for yourself if youre on a budget when designing or renovating is to give yourself TIME.
- Time to develop your design plan and make sure you really love it so you're not making expensive edits later on.
- Time for the perfect item to pop up in the vintage marketplace.
- Time to research new items and wait for them to go on sale.
- Time to save for what you really want, instead of buying something low quality that you likely won’t love and won't last.
It can be alluring to purchase everything you want ASAP but I always find when I do this I overspend and the design falls a little flat. Like I ordered everything from the same catalog. Giving myself time to plan and collect pieces for a room adds that bit of nuance that makes a room feel extra special.
Ok now that you know the why behind taking my time to execute on this planlets get to the design plan!
Task & Inspiration Wall
Current State: Taped up calendars, reminders, quotes and goals. No inspiration.
Future State: DIY Design Boards (Inspo via eyeswoon)
I am the worlds most visual person, if I dont write it down and keep it in front of my face, Ill forget it immediately. While this wall is meant to remind me of my to-dos and larger goals its lacking any sort of inspiration which Id like to add! Creating design boards allows me to add inspiration to the wall while still allowing me to change it up frequently to track my goals and schedule.
Print & Storage Station
Current State: Oversized Desk, too big for the space and drawers are not easily accessible.
Future State: Cabinets consolidated in the corner for a print station, add wood top.
When I moved in the standing desk I threw my old large desk against this wall, but its too big and Ive found this additional desk space just collects clutter and I dont need it. Id like to put both the drawers in the corner and create a little print station. The drawers will be easier to access from my desk and Ill add a wood top to help warm up the space. Debating on adding new cabinet fronts as well to upgrade the drawers.
Decor Wall / Video Meeting Backdrop
Current State: Terrifying blank wall
Future State: Wall to wall shelving
This is the part Im most excited for and will likely take me the longest to execute! Mainly because I cant make up my mind. I know I want modular shelving so I can easily change up the shelves, but Im torn on wood or white shelves. The space could use the warmth that wood shelving will bring, but once I decorate the shelves with plants, books and ceramics those will offer their own warmth and interest. I dont want the shelves to compete with the objects. Im also hoping I can find the shelving brackets on marketplace, since I see them all the time but it might take me some time to find the amount I will need to span the whole wall.
Accessories / Textiles
The accessories and textiles for the office are where I want to focus on finding items slowly through thrifting. I’m envisioning quite a few girls weekends in my future stopping at greenhouses and antiquing! The goal is to continue to build my collection of ceramics, plants and coffee table books to display on the wall to wall shelving. Yes, I’m a minimalist but I’ve found being surrounded by beautiful objects brings me a lot of joy – which makes it 100% worth it to own them.
The facebook marketplace gods have already rewarded me for my slow design mindset for this office with the most perfect 8×10 wool carpet remnant for...$20!! My budget for this renovation is “as close to zero as possible” and when I decided to stop buying cheap synthetic rugs (they are impossible to clean and wear so poorly) I felt a little defeated trying to find an affordable option. For me, an affordable rug is under $200, everyone’s definition is different! But it’s pretty challenging to find a natural fiber rug at that price point and size new.
I’m so happy I stuck to my principles though, I share pricing openly not to brag abut the good deals I’ve found but rather because design can feel incredibly inaccessible. It can be easy to feel like to have a beautiful home you need thousands of dollars, but I’m always here to help prove otherwise. It might take me 5x as long but I’m determined to have a home I love without sacrificing my financial goals.
Here’s to enjoying the process as much as the outcome!
xx
Claire
