Wednesday, December 3, 2014

109 A Storied Style: Home Office / Guest Room Makeover Part 2 - The Reveal!

Thank you all for your kind comments on Part 1 of Grace's home office / guest room update!  I am excited to be back today to share the results of our project planning and efforts. 


As I mentioned in the previous post, Grace's room was previously a guest room turned holding room.  She can officially add "Home Office" to that beautiful chalkboard door of hers, as it is now a super functional space for her to work from as well as a serene haven for her lucky visitors.

When I arrived, many of the furniture pieces were already set in place. 


That made it easy to get right to work sorting, purging and then shopping for organizers to make her workspace super functional with a side of pretty.


Because Grace had a closet within the room for her sewing, gift wrap and craft supplies, the space around her desk was designated to daily necessities for list making, blogging, creating client designs and working on projects.


When it comes to organizing desk drawers, my "go-to" organizers are the acrylic set from The Container Store.  I love these organizers because you can play around with placement and they are easy to clean.  I also adore that you can line the drawers with decorative papers or fabrics and still see the pretty through the dividers.


Grace had quite an abundance of office supplies (don't we all?), so she selected all of her most used and favorites and said goodbye to the rest.  I may have decked out her tape roll with leopard print washi tape...


Her desk top holds a display box with items she uses most frequently, along with a tray to hold a stack of stationery and a pad of paper for notes and lists.




Each side of her desk is flanked by gorgeous white lacquered shelves which she paired with gold foil frames.


She has a lot of room to grow with these shelves should she need to expand in the future.  We also opted for acrylic organizers to give her versatile, timeless storage that will last for many years to come.




When it came to filing her paperwork, we purchased two desktop file boxes, one for blog items and another for clients.  I gave the label holders a little gold leaf Rub n' Buff and they looked like right at home.




For Grace's guests, she centered a simple wooden bed frame on the wall, and covered it with beautiful textiles.



Just outside of the closet is where more daily crafting items live.  How amazing is that ombre set of drawers?  I am a fan.


The drawers hold things like wallpaper samples, craft paper, glues, markers, paper punches, labeling supplies, etc...  The small drawers keep each category fairly orderly.

Perched on top of the set of drawers are acrylic organizers that hold Grace's personal business cards, as well as the ones she has collected from others over the years.


And that rounds out the tour of how a guest room was married to a home office.


So now let's take a quick peek at how we handled the closet space.  (Forgive the image quality - a setting sun plus closet lighting plus lack of equipment made the space a bit of a challenge to photograph).


After the closet was completely empty, we gave the walls a super quick white-wash treatment, by dry brushing white paint over the tired and orange wall planks.  We also painted the floor in a deep gray color, and the combination of those two quick actions instantly freshened up the entire area.  I always love a blank slate!

Based on the sorted categories, the goal was to create a gift wrap station, a fabric and sewing station, and a place to corral and conceal all of the "other" miscellaneous items we came across.  Oh!  And Grace's ribbon inventory was off-the-hook!  So many amazing, beautiful trims, embellishments and ribbons in every color of the rainbow!  Bins, drawers and containers full of ribbon rolls and strands were discovered during the "clean-out" phase.  She was really excited to be reunited with many of her favorites.


Every last strand was separated, re-rolled and sorted.


And every last piece of fabric was folded.


For the gift wrap cart, we used this one from Bed, Bath & Beyond (20% off coupon love), and swapped out the canvas bins for prettier woven options (from Target).


The first basket holds gift wrapping embellishments, scissors, pens, tags, stickers, etc... while the bottom basket holds gift boxes and tissue paper.

The top of the cart came with a few divided areas, one which was perfect for Grace's stack of stationery and cards.  I added a few extra drawer dividers to the cart as well, to organize the remaining tags and labels.



To hold all of the fabric piles, I cut a piece of cardboard to create a folding template (just a simple rectangle that fit inside of the cubby shelves).  I laid out each piece of fabric and re-folded them using the template.


I then placed the fabrics within the cubbies by color family.


The cubbies are part of the Kallax line from IKEA, which we embellished with gold foiled hardware on the corners along with decorative casters found at an architectural salvage shop.


The top of the fabric cubbies holds Grace's sewing machine and supplies, which she can easily tote to her office to work on a project.


Grace had purchased a makeup caddy from HomeGoods, but I confiscated it and told her it would serve her much better for hew sewing items.


All of her shorter strands of ribbon were strung by color on her vintage peg rack.  Rolls of ribbon were placed on dowels within the gift wrap cart while the remaining ribbons were wrapped and clipped with clothing pins and placed in a basket behind her cabinet doors.


For the remaining trim and embellishments, I found some sock organizers at Target that were a perfect solution for her two built-in drawers.


Inside of the cabinet, we lined the shelves with woven baskets to streamline and conceal the remaining items.  The baskets hold everything from gifts that Grace purchases throughout the year, to stamps and ink pads, and even cans of spray paint.  I selected baskets from Target to be sure we could find enough that all matched, little did we know we would  have to go to about six different Targets to find them all. 


The labels holders were also found at the architectural salvage shop, and were attached using blunt screws paired with a bolt backing (to prevent items from getting caught on the backside).


The backsides of the cabinets were painted with chalkboard paint and cork tiles were attached so Grace has a place to pin up favorites from magazines, while keeping the visual clutter hidden behind doors.

And that is literally a wrap!  Whew!  Let's now celebrate the once messy closet turned super organized closet!  Heck, let's dance around and get giddy about the entire transformation that took place over the course of a couple of days.




This will go down in history as one of my favorite projects ever.  Not just because the results are so fantastic and her spaces are functional and fabulous, but also because of the time I got to spend with Grace.  Working on projects like these with a friend makes it so much fun, it never once felt like a chore.  Great music found on Pandora, daily coffee runs, stories filled with tears and laughter, road trips, Sarah Richardson, high fives, Target strolls, sushi and wine were all keys to making this room a success in the short time we had together.  They are also just some of the many memories that I took home with me when I left the great state of Texas.

Working on spaces with others is something I have always wanted to dabble in, and this was definitely a learning experience I was able to grow from.  My fingers are now crossed that more talks that start out as "Wouldn't it be great if...?" turn into "We did it!".


Check out the beginning of the room transformation on Grace's blog here and here.  And part one of the project here.

109 comments:

  1. I love this room, and that gold typewriter is incredible!

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    1. Thanks Steph, the gold typewriter has such a cool back story, keep an eye on my blog for it!

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  2. That closet looks so great! I love it! Definitely going to use some of your ideas! I LOVE The Container Store, btw!

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  3. This looks so great!! Whenever we actually move into our first home I want you to help out!

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    1. Let's make that happen! You are much less than 1,000 miles away ;)

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  4. The gold accents are absolutely beautiful!

    Connie | Sponsored by Coffee

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  5. So pretty! I swear, the kid in me wants to run and jump onto that bed, curl up, and take a nap! So fluffy and comfy looking! You guys did such a great job. You ought to be very proud. It looks like it was a tremendous amount of work, but definitely worth it.

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    1. Momma, ha, me too! It is actually a very comfy nap bed. :)

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  6. Okay, fascinated by every detail. Ready for another road trip? Much less snow in Charlotte this time of year :)

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    1. Ooooh! Charlotte is on my travel bucket list! And partnering with you is on my work bucket list, so there you go! ;)

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  7. PS--I also had to tell you I love the new profile pic. And I bought that same shirt for my profile pic update. I had pics made in that and the black one that ended up going up on the blog :)

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    1. I agree with Emily. Your new profile pic is great. You're so pretty!

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    2. What a beautiful project! It's wonderful that you were able to spend time with your friend and share such an experience. Thanks so much for sharing all the pretty details. Great job, ladies!!

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  8. Awesome as always! It looks so fresh and pretty! I love all of the acrylic organizing items! Great job!

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  9. Beautiful team effort! So unique and functional. :)

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  10. What a magnificent transformation. And such a treat to read about a collaboration between two bloggers. Keep it up! x

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    1. Thanks Stacey! It was both of our first times to do something like that, and it was so fun!

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  11. Do you want to come to South Africa and pretty please help me?
    x

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  12. So this was really an office with the "guest" part as an afterthought. There is no place to put clothes, read in bed, set down my phone next to the bed. And some of the windows don't seem to have coverings all the way for privacy. I would hate to stay in this room as a guest. It is pretty but is an an office.

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    1. Hi Nadine!

      Completely understandable comments, my post was already pretty lengthy so I didn't necessarily focus on the guest side of the space. Grace had purchased a slim table to place next to the bed, which didn't get assembled prior to me leaving, however, it is a great surface to set water, a phone, books, etc... The chair near the bed is also quite comfortable and I can imagine getting lost in a book there for hours. Her window coverings will give 100% privacy, they all have roman shades that drop down as well as sliding panels. One window was not complete, but you can see the fabric for it on the shelf next to her desk, she is just waiting for the installation hardware to arrive. Having been a guest in her home myself, I can assure you she was the most gracious and considerate host, and the room is very accommodating. :)

      xoxo!

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    2. Hi Nadine, Jen is absolutely right! We had definitely not perfected the "guest room" details of this when the photos were taken. I'm still working on it, but it is going to be very cozy for guests when I am done! :)

      And yes, the windows do close for complete privacy. I was waiting on one more curtain rod when Jen was here. :)

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  13. Perfect!!! You 2 make a perfect team!!!

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    1. Ditto! I thought the same, you made a great team :)

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  14. Wow, this is amazing! Very elegant and organized: that's really inspiring! I will revisit and re-read this post in detail, you can be sure :-)

    Thumbs up!

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  15. Just WOW. Absolutely jaw-dropping!! I am in love with this room! And that closet makeover is pure magic. What a perfect blend of beautiful design and functionality. High five, Jen, you are amazing!!

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  16. OMG, this room is just perfect! I love the light blue accents on the windows mixed with the black and gold details, and the bed looks so cozy! Great job :)

    Francesca
    petitfaon.blogspot.com

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  17. I love this! The styling of the room is amazing and I cannot get enough of that craft closet! Great job!

    Sara Kate Styling

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  18. Your sewing shelves are lovely :)

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  19. What a wonderful project!

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  20. THIS is absolutely amazing. So much inspiration. So much perfection. So much pretty. Thank you for sharing your home to us Grace!

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  21. What a great experience and such a beautiful room! I love all the gold office supplies!!

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  22. Love! I love how the acrylic organizers just fade away (like the one holding the magazines on the shelves). And those lampshades?! I would love a set of those for my daughters room. Can you share how the budget was discussed for this room? It seems like there were a lot of items purchased.

    Love the transformation!

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    1. Hi Nicole!

      Grace did not share her exact budget with me, however, she had been saving for this room for quite some time (remember, her and I had been talking about this room for over a year). While planning and shopping, I made product recommendations and she decided if they fit her budget, and if not, we found alternative solutions.

      xoxo!

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    2. Hi Nicole, I figured everything we would need as far as organizing would be three to five hundred dollars, and I had saved awhile since I knew this was coming! The lampshades are from Ballard Designs!

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  23. Truly amazing!!! Can you tell me where the bookshelves came from?

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    1. Hello! The shelves are from CB2: http://www.cb2.com/stairway-grey-wall-mounted-bookcase/s195717, Grace lacquered the shelves white and used gold foil to update the frames. xoxo!

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    2. Hey Anon, I just posted the DIY Tutorial on the shelves, check it out here.

      http://www.astoriedstyle.com/index.php/2014/12/diy-gold-leafed-shelves/

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  24. Oh wow I am speechless

    Why dont you live in Europe? In Spain actually! I could use a hand too ;)

    Her room was stunning and you've done such an amazing job in the closet.

    Well, as always

    xo

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  25. WOW!! You all should go into business together! Such an amazing space, I can't pick a favorite element, I love everything!

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    1. Sarah, that is an idea! Now which of us is moving, Jen? ;)

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  26. Hi Jen,

    The room looks crazy amazing! Love your work!! Can you tell me where Grace purchased her wooden box frame for the guest bed. I am looking for something very similar.

    Thanks and again great job on the room!!
    ~Katie

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    1. Thank you Katie! I believe the frame was a DIY build, but I will also try checking with Grace to confirm. :)

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    2. Doubly Domesticated, we had a guy that helps us with handiwork make it for us, and it is just a super simply build. It cost around $40 for him to do it, I think. I'm still trying to decide if I need to jazz it up a little bit, but it does its job!

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  27. There is so much organizing goodness in this post! What a beautiful room. And it's even better because you got to spend time with a friend while doing it! So inspiring. <3

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  28. I absolutely love this space!! You are truly amazing at making organization practical and pretty.You mentioned in a blog series post that the name can be limiting but honestly speaking you are so wonderful at organizing that the name to me makes sense because you make other people heart organizing as well. I will sometimes show my husband ( not an organizer) your posts and he gets on board much easier.

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    1. This such a sweet compliment, and I really appreciate it! :) My main objective is to always make organizing fun and approachable, so I am grateful to hear that you can even get your hubby on board with projects. Wahoo!

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    2. I mean it. Execution has been a little more complicated :P

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  29. I love this room. Do you know where the lily art was purchased?

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    1. Hi Ashley, it is a vintage piece that I got on clearance at an awesome store called Again&Again in Dallas!

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  30. wow is right!! simply gorgeous. LOVE the colors and style that she chose, and of course, your organizing style was just fabulous!! well done!! (and the cardboard folding template! genius!!)

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  31. Beautiful collaboration!
    What is dry paint? (as in the white wall in the closet)

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    1. Hi Kay! We actually just used regular paint and "dry" brushed it onto the walls. The process was simple, we started by dipping the brush into the paint, brushed some of it off onto a piece of cardboard, and then lightly coated the wall surface. We did not cover the surface entirely which gave the walls an aged/weathered look. xoxo!

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  32. Lovely! Can you please tell me where the little gold easel holding the calendar is from?

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    1. I wish I knew, it is fabulous! I know she received the calendar as a gift from a friend. I will see if I can snag some sources from Grace next time we chat. :)

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    2. Megan, the gold frame and calendar is part of a set, and it is BEAUTIFUL. It is actually designed and produced by my friend Kelly. They would make awesome Christmas gifts! You can purchase it here:

      http://www.horchow.com/KELL-YKAY-2015-Desk-Calendar-with-Easel/cprod108550063/p.prod?srccode=cii_16079562&cpncode=42-16803514-2

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  33. Wouldn't it be great if..... ;)
    You guys are amazing, this space is pure perfection! Thank you for making time for me while you were here...it was a joy to have you in Texas!! xo #nowcomeback

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  34. Wow! The makeover looks amazing! Do you know where she got the lamp shades and artwork from by her desk? I'm obsessed!

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    1. Hi Katilyn! I believe the lamp shades are from Ballard Designs, I am not sure about the art. I will see if I can get a list of sources from Grace. xoxo!

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    2. Hey Kaitlyn, the artwork is from an awesome vintage store in Dallas called Again&Again. The lamp shades are indeed from Ballard Designs.

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  35. This is just lovely! I have an almost identical set-up in my office/guest room but I never thought of centering the bed that rarely gets used. I might move it to see how it looks.

    Great design!

    Jenn
    www.thecremebuleeblog.com

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    1. Jennifer, this room is small, so I put the bed in that daybed style to save room. I may move it to a normal position when we have guests, but it is still comfortable to sleep on the way it is! I tried it out to make sure it wasn't weird. :)

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  36. Beautiful work again Jen you are an inspiration to everyone! You have done a fantastic job here of utilizing all the space and making an office work with a guest room and it still look stunning!

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  37. WOW. Amazing room. I love the gold detailing. Everything flows together perfect. Thanks for sharing!!


    www.endlesshouseaffair.com

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  38. Lovely work!

    I enjoy your blog, but your use of the word "within" (rather than "in") makes me a little nutty. See: http://www.differencebetween.net/language/differences-between-in-and-within/

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  39. It's gorgeous! Fantastic, I am drooling over the gold typewriter.

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  40. This is just stunning, I can't believe you did all this in a couple of days! I'm moving house soon, I now have so many ideas for my new office/guest room - I can't wait to get started. I probably couldn't make that my first project, could I?

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  41. This room is amazing. Just a question about the closet-- the cabinets in there look like they got a treatment that's either a stencil or wallpaper? Which is it? I love it and would love to replicate it!

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    1. Hi Jess!

      The cabinet doors were done out of wallpaper. We used some paper that she already had on hand from another project, so unfortunately I do not have a source for it.

      xo!

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    2. Hey Jess, the paper on the cabinets is Schumacher wallpaper I bought on Ebay for a few dollars.

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  42. Oh my goodness, I've imagined that must be what home office/guest room/craft rooms look like in heaven. :) Just gorgeous, I love everything about it.

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  43. This room is just amazing!! Do you know where she purchased the brass business card holder (very first couple of pictures)? Love all your work!!

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    1. I believe it is vintage. She always finds the coolest things!

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    2. With the right search terms you can find almost anything:
      https://www.google.com/search?q=3+hand+clip+desk+organizer&client=ms-android-att-us&hl=en-US&source=univ&biw=320&bih=496&tbm=isch&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=jUaPVISyGsqwggTKvYDwBQ&ved=0CCgQ7Ak#hl=en-US&tbm=isch&q=3+hand+clip+Brass+Memo+Holder

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    3. Hey Anon, that is a vintage piece! I found it at the Chelsea Flea in NYC, but Kate is right, you can find them on Ebay from time to time. They used to be used in department stores to hold ladies gloves. Aren't they neat?

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  44. Wow! Fantastic! If ever you want to help me organise our second bedroom/dumping ground/Im at a bit of a loss-room in a quaint mill cottage in England, you're very welcome! No really, any time! X

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  45. Love love love the office makeover ... Thee are so many favorites here :) can you share his you got the paisley print in the closet cupboard ? Was it stenciling ?

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    1. Hi Dee!

      The cabinet doors were done out of wallpaper. We used some paper that she already had on hand from another project, so unfortunately I do not have a source for it.

      xo!

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    2. Hey Dee, I bought the wallpaper (it is Schumacher) on Ebay for a few dollars! Ebay is a great source for nice wallpapers like that.

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  46. Absolutely love this! In the middle of re-modeling my home office. Love how you turned a closet into an oasis. That space can so easily turn into a disaster fast.

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  47. These posts are inspiring me to get to work on my guest room/office! Do you know where the rug is from?
    Thanks!

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    1. Hi Tx, the rug was a vintage Moroccan find on Etsy!

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  48. This turned out so great, Jen! I am always so impressed with your ability to organize and do it in such a pretty way!

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  49. I have a hallway alcove where the heater door and attic access are that is next to two kids rooms. I put a tall bookcase there because I need more storage but what a pain in the neck to have to move it to get in the attic or replace the heater filter. When I saw you put the Kallax on castors I knew that would be a great solution. I did it today and love it. I love your blog, I am always looking to make my home more organized. Thank you!

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    1. This makes me SO happy to hear! Thank you for taking a moment to come by and share! Congrats on the rolling bookcase!

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    2. Oh cool, Anon! Casters are so handy. :)

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  50. Beautiful room. What I am curious about is: where is her computer? You say she blogs, and this is her home office. Seems to me her computer would need a place to live.

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    1. Hi Kate! She uses a laptop - which fits perfectly in that big open spot in the center of her desk. :) xo!

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  51. I love this make over! I actually took a lot of your ideas and went to IKEA and straightened out my office closet and I cannot tell you how much I love it. Thank you!

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  52. Hi Grace! Beautiful work over here . Where did you get this beautiful white desk?
    I was looking for something simelar, if you don't mind sharing :) thank you - Mia

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  53. Jen! This is SO good! Every detail so lovely and thoughtful. Just beautiful. Maybe I missed it in the post but were those shelves on either side of the desk a DIY? I love them!

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    1. Thank you Jennifer! :)

      Grace posted the DIY on her blog: http://www.astoriedstyle.com/index.php/2014/12/diy-gold-leafed-shelves/

      They were purchased from CB2 and she lacquered the shelves and gold leafed the support pieces. They are stunning!

      xo!

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  54. Wow! Truly amazing room.
    Curious about her white desk?? I have one almost identical (Bombay co) That I was going to paint. but then I noticed the croc top. Did she do that? Did it come like that ?? Amazing idea and would love to know how (if she did it). Share please?? email at bicycleliz@yahoo.com Thanks!!!!

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  55. That room is GORGEOUS!! Really beautiful. And I must have that gold typewriter!

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  56. Any News on where she found the white and gold desk? is it a DIY?
    Thank you :)

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    1. I think this might be it. https://www.onekingslane.com/product/31990/2276064?cat=90

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  57. Has anyone asked about that gorgeous blue green trim paint? I'd sure love to know its color! Thank you! Gorgeous job ladies!

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    1. Hi Cheryl! You can snag all of the paint details on Grace's blog here: http://www.astoriedstyle.com/index.php/2014/11/guest-room-office-makeover-progress-paint-trim/ xoxo!

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  58. Where did the desk come from? I love it. Want it.

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  59. I just found this lovely post and also an curious about the desk. Since this blog entry was posted over a year ago I didn't want to ask, in case you had already answered. I read through all the comments and see other people are also interested, yet there is no answer. Is the desk a restored vintage piece? The room and closet look amazing. I am thrilled to have found both your blogs! :-)

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  60. Hi! Love this!! By any chance do you know where that AMAZING carpet is from?!?

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  61. I am actually just purchased these CB2 shelves and re-created the DIY gold leafed shelves from this post - I can't believe how gorgeous they turned out! Can you tell me where you purchased the flat white storage boxes with the black trim? I looked at the container store and they only have white cardboard options - these appear to be a more high end material, and I absolutely love them! Thanks for so many great ideas in this post!!

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    1. Hi Ashley!

      Your comment makes me so happy, I bet your shelves are absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, the boxes were from the Container Store. I believe they were marked down right around the same time Grace purchased them, so they may have been discontinued shortly after. I checked a few other "go to" sources and I couldn't seem to track down these exact boxes any longer (or even anything similar).

      Jen

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