It feels far too long since I have been able to get a blog post back out into the world, but I am finally here. This season of life has been quite the unexpected ride, and to be back at my computer writing again is such a blessing. Between falling very sick for a month, being hospitalized, family tragedies, time-consuming house renovations, and our outdated computer no longer supporting my website, I have had little to no opportunity to write and share these past several months. And as I am sitting here on the other end of the chaos in my cozy new office with my new computer, I am counting my blessings and so thankful to be able to get back to sharing. And just in time for the holiday season! I owe a huge thank you to you, my readers, for being so patient as life has been running its rocky course for me and my family. I am so grateful to all of you for the support you give to me every time I share and document our home journey. I cannot say thank you enough.
Since I have last posted here, our house has undergone a major change: floor refinishing. After living in our home for three and a half years, we finally had the second half of the floors refinished. The floors in our hallway and all of the bedrooms were in rough shape, and it is such a weight lifted off our shoulders to have this major project now completed and checked off the list. Our house feels ten times cozier, more cohesive, and “clean”. The process to prep this end of the house for the floor work and the amount of work we have had to do to add all the new trim work and redesign these spaces has been intense. And we still are not finished yet. But to be done enough to start enjoying these rooms is truly a gift. And that’s why today, I want to share with you our new office space. It is not finished, and things will continue to change, but I am so pleased with how it is turning out so far and am excited to start sharing the changes in here.
The goal of our new office space was quite simple: dark and cozy. I have always loved dark tones in an office. To me, dark tones make me feel like I am wrapped in a big, warm blanket. There is something so satisfying about walking into a darker room and instantly feeling “warm”. I wanted the color scheme in this room to feel inviting while we are in here working. I think that often times we can easily neglect our working spaces. They are not the main living areas of the house and can sometimes be placed on the back burner. But the truth is, our working spaces should still be places that we thrive in and enjoy. And to accomplish that in here, I wanted to marry together masculine and feminine elements that would cater to both Ryan and I. By refinishing the floors in a dark, rich wood tone and adding both black and beige furniture and accents, I think that we were able to achieve that. The desk was a piece I had refinished back in the spring and the bookshelves are from Ikea. They work well together to accomplish a sophisticated, yet casual space. And to enjoy this room even further, I sprinkled in a lot of Christmas decor to make it extra special.
To bring in the Christmas cheer, I added some wreaths to the top of the bookcases and one large one above the computer. I added some mini trees on the bookshelves that add just a hint of color. And you may be wondering why my books are all turned backwards. I will occasionally do this when I don’t want the spines of the books to be the most prominent visual aspect in the space. To highlight the green trees and wreaths, I turned the spines around so that they aren’t a distraction to the look I wanted to achieve for Christmas. Yes, it may be a little harder to find the book I am looking for, but I guess that is a sacrifice I am willing to make in the meantime to help highlight the Christmas decor. I also added some warm textures with the pillow and the wool blanket to help make this space feel even more welcoming while we work.
I also added one of our 7 foot trees in the corner to really add that extra glow. I am a collector of inexpensive Christmas trees. We found this one on clearance at Bronner’s for $50. It’s the perfect tree for this room and makes it feel so much cozier. Its soft glow feels so inviting as I sit here writing and enjoying the look of the beautiful snow outside. I love adding trees to as many rooms in the house as I can to spread out the joy of the season as far as I can stretch it. And I use cheap trees to do it. This one is certainly not a top of the line tree, but I would rather have that extra cozy factor than have none at all! I decorated it rather simply with some green and gold tartan ribbon and some brown and cream bulbs. I threw in a few globe ornaments to add to the “studious” feel of the room.
I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of our newly designed office space all decorated for Christmas, and I hope this is a helpful tool as you decorate for the season as well. This time of year is my absolute favorite, and I love getting to enjoy all that it has to offer. Thank you again for being here and for bearing with me as we (hopefully) finish out a rough season of life. I appreciate you and your support more than you know!
I’m really liking the book cases, and the look of no spines. It gives an entirely different look, and yes, it would be a task to find a ‘certain’ book, but it plays the part you were looking for nicely. I am really just plain liking the bookcases!! Really attractive in my opinion. 🙂 The desk with the new computer looks really good and the drawers next to the desk, I like too. The hardware really dresses them up! Good job, once again, Jillian!!
Thank you! I appreciate that!
Everything looks beautiful!
Love, Mom
Thank you, mom!!