This post has been a loooooong time coming, but I’m so excited to finally be sharing it with you!
Before I show you around my new home office – which, truthfully, feels much more like a library or ‘den’ now – I feel like I should show you some before photos.
The before.
We’ve lived in this house for four years now and this room was one of the first we bought new furniture for. Since it’s right off the foyer and the very first room you see when you walk into the house, we thought it would be a good idea to get it setup the way I wanted it right away.
Cute, right? I mean, it certainly was fine the way it was. Back then, I thought it was finished.. and then a couple of years went by and my design aesthetic, taste and DIY ability progressed. I’m a firm believer in the saying “home takes time”.. and that sentiment has definitely proved true for this space!
DIY Billy Bookcases for my office.
Let’s take a walk through my thought process really quick. Back when I purchased those IKEA glass cabinets (BILLY bookcases with the glass door option), I always envisioned this wall being taken up by beautiful, black, dramatic shelves. At the time, I thought this was the best way to achieve that.. and then I realized you can make these units look built in!
So last year, while we were ripping up and installing new flooring throughout our first floor, I decided now was as good a time as any to strip the room back and give it a facelift.
I got to work figuring out what size boards I’d need in order to make the shelving units stretch from one side of the room to the other. Once those were in place, I installed forward-facing MDF boards along the top in order to add height and to create a place to hang lights. Since this room has no ceiling fixture, this was crucial!
After that, G ran electrical for me and I got to work adding trim around the edges of the cabinets, crown moulding to the top and then started to paint it all a new shade of black!
Take a look at how it all came together..
Moody home office ‘after’.
How pretty are these matching vintage candlestick sconces that I found at Goodwill a (very long) while back?! I was waiting for the perfect place to put them and I think they add such a fun little touch to this corner 🙂
Sources.
MUCH of this room was found via Facebook Marketplace or thrifted! Those items are:
- Vintage sideboard
- Brass candlestick sconces
- Desk
- Brown crock/vase
- Marble top coffee table
Although I can’t link the above items exactly, here are some links to look-a-like items in case you’re interested in recreating the look!
For the items I can link to, here they are.
Brass lamp (sold out, but linked similar) | Black desk/dining chair | Washable Rug | Desk accessories | Long stems (on desk) | Desktop pad | Baroque Mirror | Matching Arm Chairs
If I missed anything or if you have questions about sources, feel free to leave a comment below or come find me on Instagram and send me a DM 🙂
Future plans.
Believe it or not, this room STILL doesn’t feel 100% done to me. The rug, coffee table and chairs are all hand-me-downs from giving our living room a refresh earlier this year – but to me they don’t feel QUITE right for this moody black office. Eventually I’d like to do some brown- either velvet or boucle chairs, a darker rug and possibly give the coffee table a face lift! Here are a few of the items I’m currently loving for these updates:
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