Pepper Design Blog

Office Makeover: Bookcases Under $300

While the future guestroom/office still looks like this (as soon as Olivia arrived we halted construction for a bit):

We’ve made tentative plans to resume renovation for the last week of March! Oh how I’ve been counting down the days. I’m working full time again and my dining room table loathes me and my bazillion piles of work. It’s an organizational nightmare – especially when we need the dining room to feed family and friends.

Since Kevin is a full time architecture student, much of the physical construction work revolves around his school schedule. When he has a break between quarters projects are finished in the blink of an eye, and then I get a good several months to mull over decorating ideas until the next big undertaking begins.

But now that we’re in countdown mode to finishing the office/guest bedroom AND beginning our brand new guest bathroom, there’s much happy dancing going on over here! And shopping. Because suddenly we are very much in need of a desk, bookshelf storage and a bed.

First up, bookshelves.

I love the look of French Baker’s Rack-style bookshelves. The variation in materials (especially the natural wood and metal contrast) compliments so many design styles and although it can be dangerous, open shelving is my favorite (forces you to be organized!).

These sets from Restoration Hardware are out of my league, but here are several options that fit the price and look:

I found most of my favorites at Home Decorators and World Market, two stores that consistently deliver quality products (usually taking cue from the trendier designer stores) at an affordable price. In fact, each of them had their own variation of this design:

Copy cats. World Market coming in just $30 under.

I love the bare Parsons look (such as the white bookcase above or the grey below) or the X detail of the French-inspired bookshelves (flanking the sides of the shelves or back).

If you’re on the hunt as well, Ballard Designs had several fantastic bookcases, but they all broke my $300 a piece budget.

Most of the above bookshelves came in between $99-$250! Great, right? Add to that a Googled coupon code for free shipping or 10% off and two bookshelves for either side of the new desk might be affordable after all. And there’s always Craigslist – I’ve searched for the last two weeks without finding the perfect fit but it usually is a great tool.

After finishing my desk hunt, I’ll start pairing options up and hopefully have something ordered this week.

San Diego Magazine: Office Organization

I recently put together a trends piece for the March issue of San Diego Magazine that offers tips for designing & organizing your home office (spring cleaning time is almost here!). I also included a collage of inspiring office additions – many of the pieces which represent a ‘dream’ office space in our office/guestroom remodel – that pull together a very gender-neutral (but pretty!) organized office space.

Here’s the inspiration board I created:

And just for fun, here’s the published spread (find the online issue – as well as the eight organization/decorating tips & tricks – here on pages 82 & 83):

I also wrote an article on a beautiful “ultra modern” home here in San Diego by famed local architect Jonathan Segal:

A fun read if you love contemporary design and architecture!

Now if I can only find that beautiful wood desk from Layla & Grayce at about an eighth of the price… it’s stunning and would make an excellent addition to the new office. Hope you had a lovely weekend!

You can find the February San Diego Magazine edition on masculine and feminine bedroom inspiration boards here.

Friday Guest Blog Interview: Simplified Bee

The Friday Guest Blog Interview series is beginning to work its way back into the swing of things. It’s such a privilege and a pleasure to *meet* new bloggers through this once-every-month-ish series and then to introduce you to blogs that I think you’ll truly enjoy! If you’d like to check out past interviews (and there are a full year’s worth from some of my favorites, click here, or on the Guest Interview button in the right sidebar). It’s always inspiring to me to learn more about another blogger’s style, design aesthetic and how they ‘got to where they are today’.

This week, Cristin of Simplified Bee is sharing with us her design suggestions and tips, and introducing her beautiful blog! Cristin creates what she calls “functional” interior design with an expertise and love for home organization. As a professional organizer, she shares inspiring (and motivating!) solutions, tips and tricks to promote harmony and enable efficiency, all while adding style & beauty to the home.

I love the concept and make regular trips out to Simplified Bee to read Cristin’s daily posts on beautiful decor and great finds.

Read on to learn more about how Cristin started her blog and company, what motivates her and what she includes in her favorite trends. I couldn’t agree more with her three top design tips and love of block prints, either! Read more »