Pepper Design Blog

Office Makeover: On the Search for a Credenza

One of the biggest design challenges in the new room is working around the lack of storage. As you know, we nixed all of our closet space in favor of a second full bath in the house, so we’ve been getting creative around here on what can be stored where and what can be downsized.

Part of the functioning space of the office/guestroom is for it to be my art room as well. So the office will need to cleverly house a sewing machine, fabric swatches, paint + charcoal + pastel supplies, yarn for knitting, etc. The solution? A super large credenza for the opposite side of the room across from the desk.

And so the Craigslist/swap meet/thrift store search was on. My only criteria was that the new credenza needed to have strong bones (a sturdy, wooden piece that would make for a long lasting addition) as well as plenty of shelving or doors for storage. That, plus the more over-sized the better – at least 70″ (your traditional credenza/buffet is about 60″ long, so that was a challenge).

After finding plenty of furniture that was too small, too expensive or in too terrible of shape, I stumbled upon this Craigslist posting:

The size was just right at 72″ long, and the clean lines had a mid-century modern flair (especially those legs!). The drawers, door and shelving would offer plenty of storage, and a cabinet maker’s stamp on the inside of the drawer confirmed that she was well-built with solid wood and strong bones. She came home with me for $135 cash – what a steal!

Right now I’m imagining a little TLC involving paint + some kind of pattern in those great open shelves + pretty hardware:

I’m feeling a weekend project coming on… she should be up and running in no time!

For more Office Makeover posts, check out: new trim, dining table-to-desk,  a new desk & bookshelves, installing remnant carpeting, grasscloth wallpaper, painting the office nook, finding carpet for the office, chocolate brown wall ideas, plastering progress,  inspiration for a diy desk, back in action!, desking hunting for under $300, bookcases under $300, inspirational rooms, room layout options, demo part 1 & demo part 2.

Office Makeover: Go Bold or Go Home

We’ve made great strides on our new office/guestroom, and to be quite honest, I’m still absorbing the drastic changes (woah! chocolate brown). After much debate and after much oogling over these dark brown inspiration rooms, we decided to go bold in (at least a part of) the office.

The to-do list currently includes:

1. Paint guest portion of the room chocolate brown (we opted to not paint the entire room a saturated color since it’s so narrow and might read too dark). The rest of the room will receive a soft tan that matches the new grasscloth wall (see to-do list item #2!).

2. Grasscloth one accent wall in the office area.

3. Carpet mismatched hardwood floors for a cohesive look.

Want a peak in on the painting? Don’t judge yet – once the room is finished in crisp white molding, patterned fabrics adorn the windows and bed, the wall artwork is hung and all of the other decor is added, I know it will look awesome. But right now? It looks like a bear cave. Our guests will be sleeping in a bear cave.

Family and friends reading this? Welcome to our guestroom/bear cave. This is where you’ll be staying.

Here we are finishing the room late at night… when we work best . Bonus to family visiting from out of town? Extra painters. My little brother wasn’t anticipating a night of painting but he was game.

If after accessorizing and decorating the space still feels like a cave, we’re considering boxing out the round ceilings or adding a trim (like a picture rail) and white ceiling to lighten it up. Sort of like one of these rooms:

Or, maybe I’ll pull out the paint brush at midnight three months from now, we’ll see.

Since our office has those beautiful original arched walls, there was really no way around not painting the ceiling. Unless we do one of the above. But first we decided to go all out and see how it goes… to be continued!

PS Thank you everyone for your comments! I love and look forward to your thoughts and ideas.

For more Office Makeover posts, check out: finding carpet for the office, chocolate brown wall ideas, plastering progress,  inspiration for a diy desk, back in action!, desking hunting for under $300, bookcases under $300, inspirational rooms, room layout options, demo part 1 & demo part 2.

Project Nursery: Vintage Alphabet Wall Art

Alas, no baby news. I am officially nine days overdue and I’ve tried reflexology, acupuncture, spicy foods, plenty of exercise and a decent amount of driving over large pot holes that just happen to get in my way on the road.

Yesterday afternoon we visited San Diego snow (yes, it sort of snows here – crazy but true) in the nearby mountain towns of Mt. Laguna and Julian, our favorite get-out-of-dodge locations for a quick distraction.

Wow it was beautiful! We took advantage of the clear skies and enjoyed an hour induction hike with Bodie, who just loves the snow.

Meanwhile, the nursery received a new addition. I’ve had my eyes out for a vintage alphabet poster since my first trimester and when I came across this one on a family trip to Sedona back in July, I scooped it up knowing it would be part of the inspiration for the space.

Fast forward six months later and an Ikea frame + the print (found the same one on Amazon) + a little spray paint (same red oxide primer we used for the changing table) = one new piece of very wallet-friendly art.

This particular Ikea frame has a plastic (instead of glass) insert, which makes it even more ideal for a nursery space.

I don’t know where it will finally end up (waiting on baby photos and additional wall art before hammering any nails into the wall) but it turned out just as I had hoped.

If you’re playing catch up, here’s a quick Project Nursery run down of posts: painting the wall animals, finding a great Craigslist changing table, adding stripes to one accent wall, the initial inspiration board and the really crazy before pictures of the room.

Today’s the last day to enter the Lowe’s giveaway for a new air purifier! Check it out here.

And do share, all you mommies out there, what natural induction secrets do you know?