Over the last few weeks, I've been working on transforming my home office space. During this process, I demoed the floors, installed new flooring, painted, brought in new furniture, and added new decor and I captured it all on video.
My goal with this home office makeover was to make the space more functional than before and more my style. The previous setup and style had been more or less the same for the past three years and it got to a point where I was feeling uninspired to work in my office so I knew it was time for a big change.
In March of 2021, we installed new luxury vinyl flooring in the main living area of our home and we loved the outcome and knew we wanted to extend that flooring into the rest of the bedrooms. We purchased the flooring we needed to complete the rooms and let them sit in the garage until I decided it was time to start the renovation and so the home office makeover series began.
Episode 1 - In episode one, I cleared out my entire office to get it ready for the floor demo. I moved everything out and placed it in a different bedroom and set up my desk in the living room. This day really allowed me to see look at everything I had and it gave me the opportunity to declutter a lot of things I no longer needed.
LINKS TO ITEMS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
Working Gloves // Utility Knife // Hammer // Pry Bar // Floor Scraper // Shop Vaccum // Concrete Filler
Episode 2 - In episode two, my husband and I demoed the floors so we removed the carpet which was pretty gross haha. There were several stains on the carpet from I don't even know what, and the foam layer had so much sand, it got everywhere. While I removed the tack strips my husband removed the glued foam pieces from the concrete so we could have a smooth surface for the floor install. The last step was to vacuum and level the concrete with this concrete filler. Once the concrete filler was applied I let it dry overnight.
LINKS TO ITEMS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
Vinyl Planks // Flooring Installation Kit // Utility Knife // Carpenter Pencil // Rafter Square
Episode 3 - In episode three, I installed these vinyl planks from Floor & Decor. I was super intimated to install these floors by myself but I learned so much from installing the floors in the main living area that I knew I could do it, it was just overwhelming because it was such a big project. This installation took me about eight hours which was exhausting on my body, my hands were throbbing by the end but it was totally worth it because I loved how the floors turned out.
LINKS TO ITEMS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
Baseboards // Baseboard Silicone // Painters Tape // Trim Paint // Paint Brush
Episode 4 - In episode four, my husband installed the baseboards and I added the silicone and let it dry overnight. The following day I painted the baseboards and let them dry overnight. This process was the least exciting but very much necessary.
LINKS TO ITEMS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
Similar Shelves // Lounge Chair // Faux Sheepskin // IKEA Alex Desk // IKEA Monitor Stand // Ruggable Sarrah Hazel Rug // IKEA Micke Desk // Office Chair // Laptop // Monitor // Keyboard + Mouse // Echo Show
Episode 5 - In episode five, I started bringing in the furniture and setting up the new room layout to make the space way more functional than before. I placed two shelves, each on opposite corners of the room, (these shelves are discontinued from IKEA but I'll link similar ones) and an IKEA Alex Desk in between the shelves. I then filled the center of the room with the Sarrah Hazel Rug from Ruggable. Overtop of the rug I placed my old IKEA Micke Desk, wheeled in my thrifted office chair, and placed my dog's thrifted lounging chair in the corner.
LINKS TO ITEMS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
Drawer Liner // Drawer Organizers // Magazine Holder // Storage Bin with Lids
Episode 6 - In episode six, I organized my desk drawers starting with my office desk and then moving onto what I call my "getting ready desk" which stores my makeup and hair accessories. I swapped my old printed magazine holders for sleek black magazine holders from Amazon and organized these storage bins by category starting with nail care, then tech and stationery items, onto makeup, and the last bin will become a catch-all bin.
LINKS TO ITEMS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
IKEA Mini Christmas Tree // IKEA Thyme Faux Plant // IKEA Oregano Faux Plant // IKEA Brown Pot // IKEA White Pot // IKEA Vase // IKEA Gold Bowl // IKEA Pillow Cushion // IKEA Pillow Cover // Amazon 2 Set Arcylic Bookends // Amazon Magazine Holder // Amazon Remote Battery-Powered Lightbulb
Episode 7 - In episode seven, I started putting things on the shelves and I share an IKEA and Amazon haul, which I've linked above. When placing books on the shelves, I turned the colorful ones around to show the pages for a more cohesive and neutral look {this is a great tip if you're decor style is neutral} and the acrylic bookends from Amazon really helped to keep them in place. The battery-powdered lightbulb I bought from Amazon for my lamp was a must because I didn't want to run the power cable down the shelf and it was the perfect solution. The lightbulb came with a remote control, it's dimmable, and changes color from warm to cool. The overall style I'm going for with the decor in this space is a mix of modern, vintage, neutral, and some earthy pieces, along with a mix of functional items too.
LINKS TO ITEMS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
Gold Arched Floor Length Mirror // Lounge Chair // Faux Sheepskin // IKEA Pillow Cushion // IKEA Pillow Cover // Woven Basket
Episode 8 - In episode eight, I went to Goodwill to buy several picture frames for an upcoming project and I added more decor around the office. The area I focused on this day was the corner in which I have my lounge chair and I finished by placing my floor-length mirror in its designated area.
LINKS TO ITEMS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
Hot Glue Gun // Staple Gun // Command Strips // 5' Cord Cover // Telephone Wire Nail-In Clips // Extension Cord // LED Lights
Episode 9 - In episode nine, I DIY'd a frame for the wall-mounted TV in my office. I used an old picture frame that wasn't being used to create the frame. I started by carefully taking the frame apart and removing the hardware. Then I enlisted the help of my husband to cut each piece to fit around the TV's perimeter. Once each piece was cut to size I hot-glued them together and secured them with a staple in each corner. To adhere the frame to the TV I used Command strips and they worked great! Once the frame was on, I shifted my focus to cable management. Lastly, I put up my LED lights to give the room a nice ambiance.
LINKS TO ITEMS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
Kraft Paper // Painters Tape // Power Drill
Episode 10 - In episode ten, I put up a gallery wall with the frames I purchased from Goodwill in episode eight. Before I put up the gallery wall I arranged the frames on the floor in the order in which I'd like them to be up on the wall. Once I had the arrangement I used craft paper to create a template for each frame and taped the templates onto the wall in said arrangement and left them there for a couple of days to ensure I really liked the layout. Once I was certain, I used the painter's tape method, which is taking the tape from corner to corner on each frame and marking where the hanging hardware is then placing the tape on the wall overtop of the craft template so you know exactly where to drill to hang up the frames precisely. This method really helped me do it myself and it was very easy.
LINKS TO ITEMS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
Portable Mirror With Lights // Mini Christmas Tree with Lights // Glass Jar with Lid // House with Lights // Bottle Brush Christmas Trees
Episode 11 - In episode 11, I swapped some things out like my old mirror for this slim rechargeable portable mirror with lights that fit perfectly in my getting-ready drawer and I added Christmas decor to my shelves with items I bought from Target.
LINKS TO ITEMS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
Etsy Vintage Prints // Etsy Vintage Christmas Prints
Episode 12 - In episode twelve, I added art to all the frames in my office. The art I used I purchased from Etsy and printed at my local CVS.
LINKS TO ITEMS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
Candle Holder // Gold Figurine // Wooden Coaster // Tissue Box Cover // Candle Wick Trimmer // Throw Blanket
Episode 13 - In episode thirteen, I add the finishing touches with decor from SHEIN.
Episode 14 - In this finale episode, I recap this two-week process and share the before and after of this space.
I'd love to know what you think of the room transformation in the comments of this blog post!
xo, Your Girl Jess