DIY Office Makeover

Like most of us, are you creating a space for a home office to work remotely, staring at walls, and possibly adding virtual backgrounds on Zoom to blend in with the clutter behind us?

This pandemic has forced all of us to stay home and tackle that pile of junk mail that has been growing on the desk we just used for decoration. Now, after days of cleaning and filing away essential documents that we’ve been searching for forever, let’s make the space enjoyable to work in. But first... what’s your inspiration?

I am a total introvert, which means I love to have some creative space and organization (even if it’s organized chaos). This project was an absolute must for me since we just purchased a new home and needed a space of my own instead of sharing an office with my husband! Here’s the thing though... my wallet refused to buy anything without some end goal!

So on one of my Magnolia Network binges, I came across a show called “Home Work” with Candis & Andy. In season 1, I admired their use of dark, bold, earthy colors, which was frightening since my comfort zone colors are light grays and whites.

I was immediately inspired to get out of my comfort zone and step over into the dark side y’all! In true Pinterest fashion, she started stalking me with black, navy, and slight blueish-green rooms. After a whole month of pinning, and staring at Lowes paint swatches, I settled on the color “Dark Night” and “Utterly Beige.”

Now enough of my yammering, here’s what you need for this project:

Supplies:

Paint - Lowe’s HGTV Sherwin Williams Dark Night/ Utterly Beige

3D Wall Panels - Amazon or Wayfair

Construction Adhesive Glue

Light Fixture: 6 Lights

Brad Nailer - 3/4 nails

Chair Rail Moulding

Paintable Caulk

Painters tape/ Plastic Floor drop

Measuring Tape

Laser Level

Tips for the Process:

My max budget for this project was $150, including the cost of the interior decor. How? I reused or repurposed items I already had. For instance, the picture frames were initially silver, but I spray-painted them gold. Also, to save on buying a new desk, I already had these hairpin legs I purchased from Amazon on Prime Day last year. I simply spray-painted them, and built my desktop from leftover wood from a wall we ripped down from our house built in 1962. This was the toughest pine I had ever worked with!

Keep in mind that if you do not have the tools, please don't go out and buy them. If you choose to add a wooden border, Home Depot and Lowes will cut it for you, and a simple hammer and nail will work just fine.

Follow the instructions carefully. The wall must be flat, clean, and dry. If the wall is aged, it must first be primed. (So...reading is fundamental, and I clearly missed this step... but since the first panel was up, I just had to keep going and use strong painters tape to hold them up)

The panels must be separated and stacked for about 24 hours before installing to balance the moisture and prevent expansion and contraction.

Measure twice, and glue once! Measure your wall carefully. It's essential to place the first few on the central point of the wall, regardless of the pattern you create. Since most ceilings and baseboards are not perfectly level, the wall panels may shift and look crooked once complete.

Try placing about four panels on the wall with painter's tape before applying the glue to ensure all is well and level.