The makings of an office.

The last house I lived in before my time at the Loft was a 900 square foot bungalow. I loved it. It was tiny and I can live small.

One of the things I did was to paint the walls all my favorite white, Benjamin Moore Cloud White. The white opened the walls and made the tiny home feel expansive.

When I rented the Loft, a huge industrial space with ceilings up to the sky and about 1,400 square feet I was able to expand my tiny life and start collecting antiques and thrifted treasures and creating altars all over. 

Now, I am in a home that is larger than any home I've ever lived. I am in love with it. From the moment I walked in it was that instant recognition of home.

Inside this space of home there is a bedroom. A huge bedroom. In this bedroom had a nook by two windows. This nook was painted with stencils. I've never had an office of my own. Gratefully we agreed that I could create my #magicmakingoffice in this space.

I couldn't think with the stencils. They confused my head. The rest of the room is the color of the background of the stencils, a champagne color which I also was not loving on.

I decided on two colors, a deep navy for the rest of the room and this crazy turquoise (Mallard Trek Turquoise) that changes the way it looks all day as the light shifts.

Stencils are assholes to paint over. So I took my brush and hand painted the area. I painted the paint on thick and worked in small patches swirling it around so that the texture under the paint would blend into the texture I was adding on.

I wasn't convinced my love was going to be pleased with my outside the box version of painting though he seems to love it. Mostly he loves that I have an office.

Our trip to India gifted us with this gorgeous carpet that we had for almost a year before we had a home to lay it in. Every time I see it I see the love that Dave has for me, I feel the joy of our trip, I am reminded of building home together.

I start with a rough vision of the space and start pulling pieces I've collected together and filling in the gaps with trips to antique shows and stores. 

The wire basket and small chalkboard were from my trip to Brimfield this summer. I am already dreaming of my return trip.

The chalkboard was an old piece I found that had green slate and was ruined with some marker writing on it. I painted it with chalkboard paint and then let the kids draw on it.

Then we realized we couldn't erase it fully. After wiping it off I was left with this. I was going to paint over it and I can't. There is something so charming about having all of the kid's words jumbled up together. Our blended family.

So I am calling it art. Love art.

The hanging basket is Amazon, the moon chart is Urban Outfitters and the butterfly I found at Savers. I scavenge many of the plants from Home Depots all over. New Hampshire has amazing plants.

Dave gave me a computer screen which I will figure out at some point. The desk is a handmade piece I found at an antique store and it is just a bit too tall for a normal chair. I am trying to find something wonderful that will lift me up. For now I sit on a pillow and my back is mad at me!

Slowly filling in the gaps and gathering my supplies. Having everything in one place is life shifting. I've been living out of two places for so long without any true places for anything. Knowing where my check book and stamps are is soothing to my soul.

The kid's father always teased me that I have empty frames everywhere. Sometimes the frame arrives before the photo. I am going to work on looking through photos of Dave and I from the beginning. I read somewhere that your bedroom should only have pictures of the people that sleep there in it. That stuck with me and I love the idea of having some photo evidence of our start together.

This incredible basket has been floating around the house looking for its place. I love it and it just wasn't working anywhere. Until now. 

And. Now I love the light champagne wall color on the rest of the walls. (Pictures soon, that is my next space to makeover.) I am scheming and dreaming about how I can finish the space for a complete room.

The way I am working feels new and sacred. The space is giving me boundaries working from home and being a stay at home mama as my primary role. The sun pours through the windows as I sit and type and I swear this color has given me new inspiration in my work.

All about the magic.

xo H