Before and After Day! Cottage Office Makeover

It's Before and After Day here at the cafe! Time to reveal the updated office!

While I was away at the craft retreat, my sweet husband took some time off work and painted the office from ceiling  to floor/wall trim. I love that guy!

Here's a little review of how the office looked when we first toured it about a year ago. There were dark blue curtains covering the french doors, a Jetson's light fixture, and walls that were in really rough shape. Apparently the dog (a German Shepherd) used to spend the day closed in this small room.

Welcome to the office today! Or as the Pennsylvania Dutch Hex sign above the door says, "Wilkum!"

When we moved in to the house last summer, I knew this would be a room I'd be spending a lot of time in. It has wonderful natural light from morning to midday. I took advantage of that light and painted the room in Philadelphia Cream (Benjamin Moore). When you walk in, it gives you a nice sunny warm hug.

The light fixture is from Lowe's (Allen + Roth), and it gives a soft glow of light in the evening. Of course, all the window treatments came down the day we moved in. I did my best to bring light in to what was a dark and pokey feeling house. I replaced the window panels with lace curtains from IKEA. Super cheap, but they do a nice job of filtering light, and they give the house a cottage look from the outside, too.

Don't look too closely at the light fixture. It's a little dusty right now. Cleaning that one is on my To Do list!

Now that I'm writing again, I spend a lot of time here at my desk. I try to keep it relatively organized. Do you see that closet? That officially makes this front room a bedroom. It just happens to function much better as an office for our needs.

The other side of the room is where we have a bookcase filled with books (need more bookcases!) and the piano that Sam plays just about every day.

And in between the desk wall and the piano wall? That's usually where you will find Jemma. She loves to watch the world at her window. I often catch her here, with her chin resting on the sill, just napping and soaking in the sunshine.

I agree, Jemma. It's a lovely view out the front window! I can't wait for the spring bulbs to start poking up out of the ground. I'm hoping that all of that landscaping we added last fall will grow lush and pretty here.

It seems as though we never use the same color palettes twice. In the Illinois house, we used Sherwin Williams Coastal Cools to tone down all of that oak-y wood trim. In our old colonial home in Pittsburgh, we used Historic collection paints from Valspar. In Indiana, we bought a LOT of Behr paint from Home Depot. 

For the cottage, we are using a lot of Benjamin Moore paints...probably because we have an Ace Hardware just down the street. I'm choosing a lot of pale colors in my favorite yellows/creams/blues/greens. When paired with crisp white trim, it really adds an extra dose of cute to a cottage, and it also brings in some much needed light.

When I sit at my desk, I can turn around and look in to the foyer. I just love how the yellow in the office transitions into the green of the foyer wall. So soft and sweet!

Two rooms finished! Yay! I think the master bedroom and the laundry room will be the next on the list. The great room/kitchen/dining/hallways will be a BIG job, but I'm hoping we can tackle it by this spring.

Cozying up the cottage, one room at a time.

Thanks for visiting the cafe today!