Home Office DIY ~ Part 1

Last weekend what started as a 'fixing my table leg' turned into a whole office DIY!  I moved my table out of my office area to tighten the leg and to organize my space.  As I looked at the space, I thought...'how boring!'  I sit here for 40+ hours a week; I felt like this space needed a face lift.

The changes that I felt would make a huge difference -- without breaking the bank -- were the following:

1. Stain Desk Darker
2. Replace Old Lamp Shade
3. Add a rug to break up the area
4. Desk Chair- Either find a new one or re-upholster my old chair
4. Figure out something to update the boring wall.

I set a budget of $100.00 and went to work!

                               Here is the Before Picture of the Office (use your imagination on table LOL)

We all jumped in the truck and went shopping! Well I went shopping while they waited in the truck.

My 1st Stop:  IKEA.  During one of my previous visits there I saw a rug that caught my eye. I thought it would be perfect for the office.  I also like their variety of lamp shades.   I felt this lamp shade's (shown below) pattern tied in nicely with the pattern of the rug, so I added it to my cart.  After finding my first two items in a dash, I quickly searched for a chair but thought to myself, "for these prices, there isn't a chair worth buying here."  Moving along, I proceeded to scour through their fabric and curtain section for material to re-upholster my chair.  Again, nothing really caught my eye.

Damage:  Rug $19.99 + Lamp Shade $14.99 =Total w/tax $37.52



My 2nd Stop:  Target.  My goal here was to look at their chairs and curtains to find some fabric. Again, the chairs were OK but nothing worth blowing my budget on.  I headed over to their curtain section (looking for material) and was starting to feel a little discouraged -- nothing there was what I had envisioned in my mind.  After walking over to the shower curtain section,  it all turned around!  I found material that I loved.  The color, size, pattern, and weight of the material would be perfect for re-upholstering 'my old chair'.   As I was headed toward the check out I happened to walk through the isle where they have pictures and wall decals.  I thought a wall decal would be perfect-- no holes, no painting and when I am bored with it...it comes off easily!  So, I stepped out of my comfort zone and went with a Chandelier decal with rhinestones!

Damage: 1 Chandelier Wall Decal $12.99 + 1 Shower Curtain $19.99 = Total w/tax $33.60

 



My 3rd Stop: Lowes.  Here I purchased a Staple Gun, Staples, Stain and a Paint Brush for staining.

Damage:  Staple Gun $9.97 + Staple $2.98 + Kona Stain $7.97 + Paint Brush $12.98 = Total w/tax $36.36

Grand Total: $107.48 I was only $7.48 over budget!

Now that I had all my supplies, I removed everything from my area and did a quick cleaning.

While everything was out of the way, I felt it was the best time for the wall decal to go up.

Stop back later today (11am to be exact) to see my DIY Desk Stain and Chair Re-upholstered along with the finished product!

With Love From the East Coast,

XO