Office Project - Making Slow Progress

I've been making very slow progress on my office remodel over the past two months. Finishing my bedding book and getting my daughter ready for college have take every waking minute of my time and this "quick" face lift, which I thought would take a few weeks, has turned into a never ending project. The progress that I have made has been well worth it. The space is bright and cheerful now and much more user friendly. I cut down the size of my huge desk and changed it's direction which helped with the flow. Here are some before and after photos to show you my slow progress towards a finished room.


So far I've managed to get the cabinets and new woodwork on the fireplace painted. This proved to be a much more complicated process than I could have imagined as my supposedly "legal" painter was arrested and deported mid-way through the job and I was left to do most of the work myself. It's amazing what a crisp new coat of white paint can do for cabinets. The "before" paint was a neutral light tan color that was perfect for my showroom but did not do anything for the cabinets when they were installed in my house.


The ugly china hutch was also painted white and now blends in well with the other cabinetry. I like the way it adds a unique outline to the otherwise plain cabinets. I hate to have everything look the same especially when dealing with lots of built-ins in one room. Nothing is as boring as walls and walls of identical cabinets and shelves. Mix it up a bit!


New can down lights have added a substantial amount of light to the room which was one of my main complaints that needed to be addressed. Two new hanging fixtures will eventually be hung over the desk. I hung one and ran into an electrical problem with the new wiring so I am now waiting for that to be resolved.

After the painting was finally finished the wallpaper was hung. Thankfully, my paper hanger is 100% American and did not have to flee the country mid- job. I love the paper - it is so bright and lively!!


The floor now consists of the chipboard paneling sub-floor until I can afford to put in the wood that I have installed in the rest of the house. My miniature dachshund Marty likes to use it as a scratching post! At least I got rid of the awful tan carpeting! Even ugly plywood is better than that was.

Hopefully I will be able to finish it soon. Window treatments still need to be designed and fabrics chosen. The hanging fixture problem needs to be resolved and the floors need to be completed. I also need to find the perfect upholstered desk chair which seems to be alluding me.

After over 20 years in this business I am still amazed how no project for my own home ever goes smoothly! Ce la Vie.!

Home Office: Slowly Making Progress

My office project is coming along slowly. The basic carpentry for the fireplace build outs is done. Next week the walls get skim coated to provide a smooth texture for the wallpaper. The electrical will also go in for a new cable outlet and several recessed lights in the ceiling.

Before



After - Ready for paint



My wallpaper - Thibaut, pattern: Owen



I think I'm liking it!

How I Spent My Weekend: Hanging Wall Decor

My How I Spent My Weekend posts are providing me with the inspiration to catch up on some much needed home maintenance and decorating. After spending the last two years running a full time design business, writing 2 books and teaching, my poor house is in a shambles.

Now, don't get me wrong. My house has always been somewhat of a disaster and very much a continuous work in progress. I constantly cycle furnishings and accessories in and out. The piece of art or tapestry hanging in my dining room today might very well be hanging in a clients home tomorrow. I like to see how long it takes for my husband to notice that a particular piece has been subtracted or added.

I have never really trusted a designer who's house is perfectly done. I think this is a sure sign that they are not busy enough with real design work. Most good designers I know live in a perpetual state of organized disorganization!

Ok, let's get to this weekends project:

The Big Blank Wall...



We all have one. That gaping huge space that we have to fill. Here is mine. It is the wall over my sofa in my Family room. This room is Von George central. (my last name is Von Tobel, my husband's is Di George, so we have morphed into the Von George household) we spend all of our time here.

My philosophy with a large blank space in a room that is meant to be cozy and comfortable is to use a collage. A mix of accessories and art will fill the space while allowing it to remain intimate.

Step 1: Choose Your Weapons - You need just the right mix of stuff to make this work. I find if you lay it out on the floor first you can re-arrange until you get it right. This saves you from punching unnecessary holes in your walls.



I liked the style of this round mirror but it just wasn't working on the long rectangular wall.

Step 2: Line em Up

I decided to go symmetrical with a variety of rectangular shaped pieces. I placed them in a vertical arrangement. By creating a towering effect with the bottom being wider than the top, the ceiling is heightened and the width of the wall is minimized.



Step3: Hang em High

Hang your accessories on the wall.

Super Secret Trade Tip:
Lay your arrangement out on top of butcher paper on a hard surface (tape sections of paper together to create a surface big enough for your size wall). Make sure your pieces are level.
Trace the outlines of the pieces on the butcher paper.
Plot where the nail holes need to be placed.
Remove your accessories and hang the butcher paper on the wall. Now you have a road map of where your hangers should go right on the wall - no measuring no guessing!.
Apply your hangers directly through the paper at the pre-marked spot and remove the paper only after you've determined everything fits perfectly.
Hang your pieces and your done.

The Finished Product





Yes, I do have a dead tree in my family room and an obscene amount of candles - but that is a story for another day. Happy Accessorizing!


The Before & After

How I Spent My Weekend Recap

Here is the step by step process for the cork boards. I'll post pictures of some of my more elaborate boards later.



This is my daughters board. Very subtle! It used to be cute before she crammed it full of all of her photos. At least it keeps her from taping them all over the walls.

I have my carpenter make these frames for me with a crown molding topper. They look a bit more substantial than a flat board. They make a great headboard for a kids room. This one is
5' H. x 3' T. I like them big!

How I Spent My Weekend

In accordance with my recent decision to concentrate full time on writing and speaking I have recently moved my office. I left my 3000 square foot Interior Design showroom for my home office which is 18' x 20'. Needless to say it's a bit cramped. I have had these two cork boards laying around and thought I'd put them to good use in the new room. I love cork boards because they make my very messy office look a bit more organized by throwing everything together within a formal frame. I love to hang my favorite things close to me, pictures of the family, friends, dogs jobs, etc.

I wanted to stack them on each other to create some depth to this part of the room and to soften the look of the larger board so it didn't look so huge. My first step was to hang some stuff on them to see if it was the look I was going for.



Once I figured out it would work I went through my thirty million pieces of fabric ( I never throw fabric away much to my husbands dismay) and chose two that I liked. I draped them over the boards to see if they balanced one another before I went any further.



I thought this looked pretty hot! Kind of a French Watermelon if you will. The iridescent silk damask is a nice foil to the deep red of the toile.



I use spray adhesive ( 3M Super 77 spray adhesive works best) to attach the fabric to the cork. Just spray the cork well with the adhesive on then apply your fabric. I make these for most of my clients and they hold up very well. I hot glue decorative trim around the edges and secured it with decorative nail heads. If you'd like you can add criss crossed ribbons to make a ribbon board. These were way too large. The big one is 6' x 4'.





Voila! The finished product. I like to hang small frames and mirrors as well as other do dads on these boards. Fill them up with anything special to you. The picture in the red matte at the center of the red toile board was drawn by my daughter.




Here is a close up of the trim and nail heads. Both boards took me only about 5 or 6 hours to complete. It's a quick and easy solution to managing some of your clutter.