4 Makeover Tips for an Inspiring Home Office Space – Week 4 – Spring 2022 ORC

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I’m sure you have realized over the past 2 years, no room in your house needs that makeover more than your home office space! It’s time to put a plan in action and achieve those home office renovation goals!

I will help you to create a space that is light and airy, while maintaining your budget as you do it all yourself! Even the simplest change can create a more inviting and inspiring space! These 4 easy makeover tips will elevate your home office space to the next level! After completing this makeover changes myself, I know just how big of an impact, these changes will have in your home office.

Making Over Your Home Office Space

Add Built-ins and Don't Forget Molding

Replacing stand alone furniture with white IKEA hack built-ins is the big game changer for your home office space! My before and after photos are drastic! I think it’s a combination of both the color change from black/brown to white, and the finishing touches that makes this a wow space now!

"The devil is in the details!"

The CRUCIAL piece to making this a cohesive space for your home is the finishing touches and the detail! Make sure to take the extra step and continue the crown molding around the top of your bookcases. Even though the furniture I used to create the built-ins is larger, the space feels more cohesive. The built-ins look intentional and serve to hide the clutter! This space was made for home office built-ins!

Week 4 of the home office renovation was all about finishing touches.

Connecting the existing crown to the new crown really helped me to see the finish line! If you don't have crown installed in your office yet, I highly recommend adding it, specifically 2 piece crown molding!

2 piece crown molding is a combination of base board and crown. This technique is easy to complete and adds a higher end look to your space for a fairly low cost! Since my home office already had crown molding, I was careful when removing it from behind where the shelving now sits. I saved those pieces and reused them to save some cash!

This was another point in my DIY home office journey where I added to my tool collection.

I purchased a new 15 amp 10 in sliding Ryobi mitre saw to get all the necessary 45 degree cuts! The cuts were easy to complete after watching a few videos on how to properly cut crown! Adding molding to the bottom of the dressers was also a must do. I used some flat lattice 1.5 inch molding and quarter round to visually anchor the dressers to the floor.

Next was the most tedious task of the whole project! It was time for wood filler and caulk and a whole lot of sanding! While the time spent filling all the holes and seams was not the most fun, it was well worth it! Take your time during this step!

2. A Can of Primer and Paint Can Change Everything

It's common to hear that paint is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to change up a space in your home. As a result, there are so many options. You can paint furniture, a wall or all of the walls, decor items, etc. Paint truly transformed my home office space!

With any Ikea hack, it's important that you use the proper products. Ikea furniture, such as the Billy bookshelves and Songesand dressers, requires a primer in order to paint over it. If you paint the furniture without primer, your project will be subject to peeling and a lot of misery down the line!

The primer to use is Zinsser B-I-N Advanced Synthetic Shellac Primer! One coat of primer on all sides of the Billy Bookshelves except the backing did the trick! I also primed the molding both used on the bookcases as well as the dressers below.

This primer was also used on my DIY furniture makeover! My desk was an espresso wood tone and quite banged up after multiple moves. Too dark and dingy for this home office space!

I decided to prime and paint my desk to give it a fresh look! Wiping the desk down was the only thing I did. With this primer, I didn't need to sand the desk. I chose to paint it using Behr chalk paint tinted the color After Rain! It's a beautiful light blue! Photos don't do the color justice! For the built-ins, I took one of my Ikea shelves with me to home depot and color matched it!

Between the white Ikea hack built-ins and the light blue desk, this space feels so much more airy and bright! It's a dream so far!

For the DIY desk makeover, I also made sure to seal my desk with polyurethane! I again used the Varathane Triple Thick Polyurethane in Clear Satin, that I spoke about in week 3!

3. Spray Paint it All

Spray Paint is another budget friendly trick of the trade. I took the drawer glides for my desk and spray painted them a brushed gold color! They were originally brown and I couldn't imagine having them show when I opened up my desk drawer. It was an easy decision and quick part of the project.

This photo again doesn't do the gold spray paint upgrade justice!

Spray paint is also great for giving home decor pieces new life! I have several items that I plan to spray paint in the next few weeks. The items include bookends, photo frames and vases! I can't wait to see what all I decided to spray paint and to share those treasures with you in the reveal!

4. Swap Out the Knobs and Pulls

Yet another budget friendly home office space upgrade is switching out knobs and pulls! I've done this personally all over my house. This is such a great way to change up the entire feel of a piece of furniture and ultimately the space.

Rockler.com spoiled me with these fantastic brushed bronze pulls and a new brushed bronze knob for my desk!

Don't forget to continue to check out all of the One Room Challenge rooms! We are at the halfway point and all of the rooms are taking shape! Some of them are inspiring me for future projects! Eek!

4 Makeover Tips for an Inspiring Home Office Space – Week 4 – Spring 2022 ORC

Making Over Your Home Office Space