I work full time in a demanding corporate job and also decided to take the plunge and start an MBA program last summer. Having a dedicated and organized space for all the work and school stuff going on was a top priority. I also love crafting so having a full room for all of this is a huge treat. Somehow I managed to convince the hubby that the first room is the house that had to be 90% done would be the office/craft room. Yes, even before the kitchen…I have my priorities straight 😉
Our story begins with the room the day we closed. Stunning carpet, huh?
New hardwoods, a fresh coat of paint and our existing furniture turned it into this the day we moved in.
 The desk top was sitting on two wooden filing cabinets that were stained during my hubby’s bachelor days. The stain hadn’t been working with our design for years but he kept telling me it was too much work to change it. After looking through countless design blogs, I got gutsy enough to paint them one weekend when he was away in an art festival.Â
Step one was to move the cabinets outside the minute he left and give them a light sanding.
Step two was spraying them with Zinsser Cover Stain Primer. Spray can primer is such a great invention. I was done quickly though it did require a few cans for all the pieces to get a good even coat.
Then the camera battery ran out of juice, so you don’t get photos of step three where I painted the cabinets with two coats of a Benjamin Moore Low Lustre latex paint in white. So just imagine me making a mess painting in the dirt…which is the most accurate representation of what I actually did.
I did all the painting before 8am so after a full day in the Florida sun everything was dry and ready to move in. I threw on our old desk top which is just a hollow 18″ door that I stained with Minwax Jacobean years ago and it started to take shape. So much brighter and really makes the room pop.
 Since we both need work spaces and were desperate for storage, I did a quick IKEA run and bought two of the Alex drawer systems. We had an extra hollow 24″ door that was also already stained so I set that one up as a my desk and the other with the iMac is the hubby’s.
The office chair was a steal at Overstock.com. The Manhattan Adjustable Office Chair is designed like the Eames Management Chair which I can only dream of for this space. The Overstock one is extremely comfortable, very well made and best of all under $200. We’ll be getting another one for the second desk soon.
We also moved in the Flex Gravel Sofa to use as an extra bed for guests when we have company and to serve as additional seating in here. Say hi Dylan!
I still need to make a curtain to cover the closet door, patch up the door frame, order some area rugs and add some artwork but it feels great to have one room almost done.
Thanks for following Directions Not Included!
Looks 100 times better. What a difference. I also noticed some patio furniture back there. I’m wanting to fix my yard next. Let’s see.
SUCH A HUGE IMPROVEMENT!!! Great job girl. What did your husband say?? lol
I did the same thing with their sawhorses – slapped a hollowcore door on top and voila, desk!
Note that I had to walk 3/4 of a mile through brooklyn with that door on my head …
I’m getting ready to do this in my office/den. I love the white bottom/dark top on the desk and that’s the EXACT look I’m going for. How clever of you to use an old door and re-purpose the Ikea pieces.
Good job. Love it.
Could you tell me what color and brand of paint you used?? I love it and a pm trying to find a paint to use in my craft room. Thank you!