Busy families have busy lives, especially when it includes two successful careers and an active toddler that can wear her parents out. The Sharps liked their new home, but needed help falling in love with it. So they reached out to BLB to figure out what to do with the first room upon entry.

When I first met with Ashley and Darius, they seemed a bit nervous about introducing me to their home. But by the time our meeting was over, their shoulders were relaxed and they wore smiles shining with relief and excitement. They moved into their new San Antonio home back in 2016. Having previously lived in Atlanta, DC and Michigan and finally getting settled in Texas, they were eager to make their home actually feel like one. Their daughter’s bedroom was the only complete space in the house, and in order to make actual progress between their hectic schedules, they needed a little help.

The couple asked that I begin with the first room one sees upon entering the house. Let’s take a look:

Ashley asked that I keep their existing desk and chair, make the space feel comfortable and find storage to help them organize mail and important documents. But she added that anything I could do to help them come home and “like their house” would be greatly appreciated. LOL Well, I had a few ideas up my sleeve…

The first thing I wanted to do was pull the desk away from the window and position it in the middle of the room facing the entrance. I told Ashley to leave it that way for a week and let me know how it made them feel. After a few days, the new layout was approved!

Next, the room was in desperate need of some color! On the same day as our initial design consultation, Ashley and I hit the ground running and drove to their local Lowe’s to look at paint colors. We considered several different navys, blues and teals, then settled on five samples for Ashley and Darius to apply to the wall and make a selection. After a week, they decided to purchase a gallon of Valspar’s Midnight Blue and the office was professionally painted two weekends later.

We didn’t do a ton of online shopping for this project. The only two items ordered were the beautiful bookcase and upholstered bench that became the space’s new window seat, both found at Joss & Main. I love that we mixed and matched different wood types and textures in this design. Sometimes it’s easy to go matchy-matchy with all furniture, but mixing it up a bit makes the space feel less staged and frigid, and more transitional and livable.

As for in-person shopping, the project only required two trips together. We found this gorgeous navy and white 5’x7½' Loloi Charlotte rug in Marshalls. The photos don’t do the rich color justice and it’s incredibly soft and kid-friendly!

I wanted to create a nice gallery wall in the office to provide viewing pleasure as guests walk into the home. Ashley wanted to include a few family photos and inspirational (but not too girly) quotes in the assortment. The pastel, oil-painted canvases from Home Goods paired nicely with the golden quotes and frames from Hobby Lobby and Target. I’ve used these new Project 62 gold frames in several projects and they look perfect in every one. Pretty and pretty affordable!

Once the bookcase was delivered and assembled, the couple filled it quickly with their personal collection of books. We arranged the books both horizontally and vertically, and added a few knick-knacks purchased during our shopping trips. Just a few small adjustments gave the shelves so much personality! Lastly, we framed their college degrees and hung a new curtain rod with drapery that wouldn’t obstruct, but complement the natural light entering the room, added a wall clock for practicality purposes, and angled new blush and navy pillows on the window bench for additional seating. If their busy toddler ever wanders into the office as she often did during the installation, she’ll now have a comfortable spot to read a book and keep Mommy or Daddy company while they work.

This was such an easy and fun project, and the Sharp family is so in love. What do you think?

The Sharps are such a sweet family and I look forward to helping them complete the rest of their main floor and master bedroom in the coming months. In the meantime, they’ve got the perfect home office to make work feel a little less like it.

For more After Photos, check out Sharp Office in my Portfolio and the hashtag, #ProjectSharpOffice on Instagram.

Be Blessed,

ACG

Design Deets:

Wall Color - Valspar

Desk – Rooms to Go

Office Chair – Rooms to Go

Rug – Loloi Rugs, Marshalls

Bookcase – Joss & Main

Floral Canvases – Home Goods

Assorted Frames – Hobby Lobby, Home Goods, Target

Curtain Rod – At Home