Home Adventures: Home Whimsy, Art Nouveau, and Some Decorating Magic
So, How did We Get Here?
So, this has been a long time coming. I’ve always wanted a home office/creator space. When Mama Shears and I moved to the current house, a home office was kept in mind for me.
The space is not large. Measurements (to my best ability) of the room were 13x9ish feet. The walls have wood panels that have seen better days; water damage has caused it to buckle. The floors had peel-and-stick tiles directly on the concrete floor. The drop ceiling tiles had seen better days, too. Some of which showed water damage; and it turned out that extended to the side of the house, too. Especially before we had the side of the house graded to go away from the house to prevent flooding. Prior to that, the office (which resides in the basement) flooded. There is a track light that we don’t know where the wiring goes to. And there’s the crickets.
But those issues with the flooding have been resolved, knock on wood. I’ve had time to decorate the office to how I wish it to be. Grandma Shears’s chair and the desk I found on the side of the road and repainted now make for a cozy side while the desk mom and I got from one of her friends for free is on the other side. There is a closet and shelves from when we got the house, and the bookshelves are sturdy. I do like having space to go and be creative.
So why do I want to redo it?
Welp, other than the noted issues above, I want to make it my own. When we were moving in, we only had two weeks to get everything up and running in terms of paint. So the paneling was painted a sandy beige. It got the job done. Then I spent two weeks scraping the peel and stick tiles (after confirming they didn’t have lead or asbestos) out before the LVP floors were put in. Everything was in whirlwind mode the first year and a half. Then we got the desk and had to resolve the aforementioned flooding issue. And when I finally got The Day Job back in 2023, I was busy with that. Papa Shears installed ethernet for me so I didn’t have to rely on wi-fi. I moved the bookcase from the bottom of the stairs to the office. I’ve even repurposed the keyboard tray form an old desk to help with my typing.
So, What’s the Plan?
When I repainted the desk, I got the inspiration to have an art nouveau/art deco type of whimsy. I wanted to have a room where when I enter, I’m transported to a different realm. And that is the vibe I want to go for with the office. I have the idea of the creative side being art nouveau while the office/working side being art deco. The overall goal is this:
Put an area rug to warm the place up.
Ideally, replace the wood paneling with drywall since I know there is no drywall behind the panels. If not, repaint the walls to a wisteria purple or a dark green (Still debating, but leaning on the purple).
Organize the closet to better accommodate my costumes and crafting items, sewing, spinning, knitting, and the like. I want to make sure everything has a place. I also want to have curtains to hide the closet for when I don’t need anything.
Replace the ceiling tiles, especially the ones that have damage. I want to put in either metal or faux metal tiles to make the space look older and in line with the design I want.
Replace the door. The door is good, but I want a solid wood door that doesn’t scrape the ceiling every time I open it. I also want a pretty door.
Figure out the lighting situation. I’m operating on lamps since I don’t like the track lighting currently. If needed, I’ll get plug in pendant lamps to help make things look nice. Or I’ll see if the current track lighting can be converted to pendant lamps that can be hung from the ceiling. I have to speak with my dad on this one.
The painting and smaller items can be acquired easily. The larger things like electrical and the ceiling will be a little trickier.
What’s the Timeline?
Ah, yes. The timeline.
I don’t have a set-in-stone timeline for this, but I do want to start in earnest next spring thereabouts. I’m still recovering financially from my surgery (topic for another time) and am trying to save what I can at the moment. Whatever I can get secondhand, I’ll get. If not, I’ll buy new when needed. I’m already looking at marketplace and things on the side of the road that people leave to see if that would work with what I’m going for.
Overall goal is to take a year to get it done. I’m including spare time when I’m not at The Day Job, rehearsals, or any other project I’m currently working on. This isn’t going to be a fast-redecorating project, and I’m okay with that. I am aware that some things will change, or plans will get updated depending on my evolving tastes. But I do want to do a theme that is my interpretation of the idea.
So, when I have time I’ll write up my updates here and on Bluesky. I hope you enjoy the chaos.
