February 27, 2013

office surprise for a friend

 Last weekend I put the finishing touches on a project and would love to share it with you...


This was an especially fun project - a surprise for a very dear friend! It was her birthday gift and truly a group effort as 20+ friends contributed to the newly decorated office (some even rolled up their sleeves and helped me paint!). I had a crazy amount of fun stretching the budget and doing my best to create a place where she could be productive as well as feel relaxed.

Here's the office before...


She recently moved into some new digs and hadn't had the time to decorate it herself. The plan was to keep it mainly traditional but with a few unexpected elements. A fairly calm color scheme to set the tone for a relaxing work space, but with some punches of color.


One of her daughters helped me out with some amazing and special family photos - both recent and old ones. My favorite part of the project was adding these final touches to personalize it and really make it feel finished.

We removed the old desk (it was taking up more than half the office!) and after a few weeks of scouring Craigslist, this replacement desk was the perfect find. It's Crate & Barrel and a really solid piece of furniture - also the perfect color, size and so classic. It was tricky to find a desk with clean lines that also had some storage, so was very happy with the three drawers in this one!


I wish I had a better photo of the paint color used for the trim and door. It's an awesome darkish gray with the faintest blue tint - really beautiful. The walls also look a little yellowish in some of these photos, but the actual color is a pretty, soft ivory.


As you can see, it's a small space. One practical consideration was to fit at least one chair in addition to her desk chair, so that two people can meet comfortably. I also knew there needed to be one statement piece in the office - kind of the equivalent of a funky pair of shoes or piece of jewelry that might complete any given outfit of hers - and when I spotted this chair, I knew it was that piece!


Ha - I really do have so much fun with the details and although this isn't the greatest photo, I just have to share! Don't you love gold paperclips?! :)


Family photos all around, as she would want it!


I was so antsy last week, wrapping up the finishing touches and knowing she would see it soon, and the big reveal last weekend did not disappoint. :) I'm thrilled that she now has a well-functioning, relaxing space to work...success! 



In case you're curious....

Sources:
Desk: Crate & Barrel via Craigslist
Desk Chair: Ballard Designs via Craigslist
Side Chair: TJ Maxx
Rug: Overstock
Roman shade: Overstock
3 side tables: Craigslist
Trays/organizers: West Elm
Desk lamp: Lowe's
Mirror: Ross
Art panels: Thrifted
Misc. accessories: Thrifted, Ross, Flax


I have availability for projects this spring and would love to work with you!  
Contact me at katiegaviganinteriors@gmail.com for rates & package options.

February 26, 2013

entry hall

Happy Tuesday! It was my birthday yesterday, and to celebrate we took a little drive north to Healdsburg on Saturday. After brunch, we hit three huge and amazing antique stores...pretty much my dream birthday :) My husband was sooooooo sweet and stayed by my side for hours as I discovered treasure after treasure. What a fun day! 

It was really hard to narrow it down to a few items to bring home with us, but I tried to be practical and focus on something we needed. The situation inside our front door hasn't been the most user-friendly. Since we moved in, we had a wall hook/rack which worked but was really no match for our coats, scarves, bags, etc. SO, I was thrilled to find this beauty!


Sorry - it's hard to get a good photo since the hall is so narrow!


I love it! Look at the amazing details - gorgeous, right? And it's in really great shape. Great little investment, I say.  The above photos happened before I loaded it up, so you can see how pretty. But let's be honest, it's most often going to look more like this:


I love all the hooks and spindles - so many places to drape a scarf or bag!

While I was taking these photos, I realized that I don't think I've shared our green hallway with you previously. We painted it over a year ago and I still love it.


I'm such a big fan of some glossy black trim and doors and think they work especially well in this space.


 I'm not in love with the light fixtures and hope to switch them out sometime this year....


The black brings some drama to this tight space while keeping the look crisp. It's kind of difficult to capture the actual green of these walls with the tight quarters and limited natural light, but the above is pretty close. I seriously love this green and have not grown tired of the walls one bit in over a year (pretty unusual for me!!).


And the end of the hall looks like this (below) at the moment. Miraculously, this little situation hasn't changed since the we painted the green - I really like this little collection and have left it much longer than most art arrangements in our house. However....I've started to think about a switch-up so thought I better share it now! :)


So....would you ever consider green walls? And how do you keep your entry area(s) neat and tidy? I'd love to hear!


I have availability for projects this spring and would love to work with you!  
Contact me at katiegaviganinteriors@gmail.com for rates & package options.


February 19, 2013

thrifted bits

Hi everyone! Hope you had a fantastic (long :)) weekend.

I hit a few thrift stores yesterday. I was focused on finding a few missing pieces for an office I'm hoping to finish this week....and although that didn't happen, I did bring home a few really fun treasures and thought you might like to see.


El Salvador is carved in huge letters on the backs of these - totally handmade 
and will be right at home in our kitchen or dining room soon :)

With a little President's Day discount, I nabbed all four of the above for about $7 total!

Gorgeous little bowl and glass. Someday I'd love a set of moroccan drinking glasses, but I'll settle 
for this one for now - will be perfect for toothbrushes or pens or something :)



This little pineapple dish makes a pair, since I already had one (not exactly the same but very similar). 
For 75 cents, I'll take it!