Displaying posts labeled "Workspace"

Imagine creating in a studio space such as this. Everywhere you look there is something beautiful, something quirky. Architectural details to die for, high high ceilings, a herringbone floor and a clear light streaming in. It’s the stuff of dreams and it’s also where Lázaro Rosa-Violán and his team at Contemporain create dreams for their clients. Sigh!

Hot off the presses – Mae Brunken is at it again. Her peeps emailed us this evening to show us Mae’s latest project. It’s such an amazing transformation that I wanted to post it ASAP.

Here’s a bit of info on the space: “Mae Brunken Design is adding the finishing polish to the guest quarters of a Pacific Palisades estate. Previously tasked to re-design the main property, Mae Brunken returned to update the poolside guest quarters. Re-designed to be a writer’s office and artistic escape, housing the owners’ additional guests as well as providing extra storage, the project is a great example of the new interior design trend: Maintaining luxury through practicality.”

Some before photos…

And VOILA, here’s the space after Mae worked her magic…

Here are some specifics as to what Mae did to transform the room: “Natural linen window treatments with contrasting yellow trim soften the space while providing privacy. The furnishings are both versatile and comfortable, with a custom daybed doubling as a resting place for both the afternoon writer and the overnight guest. The Eames ivory lounge chair and ottoman accentuate this versatility, implementing a vintage modern office aesthetic and maximum at-home comfort. The desk is the functional focal point of the room, made of rich macassar ebony zebrawood and offset by a polished stainless task lamp. A Suzanne Sharp rug from The Rug Company in yellow, gray and ivory warms up the room and also presents a graphic background. In addition to accommodating a writer and guests, the guest quarters also delivers additional storage space. Made of the same macassar ebony wood as the desk, the opposing wall has been fitted with filing drawers that also double as nightstands, and bookshelves that house awards and reference.” Summed up in one word – PERFECTION.

One of the few rooms in my house that is somewhat finished is my home office. Back in May I posted about painting the floors and the frame of the door. Before I began the kitchen renovation I had managed to complete the space with some revamped furnishings and lots of vintage finds. I think it’s about time I share the progress.

It’s a pretty small room – 10 ft long by 11.5 ft wide, with a 5ft square bathroom in one corner, making the room L-shaped. One part of the L is my office, and the other part is an entrance from the back deck. Here is what it looked like right after I moved in.

It was awful. Pale blue walls, unpainted trim (the entire house had unpainted trim – WHY???), and the hardwood was totally uninspiring. It was a really fun room to redo and since it gets alot of sun I wanted it to be cheerful and bright. First thing I did was paint the floors, trim, walls and ceiling white. My pink laptop should be on the desk in the photos below but it’s a cold room in the winter so I’ve been working on the dining table since the kitchen was completed.

Below is in the left corner as soon as you walk in the room.

I love piles of fabric. I love piles of anything really. Fabric, books, magazines… (the 2 beaded boxes on top of the books hold the ashes of 2 of my cats that have passed away in the last few years)

The desk is an Ikea table top wrapped in vintage retro fabric, and topped with a piece of glass (some photos were taken before the glass was bought). The inspiration board over my desk is made from some trim I found at Home Depot that I spray painted and made into a frame and I nailed a large piece of cork to the wall behind it.

The chair is a vintage Herman Miller Eames that came upholstered in green fabric, that I found at a local antique market for $160. The souvenir pillow cover I found on eBay. It is now in the trash, as Felix, gawd love him, peed all over it. The lamp I found at a local mid-century shop for $40.

Below are some tchotchkes I have on my desk. The grapes I found on eBay, the dog letter holder in Etsy, and the clock I bought several years ago at an antique fair. I write with markers as often as I can.

Next is an armoire I spent alot of time reworking. I found it at a flea market in a town about an hour from here for $159. It was a darkish brown wood (see here), so I dry-brushed it with the
teal paint I used in my dressing room. I removed the door and built shelves for the section that you would ordinarily hang clothes in. I bought some vintage wrapping paper on Etsy and mod-podged it to the shelves. It stores my copier/scanner on the bottom shelf, and behind that is my modem/router and all that fun stuff hidden away. Everything you see is either from eBay, Etsy, local vintage shops and an Asian shop in the Byward Market.

I walk through Chinatown and Little Italy on my way home from work. I stopped in a shop in Chinatown one day, found the pot below and another one, and carried them home (HEAVY!). The yellow Eames shell chair I bought on eBay from the same shop where I bought the green lamp. The curtain fabric I found on Etsy, and since I don’t sew I used that iron-on tape to make a hem and used curtain clips to attach them to the rod. Easy peasy.

Jo had suggested I paint the frame of the back door yellow, and it is one of my favourite touches in the room. When the kitchen was renovated I tore out the only closet on the main floor, so this back corner is where I stash my outerwear. Below is also a photo I took standing against the window, looking into the (new) kitchen. (I haven’t gotten around to painting that little ramp into the office yet).

So that’s my office in its current state. It’s an addition to the house and since it’s not very well insulated, ideally I’d love to tear it down and rebuild it bigger and properly insulated. I may settle for making the powder room smaller, and building a closet where the coat hooks are (it’s currently not wide enough there to have a closet where coats could hang). The powder room is hideous, hence the lack of photos. So there’s still work to do. The list somehow seems to keep growing no matter what I get done…

… what were they thinking? A study in the bathroom? Forget the idea of a parents’ retreat, even a phone by the toilet or a TV above the bath. Is this taking it a bit far? The only person I know how corresponded from the bathroom met a sticky (or should that be soggy) end. I’ll be back with more retro bathing beauties from Making the most of Bedrooms & Bathrooms, by Mary Gilliatt, Orbis Publishing, London, 1983 later in the week.

Like Jo, I have been so busy the last week or so trying to get some work done in my house. There are some exciting things coming up that involve my place and Jo’s that we’ll tell you about when we can. But in the meantime instead of doing a regular post (since I am lacking in time) I thought I’d post what I’ve been working on, and purchasing, lately.

For starters, I spent a few hours yesterday (with some help…thanks Jeff!!) putting up a forest mural in my living room. It was painstaking, and worrisome because we ended up with alot of bubbling, but this morning when I went downstairs, I was relieved to find out they pretty much all flattened out once it dried. PHEW. I love the result. It’s kind of wacky, and that’s my style. The cat on the couch is a pillow I bought on Etsy. Nah, just kidding, that’s Jo’s favourite cat Lucky.

Now for the office. Last weekend I painted the office floor-to-ceiling white. I finally said buh bye to pale blue walls, and ugly light oak hardwood. The room is SO MUCH BRIGHTER now. It gets alot of sunlight throughout the day, and with everything white, it’s just such a nice room to spend time in, as I do…ALOT. My desk was super long, so I cut it down and covered it in some eBay fabric I’ve had for a while. Jo suggested I paint the door leading to the back deck yellow, and it looks awesome. I have a ton more work to do in there but it’s a good start.

I’ve gone a little nuts lately on eBay and Etsy (and local shops) looking for trinkets and furniture to finish off some rooms with. Today I received 3 parcels, and am waiting for a bunch more. They included the pincushion chair, the resin grapes and the metal tray. The lamp I bought yesterday at a mid-century modern store here, and the table I bought last week at Value Village. It really needs a coat of paint, and I’m not sure what to do with it. I also have 2 chair cushions at an upholsterer so more photos to come hopefully later in the week.