A Tour of My Family's Home Office

Several months ago, I participated in Remodelaholic's virtual house tour series in which I shared my family's home office.  Since I have not shown this space on Red Door Home before and because many of you might have missed the original guest post, I thought it might be fun to republish one of my favorite and most used spaces in my house
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Originally my daughter’s nursery, my family's home office is probably the most personal area in our home. It is here we display pictures, artwork, and mementos from vacations. It is also a space which houses several items with sentimental meaning.

One of my favorite features is the bulletin board showcasing my collection of vintage earrings, pins and shoe clips. My Grandmother loved this type of jewelry and several of the pieces belonged to her. If you look closely at the second picture you can see I collected initial pins spelling “Red Door Home.”

Another favorite feature is the capiz shell light. Purchased on line from Target, it adds an unexpected modern touch to what is a fairly traditional space.

Our family office is a room that has been decorated over time mostly by repainting, reusing and repurposing. The desk is a hand-me-down which I painted and glazed. The chair is a roadside find, which I finished to match the desk. The shelf and bulletin board are new purchases, also painted to look old.

Other painting projects in this room include the lamp (originally brass), the mirror (originally gold leaf), the stool (painted and recovered with vintage feed sack material) and the wainscoting which my husband and I installed. The small trunk is a flea market find and is used for storing papers, magazines, supplies, etc.

Although a majority of the time spent in this room is at the computer, the focal point is the antique Swedish settee. Years ago, I purchased it to go at the end of our bed. After getting it home I realized it was too big and it ended up in the office instead – lucky mistake! Another hand-me-down is the coffee table. It too belonged to my Grandmother. On top of the table sits a child’s chair from a favorite local shop and a pitcher which belonged to a childhood neighbor.

The final piece of furniture in the office is the bookcase. When I purchased it, I was looking for something with display space and filing space. Although it does fit perfectly and is a nice piece of furniture, part of me wishes I had waited to find an older piece.

As you can see, the furnishings and accessories in my family’s office have come from a wide variety of sources. It is a room that has evolved over time and is now filled with many wonderful memories. I guess if you are patient and use what you love somehow everything will work together!