Home Office Before & Afters

Denise Davies of D2 Interieurs needed a larger office space, so she took an old barn and turned it into a stunning studio.

Bring on the color!

Bye, dirty carpet and crumbly ceiling tiles. Hi, dream destination.

This redesign makes clever use of space—and a gorgeous green paint.

It's the stuff of Scandi-modern dreams.

Perfect for fall: A comfy DIY book nook, done on the cheap. Dreamy!

Allison Schaeffer and her husband Noel had a large loft space at the top of their stairs that wasn't serving much purpose—but had serious potential.

This hallway-turned-home office makeover is great inspiration for anyone looking to carve out space to be creative and productive in an unlikely or unconventional spot.

I’m big on repurposing, but usually the items at hand are more obvious. (An old tea pot might become a pretty place for plants or old spaghetti jars could become your new grain storage system.) This transformation, however, is a total surprise! Who knew you could turn a dresser into a desk?What was once a rather heavy and solid dresser has been “hacked” into a truly amazing desk.

Have you ever been intimidated by refinishing metal furniture? Joanna shows it’s entirely possible, and gets great results with a little time and elbow grease. She found this little cabinet in a parking lot and instantly saw its potential. Want to see the result of her work? Read on… The cabinet is now totally bright, cheerful and ready for its new life in Joanna’s house.

Caitlin over at The Shingled House has some mean DIY skills and recently took on a shed in her backyard. The 10 x 10 room had concrete floors, wood paneling, and a lot of stuff, but she wanted to turn it into a cozy and functional office space for her family. See how the conversion went, after the jump. Although the bones of the original structure were nice, the shed is so much more intimate and comfortable after the renovation.

This “office” space that was shared by Sarah and Keith in their dark, uninspiring basement in their New England Craftsman Colonial didn’t seem to have a clear design or purpose — or you know, much style. But they lightened, brightened and turned this space around! When they removed the carpet and added new hardwoods, a neutral area rug and drapes, the space felt more open and each side had a clear purpose.

Backstage at the August Wilson, the nearly 100-year-old theater currently houses the cast of “Mean Girls,” the delightful Tony-nominated musical adaptation of Tiny Fey’s beloved early aughts teen comedy. Barrett Wilbert Weed, who stars as Janis, preps for eight shows a week in a minuscule dressing room—one that recently underwent a serious style transformation.

The little nook at the bottom of these stairs wasn’t really serving a purpose. The steamer trunk is undeniably cool, but it couldn’t do the heavy lifting of filling out the otherwise blank question mark of a space. Suzanne was transitioning into her new life as founder of a design company and really needed a place to work until she could move into an office. She thought about using the basement, but it was dark and sparse.

After living in her house for five long years, Kate felt a burning need to shake things up. She admits her style has a tendency to change and evolve, and periodically needs to explore a completely new aspect of her personality. This time, she scratched that itch in her home office. The home office had a lot going for it, with its soothing gray-green walls, comfy furniture, and plush shag rug.

This unassuming bit of wall doesn’t necessarily scream office built for two, but two desk chairs, eight shelves, and countless colors later, it is now a bright cheerful office suitable for two professional adults—and Rainbow Brite. Here’s a bit of background about what was needed, and what the limitations were: My boyfriend and I moved to Brooklyn last year and needed a solution to the problem of having two computers but no designated room for an office.

This blank wall in a home office is about to become its own room, thanks to just $600 and a bit of hard work. The room before is pale and pleasantly beige—and the now is anything but. Let’s pause a minute before admiring the finished product to learn a little more about this space: Before we started working on this room, it was just an office space for my husband.

When it came time to renovate the orange-hued room in her 1920s Michigan home, Patti Mapes had a vision. She wanted an office that was inspiring, conducive to productivity, and, most importantly, that didn’t look like what she calls, “the inside of a cantaloupe.” Over the course of a year, this teacher transformed her spare room into a bright and organized office space with a hint of playfulness to get her through grading mountains of student essays.

This “useless” little closet looks like somewhere the Dursleys would make Harry Potter sit whilst wearing a dunce cap, but one creative homemaker saw the potential for so much more. This is so cute and efficient, and that green paint is delicious. This makeover was done by Molly Sikora of My Sweet Lilac, and let’s back up to get a full view of the project.

Mike and Kate’s home office had slowly morphed into a home office slash dumping ground for stuff. They both work from home and felt that they had enough space for a functional office, but they just weren’t making the most of it. They called in their good friend Christina, and she helped the space do a total 180. From Christina: My friends Mike and Kate had a great space for a home office, but the dark paint and cluttered walls made the room feel tiny, especially for two people!

Darren and Catherine’s client wanted their new office space to be welcoming, interesting and a reflection of their interests. Going from bland basic office white to a bold orange gave the space an immediate jolt of personality, and then the team layered on vintage and flea market finds, colorful industrial furniture and funky patterns. From Darren & Catherine: The new Senior Dean wanted his office to be a warm and inviting space for students, families and faculty.

Amanda’s office was unsensational, to say the least. Dark, dreary and lacking a look, she wanted to give the space a homier and more polished look. After tons of research, mixing stylish store-bought finds and DIY projects, Amanda created a bright and perky space that may inspire major office envy. From Amanda: This space was dark, dreary and reminiscent of a guy’s dorm room gone awry.

Ah yes, the forgotten room aka “out-of-sight-out-of-mind room” aka the junk drawer room, we’ve all had one some of us may still have one (guilty). Molly took it upon herself to help her forgotten room find its purpose as an adorable work and lounge room, a tall order for a small space. Check it out! From Molly: Hopefully, everyone can understand the out-of-sight-out-of-mind room. The neglected, ignored, sad space that falters while other spaces get more attention.

Emily juggles a successful creative business as well as her family of four so having a space to work at home is crucial. She had a large enough room to work in, but it was dated and not necessarily the most functional. First, Emily worked with a professional organizer to help edit her current work space. Add some of her signature cheerful DIY style and this uninspiring room was transformed into a bright and fresh space that will keep her organized with no shortage of creative inspiration.