National Painting Week: The Office Reveal (+ a Giveaway)

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I did it. I created an accent wall that I love that doesn’t feel tacky or cliche, but that still packs a punch. In this case the key was choosing two muted hues as well as embracing my love of geometry. But let’s back up for a minute and check out the before photos of my home office.

 

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The bare basics and oh so boring. A small Parsons style desk, office chair, filing cabinets to hide supplies, and artwork that has yet to find a home. Of course no room would be complete without a wayward throw rug, yes? As I mentioned in my last post, the walls had been painted a greyish white and that’s about all I’d done in this space since moving into my house last September.

 

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Before charting out the diagonal accent wall I’d settled upon, I gathered a length of rope and a few thumbtacks. The first step was maneuvering myself up to the tippy-top of my ladder to reach the high ceiling, where I tacked the rope in the upper corner. (No small feat for this 5’2″ girl.) I drew it taut as I pulled down to the opposing corner and tacked a few places along the way for reinforcement, then followed the line it created with painter’s tape. My (mad) method ensured a straight line, which is oh so important if you’re the OCD type like me who might obsess over any imperfections later on.

 

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It took two coats of SW 7110 Cosmetic Blush in my favorite Sherwin-Williams combo, the Emerald line in a satin finish. I’ve used this tag team on my last four painting projects and love it. Once the second coat was on I removed the tape by pulling away at an angle for a super crisp line. (A pro tip is to always remove painter’s tape while the paint is still slightly wet.) The low VOCs made the smell of paint non-existent, so with a small crack of the window I was able to start working in my office almost immediately.

 

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If you noticed, I turned my plan for a diagonal accent wall into more of an accent corner! I didn’t plan on it beforehand, but once I started taping things off it just felt right. So I went with it. The end result feels a bit like a pink beam of light shining on my workspace, which has been an especially welcome presence on overcast days.

 

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I relocated my desk to the newly painted wall and kept things simple with a brass lamp and fresh flowers. (Trust me, that desk will be cluttered in no time.) The project as a whole took just around two hours spread over two days. I have a few more pieces of furniture to add before the office is 100% complete, but this refresh is perfect for the immediate future!

 

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For the past three years I’ve teamed up with Sherwin-Williams to mark National Painting Week. Together we’ve tackled the front door and hall bath at my old home, and now my office. Each project wasn’t huge as a whole, but made such a positive change in my space.

Visit the National Painting Week site and see what other bloggers are doing to update and celebrate! Leave a comment below sharing if you have plans to switch up an area in your home for National Painting Week for a chance to win $100 from Sherwin-Williams. Giveaway ends May 17th at midnight EST.

I received product and compensation from Sherwin-Williams in return for this post. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Design Crush!

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Pinking Up the Office

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Hus & Hem

I’ve been dragging my feet on getting the second floor of my house into shape in a big way. Plans have been underway for months, but the puzzle pieces have been slow to fall into place. Right now the focus is on my office because I’m desperate to break a bad habit I’ve developed since moving last September – working from the couch.

 

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My Scandinavian Home

I painted the smallish room the same custom white-grey/grey-white that I covered the rest of the house in, but I want to add something inspiring and different. This is the room where Design Crush gets put on the page after all, so I think it needs to reflect the personality of the site.

 

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Max Attenborough

As you can surmise from my inspiration here, I settled on a pale pink – SW 7110 Cosmetic Blush to be exact – and a play on an accent wall design. It started out as one thing and as I got to taping off turned into something so much better. I can’t wait to share the redesign with you all next week for Sherwin-Williams National Painting Week!

 

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Brooke Holm

I received product and compensation from Sherwin-Williams in return for this post. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Design Crush!

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Happy Weekend

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01/ Would you ride Sky Caliber, a 90 foot tall waterslide with a loop?
02/ Now all of you been connoisseurs have a place to show off the caps.
03/ You can walk above the treetops in South Africa on the Centenary Tree Canopy Walkway.
04/ Jeffrey Milstein gives cruise ships a new perspective.
05/ The Analog Memory Desk has 1,100 yards of paper for your ideas.
06/Jihyun Park uses incense sticks and rice paper to to create a sort of reverse pointillism.
07/ Martha McQuade’s Scarf Shop nailed their latest color palette.
08/ I’d like to be friends with this shirt‘s antagonist, Lord Nermal.
09/ Peter Demetz‘s wooden sculptures look downright human.
10/ This Portuguese Tree Snake House looks amazing.

This week on Design Crush:
Ali Cavanaugh‘s stunning watercolor and kaolin clay paintings.
Much inspiration in the form of Super-Modified: The Behance Book of Creative Work.
Brenda Cablayan‘s Hawaiian landscapes are only adding to my vacation lust.
Make your furry friends some DIY stamped pet bowls with style.
Spontaneity and disorder are explored in the work of Hyunryoung Kim.
I’m obsessed with my new bag from Olivia + Joy!
If you love hair art like I do check out Marianne Nielson‘s ceramics.
My love of the beach screams that I need one of these Coastal Quilts.
Chairish not only has a big ‘ol selection of vintage art, they’re also giving one of you $100 to spend on it!

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Backyard Workspace

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Sunset

I have this shed in my backyard. It’s shaped like a barn and there may or may not be (happily co-existing) families of raccoons and skunks living underneath. I’m lucky enough to have a basement with direct outdoor access that houses all of the things that a shed would hold, so my wheels have been turning. I don’t want to tear the thing down when nothing is wrong with it, so what are my options?

I’ve fallen in love with the daydream of having a little backyard workspace oasis. Because I live in Pennsylvania and I’m not about to install any sort of heating/cooling system I’d only be able to use it successfully for about half of the year, but I’m already sort of sold on the idea. It would be nothing to paint the interior, add a desk, floor rug, and some other accessories and enjoy! The dogs would get to spend extra time outside (which is totally okay by them, we’ve already talked it out) and so would I, which falls right into my plan of getting the most out of the leafy green oasis I plan on creating.

Would you add a backyard workspace to your home?

 

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William P. Wright

 

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Modern-Shed

 

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Kanga Room Systems

 

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Alex Hayden

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Happy Weekend

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01/ Beautiful linear geometric tattoos by Chaim Machlev.
02/ Leave it to Sweden to create a playground and maze entirely of snow and ice.
03/ Sign me up for these punctureless push pins.
04/ Because isn’t this to-do list exactly how you classify things in your head?
05/ Alexis Arnold turns books and more into crystalized sculptures.
06/ I love these pocket knives from Farm & Field Lockback!
07/ What might cities look like if sea levels rose dramatically?
08/ Jackson, Wyoming will soon be home to one of the world’s first vertical farms.
09/ Ever read about the basics of numerology?
10/ If you saw a USB drive in a random wall would you plug in?

This week on Design Crush:
A little Art Before Breakfast can go a long way.
St. Eloy‘s jewelry line is now on my wish list.
I never would have guessed Sarah Symes‘ creations were made of textiles!
Pretty marbled stationery from The Adventures Of.
Jenny Andrews Anderson has mastered the art of color.
My 5 favorite food blogs of the moment.
I shared 4 ways to give a traditional space a modern touch.
Loving Clare Elsaesser‘s mysterious painted women.
Beautiful collage work from Rocio Montoya.

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The Tipsy Writer

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The Tipsy Writer is basically a Weeble for the adult set… you remember what a Weeble is, yes?. The penholder’s spherical weight is made up of a half brass, half wooden ball and the entire set up is half sculpture, half plaything. What a great addition to any desk!

 

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Day Designer

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It’s that time of the year when I wax on about how much Whitney English’s Day Designer has changed my workflow and basically my life. I’m on my third year for 2015, and can honestly say I’ve never felt like my time is being used more efficiently or that I’ve been more organized. (And trust me, those are no small words.)

 

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I’ve been using a paper planner since I was in high school, so I’ve seen my share of layouts and designs. And what I love most about the Day Designer is that Whitney was looking for a better way to manage her days and created a solution instead of waiting for something perfect to come along. There are a few pieces that won’t be a fit for every user, like the business planning section in the front and a few sections on each daily page, but they’re easy to overlook if you don’t need them.

 

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That said, the Day Designer is brilliantly put together for the small business owner and freelancer. My favorite element is the split day schedule of an hourly timeline and a checklist. I also highly rely on the Due block at the top of each page and the big picture monthly calendar that starts each section for trip and project planning.

 

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I just finished flipping through 2014 and can’t believe everything that I somehow managed to accomplish. I can hardly wait to see what’s in store for the new year!

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Happy Weekend

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01/ This what the view from a $93 million NYC skyscraper penthouse looks like.
02/ Cubicle farms take on an air of fun when made to look like tiny cabins.
03/ Amazing Frankenstein pumpkins that are grown in one piece inside of a mold.
04/ Feltépve (Ripped Up or Popped Up) bursts from the ground in Széchenyi Square in Budapest.
05/ The Color Thesaurus creates a visualization of a variety of names for various colors.
06/ Cubic rubber bands to liven up the most mundane office tasks.
07/ The Human Gallery exhibits tattooed individuals behind glass.
08/ Pick up a DIY geometric paper mask template for Halloween from Steve Wintercroft.
09/ Lilly McElroy throws herself at men for art’s sake.
10/ Australia has everything good, including a touring pop-up McDonald’s shaped like a lunchbox.

This week on Design Crush:
Nick Frank deconstructs the most colorful building with photography.
Bold and bright geometric scarves combine with tropical birds to show off Blazon.
Beautifully intricate and detailed reclaimed paper insects.
Statement-making textiles for the home from Avril Loreti.
Exposed Seams make this centerpiece collection a showstopper.
If you’re looking for a change, you’ll love zucchini noodles 10 ways.
Nicolo Sertorio documents the rest stops of the U.S. Interstate system.
My office is still in boxes, but Grovemade desk accessories are keeping me in line.
Pretty astrological rings and necklaces in the Supernova collection. (Heeeyyy, fellow Scorpios!)

Design Crush elsewhere:
Cozying up and falling into autumn.

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