My Amazing Home Office Makeover on a (not) so Amazing Budget!

As an educator, I spend A LOT of my time behind a computer preparing lesson plans while I am at home. I was constantly finding myself in a dreary, unsettling extra bedroom that was NOT increasing my creativity or dedication to building creative lessons and activities for my students.

In January of 2016, I had a local carpenter come to my home and give me an estimate to build a custom desk and a built-in wall unit around the large window (the pictures below were the sketches I actually used to give to the carpenter). When April rolled around and he had given me every excuse in the book for postponing the installation date, I decided to take matters into my own hands and create my own home office to the best of my ability. I really should have known he would fall through; the quote he gave me was WAY TOO REASONABLE TO BE TRUE! 

Anybody else had bad experiences with a local contractor? I would love to hear your stories - feel free to comment below!

 Ultimately, I decided in May of 2016 that I was going to dedicate my summer to creating a relaxing, enjoyable home office on a SMALL budget.

Below you can read about all of the details of my home office makeover and reveal - but first, you must see the terrible BEFORE images. 

The Before...

The Details...

As you can see, the Before was REALLY BAD. The old dresser as my file cabinet and the 19 dollar desk from my college years just were NOT cutting it for me. 

After a lot of research and review reading, I finally made some decisions on what to use to create my dream office. I ultimately settled on a desk and a credenza by Sauder that I purchased on Amazon as the focal points of the room. Thankfully, my sweet hubby put both of them together for me; it took him about 2.5 hours for the Credenza, and about 4 hours for the desk. I could not be happier with how beautiful both pieces are!

Below is a list of supplies and resources that I used to create my dream office:

• Paint - The paint color is Tidewater by Sherwin Williams.
• Furniture - A combo of Amazon, World Market, and Craigslist makeovers!
  • Desk and Credenza - Amazon
  • White Shelf with TV - World Market on clearance!
  • Filing Cabinet and Closet Drawer Organizers - Craigslist baby!
  • Chair - Rooms to Go Floor Purchase
• Painter's Tape - I would HIGHLY recommend not skimping out here; this really is one of those things you get what you pay for. I personally like the Scotch Blue Painter's Tape
• Storage Baskets for the Credenza - Walmart!
• Decor - Random purchases, but most were from Home Goods at a deep discount
• Fan - Hunter Ceiling Fan
• Master's Diploma - Compliments of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga :-) 
  • But seriously, the framing was from Hobby Lobby. My poor diploma had been rolled up in its original tube for over 6 months until this makeover.
• Hubby to put together ALL of the shelving and desks
  • Alternatively, you could hire a local handyman or use a service like Amazon Home Services

If you have any questions about my home makeover process, please comment below! Keep Scrolling to see the AFTER PICTURES!!!

Click the image below to see the full details and specifications for the desk and the credenza! 

The Makeover Process...

Thanks Hubby!

Painting in progress...

Finally.....The After!!!