A "Sad, Forgotten Room" Gets an Energizing New Makeover

ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER

HOME TYPE: Historic Home

PROJECT TYPE: Office & Dens

STYLE: Bohemian, Colorful

SKILL LEVEL: DIY, Professional

RENTAL FRIENDLY: Yes

Almost no house is complete without a home office these days. And they can range from something as small as a nook in the living room to as involved as renovating your garage. A spare room inside your home is probably the preferred way to create a functional workspace.

Brielle Tolmeijer (@brielle_interiors) had just that in her 120-year-old Dutch Colonial home. In an Instagram post highlighting her office renovation, Brielle called her would-be office a “sad, forgotten room.” She took on the task of transforming it into an inspiring office as part of the Spring 2024 One Room Challenge.

“Other than central air being added at some point along the way, this room appears to have not been touched for quite some time,” Brielle says. But, of course, old homes come with their quirks. “It has slanted ceilings, uneven floors, picture rail crown molding, attic door access, holes in the walls, and peeling windows,” she says.

Still, Brielle “immediately fell in love with all of its character and could not wait to transform it into [her] sanctuary.”

Highlight the room’s charm with an unexpected paint choice.

“I am a firm believer that the space around you dictates your creativity and well-being,” Brielle says. “My highest priority was for the space to feel inspiring, energetic, and creative,” she adds. To bring her vision to life, Brielle picked colors that energize her and could “immediately catapult [her] into a better mood.”

One of those mood-boosting colors for Brielle is green — specifically, Farrow & Ball’s Yeabridge Green High Gloss. She pushed tradition aside and painted the doors, windowsills, moldings, and ceiling in the bold green hue while keeping the walls neutral with Farrow & Ball’s Au Lait. The creamy white color balances the green, which she also chose for the ceiling, using a matte version of the trim paint. “The colors added a perfect pop of freshness,” she says. It also highlights the room’s slanted ceilings and picture rail crown molding.

“It was my first time painting a room entirely myself,” Brielle adds. She visited her local paint shop often to make sure she used the right equipment, paint, and techniques. “While I still would consider the job executed at an amateur level, I am impressed with how professional the paint job appears (just don’t look too closely!),” she says.

Add much-needed storage with some help from professionals.

Before she created an office for herself, Brielle had a cramped workspace. “My work files [were] just stacked on the floor and my art supplies [were] still collecting dust in moving boxes,” she says. Storage — and a lot of it — was key.

Completely custom cabinetry wasn’t in Brielle’s budget, but she worked with the creative team at Definitive Closets to design a cabinetry plan that fit her space perfectly. “My goal was to build enough closed storage to neatly house all of my samples, swatches, papers, books, and other physical materials,” she says. And not only did she just want somewhere to put her belongings, Brielle also wanted them in “an easily accessed location” in the office.

Brielle says she’ll “always long for detailed millwork,” but she’s very pleased with the white cabinets with brass pulls that “perfectly anchor the empty walls of the room.” Inside the cabinets is hanging file storage, a printer in a pull-out drawer, and plenty of space for storing her things for years to come.

Get crafty with new and old furniture and decor.

Brielle thought outside the box to find pieces that match the room and fit within her historic home. She found an antique rattan accent chair, which she reupholstered with a bright coral fabric, and she installed brass task lighting above her Walmart-sourced drafting table to further the vintage feel.

With enough space to accommodate it, Brielle “found a two-part solution to [her] office work surfaces.” In addition to her drafting table, she added a standing desk. “I love that this is in the window to maximize the amount of cheerful natural light,” she says.

“My best budget-friendly solution was creating a free throw pillow out of fabric swatches,” Brielle says. The green and coral in the Schumacher swatches is emblematic of the office’s entire design. “The zesty coral paired with a natural creamy green immediately transports me to a more relaxing (even, tropical?) place … and when mixed with deep wood furniture with vintage touches it tied in nicely with the historic nature of the home,” she says.

This project was completed for the Spring 2024 One Room Challenge, in partnership with Apartment Therapy. See even more of the One Room Challenge before and afters here.

Further Reading

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