My New Home Office!

This post is sponsored by Michigan Retailers Association in support of Buy Nearby. All opinions expressed, as always, are my own. Thank you for your support in these partnerships! 

Guys! I have an office 😀 Well, I’ve had an office before but THIS office is special. This is the first office I’ve had that I am making my own. In past dwellings, there either wasn’t a dedicated space for an office or I didn’t take the time to invest in furnishing or decorating. I always had this excuse that I did’t want to take the time and money to make an office look like “home” when we were probably just going to move again anyways. Not the best excuse because I really didn’t ever truly love the space I worked in, which also affected my focus and ability to get things done.

But now that we are homeowners and can renovate, it was time to create a home office space that I truly love.

A big item on my “home office” checklist was to put in some new flooring. As I was searching through Pinterest for home office ideas I came across lots of beautiful spaces with fun rugs. But we had high-pile carpet and putting a rug over carpet? I don’t know much about interior design but I am pretty sure that is a no-go. So the big thing that had to happen in the office to really transform the space was new flooring.

I purchased my grey oak laminate flooring from Gilbert’s– a local hardware store in Dewitt and Owosso.I’m sure when you think about doing big home projects like putting in a new floor, you initially turn to the big-box stores, but we really need to start thinking local first. More often than not you’re going to find what you need at those smaller hardware stores, and at comparable prices. Being a small business owner myself and teaching at a local fitness studio downtown in Lansing, I know the importance of supporting those people and their businesses as much as we can.

And I could not be happier with how the flooring turned out! It is exactly what I wanted. Not to mention less expensive than those big retailers 😉

(HUGE thanks to Mr. FMK and our long-time friend for installing the floor!)

Of course, as soon as we laid the rug down, Mr. FMK looked at me with those eyes and said, “Seriously? We put flooring in just for you to cover it up?!” But I know most of you understand, right?

I am actually quite obsessed with the the rug. It looks perfect on top of the grey oak flooring, and I love all the colors in it! It also makes it easy to decorate and accent the rest of the room, using colors from the rug.

Again, I’ve never truly decorated a room to it’s full potential before so I feel like I still have a ways to go. But I also feel SO happy with how it has come together so far. I am feeling extremely grateful to not only have a space like this but also to be able to share it with you guys!

I’m still gathering ideas on how I want to finish up some walls and what other accents I can do.

I was also a little hesitant with the new “mid-century modern” trend but how cute is this loveseat…

I also had a lot of input from my interior designer sister. She helped me figure out where to put things on the walls. I snapped her countless times asking her opinion on various items. Thank goodness for technology because I would have been a little lost. I can design clothing and create fun recipes but when it comes to designing an entire room, I need help.

All in all though, I love everything. The grey oak flooring allowed me to transform this home office into exactly the space I was dreaming up.

Oh but wait!

Michigan Residents!

Want a chance to win a $500 Discover gift card?

October 7-8 is I BuyNearby weekend! The weekend is all about showing your Mitten pride, and helping support your community and local businesses. To enter, simply share an image on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram of you shopping at your favorite local Michigan retailer during that weekend (October 7-8) and use the hashtag #ibuynearby. That’s it! Winners will be selected at random.

(Michigan residents only) 

let’s chat

• Do you try to shop local and support your community’s small businesses?
• Have you had a space that you were able to transform and make your own? 
• If you are looking to redo and renovate, which room is on the top of your list?!

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