10 easy room planning tips:

Making your space

My husband and I are empty-nesters who recently downsized from a huge house to a small condo. In our downsizing process, my studio-home office went from spacious and accommodating to almost nothing. In order for me to engage the creative process, I need a creative space of my own. I decided to use the small, guest bedroom for my office-studio.

1

Lay out the dimensions of the room on graph paper to better visualize where to place the items you will need in the room. When choosing the placement of furniture think of the best use of the space.

2

Choose your focal point. Ask yourself which area of the room do you want to make more noticeable? In this case the nearly wall to wall bookcase is going to be the major piece in the office-studio, deciding it's position first made the placement of other furniture pieces easier.

3

Inspiration can come from unexpected places. Look through a magazine, or Pinterest. I was inspired by a picture of bees with the most beautiful shades of silvers, whites, blacks, browns and golds. The inspiration for my work space color scheme was a tiny bee.

4

Choose a neutral color for your walls. This way the walls will complement the color scheme instead of fighting for attention. This will also make the room more relaxing.

5

Organize all your color choices to determine if the overall color scheme is pleasing or if you need to make any changes. To create warmth, use an area rug. I used an oriental rug in the same color scheme that adds pattern and texture.

6

If you are re-purposing furniture - decide what paint technique you are using to refresh them. Make test samples (within your color scheme) of the painting technique you will use. I chose the wet distress painting technique for the custom bookcase, and to update an existing table and chair.

7

If you are working with a small space, elect to have the minimum furniture pieces in your room to make it spacious. I chose an old, long table to use as my desk.

8

Storage and function are paramount in any room. If you don't have the luxury of built in shelving, group a collection of free standing or floating shelves on one wall to create a similar look.

9

Layer in color and texture with personal items and personality pieces.

Accessories tell the story of your life. Use them to bring drama, color and style to the room. My favorite piece in the office is the over-sized photo of my husband and myself on holiday.

10

Enjoy the process, your life is ever-changing and so are your needs and tastes. A neutral color palatte allows you to change accent colors and decor style over time without great expense. This chair has had several upholstery jobs to fit in different areas of my home - the off white paint goes with any fabric choice.