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Living in a digital world full of Instagram worthy pics everywhere you turn, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when decorating your home. Especially if you don’t have a big budget to get the job done. That is exactly what I was tackling in this office makeover on a budget!
You will see in just a minute the sad existence that was before this transformation. I didn’t want to feel like we lived in a collage apartment anymore filled with hand-me-down furniture. I wanted to badly a space where I could easily feel creative as I worked.
Hopefully after reading this post you will feel motivated, inspired, and encouraged to begin your own office makeover on a budget! Or any space in your home!
If you are girl after my own heart and love to find inspiration through easy and inexpensive DIY projects, then you will most definitely love these. (Don’t forget to Pin your favorites so you don’t loose them!)
The Before
Be sure that you don’t linger too long at these before pictures as they may induce tears of sadness!
So much clutter. So much darkness. So much dullness.
Pretty much the bookshelf and desk were just places to dump anything and everything
Okay that’s enough! Now to the pretty part!!!
My New Favorite DIY Tool!
First things first, without question I knew that the desk and the bookshelf needed to get some fresh paint. After spending some serious study sessions on my Pinterest boards, it was clear to see that they needed to be white!
Side note, do you guys know how many shades of white there are to choose from at a single hardware store? Too many in my opinion!
Anywho! I am here before you today to not only share tips on office makeovers on a budget, but to let you in on my new very favorite DIY tool!
Say hello to my brand new Wagner Studio Plus Paint Sprayer.
This is t-h-e perfect sprayer for all of your DIY projects around the house! I loved how easy it was to set up and especially how easy it was to clean up!
This sprayer is extremely efficient in the way that it sprays the paint. It does an excellent job at putting out very little overspray, which means that most of the paint goes right onto your project. Saving you money by wasting less paint!
I have tried other paint sprayers in the past but none of them laid down as smooth of a surface as the Studio Plus Paint Sprayer.
As I was painting my desk and bookshelf I kept yelling over to my husband, “can you believe how fast this going?” I WILL NOT ever paint a piece of furniture without my darling paint sprayer again!
Because I know that when I am reading other articles I always want to know the costs of EVERYTHING, I of course will give you the number breakdown for this sprayer!
The Wagner Studio Plus Paint Sprayer retails for $199. Worth. Every. Penny! Make sure to check Amazon for sales on this sprayer! (Today it was on sale for $169!)
If you don’t already have the cash set aside, start saving today! If you have any painting projects in your future, I promise if you get started without this sprayer you will end up in tears. It’s not worth torturing yourself over!
The After
Take a virtual tour of the transformation!
Now isn’t this much better?
Everything has a place. The bookshelf isn’t a librarian’s worst nightmare any longer!
Everything that was once piled high on my desk now has a home!
A simple file cabinet makeover has not only allowed to keep things organized off my desk, but we can now move a very sad disheveled plastic file system from the hall closet.
We quickly purged books we don’t need any longer and made a donation to our local thrift store. To help keep things looking fresh but without having to buy any new books, I simply turned them around so the pages faced out.
With this office makeover there were a few DIY projects I decided to tackle… Be sure to follow me on Instagram so you don’t miss when all the tutorials for these projects go live!
It might take me some time because I typically only post one DIY project per month, but they are comin’ for ya!
Project #1 Large Framed Black and White Prints
With the main points of focus newly painted, I shifted focus to the bare wall that sits above my desk. What to do…
I remember seeing once at a blogging conference a collage of giant black and white prints of roses. It made a huge statement without being too pushy. That’s what I wanted! But maybe a different flower? Yup!
Black and white engineer prints are my jam! I use them all the time for parties and I even shared my first attempt at using them to cover a canvas.
The affect they have on the room completely transforms the feeling you get as you walk in! I couldn’t be more happy with the way they turned out!
Project #2 DIY Wood Crates
It took me some time before I gave in to making vs. buying crates. The main reason I landed on making is because I needed a very specific size to fit in the bottom shelf of the bookcase.
They needed to be pretty tall because they are going to be used as storage to compensate for the lack of storage on the desk.
They get the job done, all while looking good!
Project #3 File Cabinet Makeover
I had seen these done all over Pinterest and they really are the very best project for an office makeover on a budget. If you can’t first of all find them for free somewhere (ours was a hand-me-down), you will find them all day long for $5-$10 in online classifieds.
The one I fell in love with was featured over on All Things Thrifty. She did hers in the most dainty blush pink paint with gold accents. Because I knew I wanted a blush pink chair, I decided to go with a dark navy for my cabinet.
The paint was a DIY on it’s own. I used a DIY chalk paint formula that is super simple. I am crazy excited to share this mini makeover with you guys! It’s a really fun one!
Project #4 DIY Framed Wood Art
Last but not least, I knew there needed to be a motivating quote up above the bookshelf. It needed to be big enough to take up some space.
I used some leftover wood from the backing for the framed flower photography and bought about $3 worth of wood to frame it. Then used the leftover paint from the desk and bookshelf. Easy peasy!
What I Ended Up Purchasing vs. Making
After putting in a lot of effort to online classified searches and strolls down the thrift store isles, there were a few things that I ended up spending most of my makeover budget on.
This desk lamp was my favorite mostly because it was such an amazing deal! (Though it is super cute!) I found it in-store at Target marked down on clearance from $40 to only $12!
You can click here for some similar lamps at really great prices.
The gold wire drawers and on desk files were found at Target.com.
Then there was this vintage looking floor lamp also from Target.com. I got it on sale for around $40.
Then comes my big splurge for this makeover… my new chair! Again, found at Target.com. You know… Target just really gets me! I got this chair on sale for around $140.
It’s SUPER comfy and with its subtle blush pink color it still brings a graceful pop of pink.
Because “my office” is actually just a wall in my living room, I wanted to make it feel feminine but without plastering hot pink all over the room.
Mission accomplished!
The Cost Breakdown
I saved up about $200 for this project, which is a lot. I know! Most of the money went into my chair and lamp. But in reality, you could get this same look for way under $100 with a little more DIY.
If you put time into a simple chair makeover, a can of spray paint and some mismatched thrifted office supplies, it won’t take you long to get your ideal office makeover on a budget!
What do you think?
Do you have an office makeover coming up? I would love to chat about it in the comments below.
I hope that this office makeover on a budget brought you fresh ideas and motivation to get started on your next project!
Thanks for stopping in and I will talk to you soon! Xoxo
Talisha Melluish
January 5, 2018 at 9:30 pmthis is amazing and I’m taking so many ideas to use on my in-home work area! Can’t wait for the tutorials!!
Brittany Cooper
January 6, 2018 at 2:27 amThank you so much! The framed engineer prints tutorial is coming in a week or two!!