Girl Boss Office Tour

Growing up, I always wanted a small space to call my own: a tree house, a hidden fort, a secret garden. Eventually I settled on cleaning out my closet and filling it with a sleeping bag and stuffed animals. I would sit in that closet for hours with the doors shut, flashlight on, reading and dreaming. (And sometimes napping.) All was fine and dandy until the largest spider known to man scurried across my lap. And before you could say Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland, (Yes that’s his real name. Google it.) I abandoned my post and never looked back. Actually, that’s a lie… my mom made me retrieve my sleeping bag, which took two weeks and a whole lot of courage to accomplish. Now flash forward twenty years later to when I finally had a house of my own and still longed for a space to call mine. Hence how the girl boss office space was born.

Making Tough Decisions

The smallest of the three bedrooms in our house, the office used to be my get-ready room. But when choosing between a place to work or a place to pamper, I had to be selfless. As I mentioned before in this post, Brian and I have a lot of stuff and we really needed a place for all of our paperwork. So my makeup collection got shoved in the bathroom along with my hair products, perfume, and skincare. Gosh, that’s a sad day to recollect. My first attempt at transforming the room into an office was a bit of a failure. Three things HAD TO CHANGE: 1. The band-aid pink paint 2. The oversized desk chair and 3. The window treatments. Everything in the before picture made the room feel small and dark – two things that just don’t equate to a #girlboss office.

Always Start with a Color Scheme

The wallpaper was sponsored by Coloraydecor. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The easiest way to start designing a room is to choose your color scheme. In the beginning, I wanted to keep the blue rug so that I didn’t have to do a complete overhaul of the space. Then I found my dream wallpaper and everything changed. The Tropical Leaf Removable Wallpaper from Coloraydecor checked every box on my list. It has a large print so that it doesn’t overwhelm the eye and a white background that blends in with the white paint color we chose: Sherwin Williams Snowbound. (Just in case we made any mistakes.) I still drool every time I see the leafy, green goodness. It’s thick and durable with a matte finish. And the best part? Natalia from took the measurements of the wall and pre-cut the paper into three sections that fit together like a puzzle. (The simplest, most uncomplicated puzzle ever!)

With the accent wall on fleek, it was time to buy a new rug. Unfortunately, the old one just wouldn’t do. 🙁 I needed something that didn’t compete with the wallpaper but still stood on it’s own and felt bohemian and unique. I browsed the Allmodern site for hours before finally stumbling across the Camilla Hand-Woven Area Rug by Loon Peak. It was perfect with it’s low pile, fringe, and southwestern feel. This room would be fit for a girl boss for sure! (And Brian.)

The Finishing Touches

The desk and bookshelf were both fairly new, neutral, and had clean lines so I decided that they could easily transition from thrifted boho to boss babe glam. Which really only left a desk chair, shades, and some office accessories to complete the room. As much as it pained me to get rid of my very own I knew it wasn’t right for the space. And so now it sits in the basement, awaiting the day that Brian and I decide to build a deck. It’s replacement? The Liza Mid-Back Desk Chair – a standard white faux-leather chair with tufted details. Brian always complains that I buy uncomfortable chairs but he approved of Liza. #winning! (Do you know how hard it is to please a libra?)

With the help of blindster.com I’ve replaced almost every, hideous broken roller shade in the house with bamboo awesomeness. The Premium Shades in Yunnan Natural make this girl boss office feel like a tropical oasis. When in fact, I’m really in New England watching Summer slip through my fingers far too quickly. (Somebody make it stop!) Once the foundation is laid in a room, where does one go to shop for accessories? Well Homegoods of course! Our desk only has one small, shallow drawer, so storage solutions such as boxes, file organizers, and paper trays were a MUST HAVE. And maybe one or two (or three or four…) decorative accessories snuck their way into my cart too.

Pro Tip: Dogs are allowed in Homegoods. It’s a known fact that they are great shopping assistants. (But I’d never bring Opal. )

To Be Continued…

A lot of people comment about this room on and say things like, “Office goals,” and “I’d get so much work done in this office!” But the reality is, nothing gets accomplished in here! Why? Because when I step into this room I do what every other designer does, I start making changes to it in my head. (It’s not just me right?) While the floating desk, open bookshelf, and accent wall are all key elements to this Girl Boss office space… there’s actually more to come! Because a blogger just can’t sit at her desk all day long. She needs to be able to lounge on a futon from to really get her juices flowing. Dontcha think? 😉 Stay tuned until next week to see the rest of this space!

Get The Look:

Sources:
Bamboo Shades in Yunnan Natural: Blindster.com | Desk: Walmart, no longer avialable | Wallpaper: Coloraydecor | Southwestern Rug: Allmodern | Bookcase: Allmodern | Sonoma Candle: Agape Candles | Pineapple Candle: Malie Organics

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