The small details is what makes this Kate Spade inspired vanity/office nook take center stage. After painting the wall and built in shelves WHITE, I accented the brackets using gold gilding with metal leaf sheets, adhesive, and sealer.
I must confess, the metal sheets are not the easiest thing in the world to work with. Once it touches your skin, it pretty much begins to disintegrate. (TIP: Use wax paper to “handle” the sheets. This will help keep the gold foil in place). Make sure to finish with the sealer. It’s important you don’t skip this step. This keeps the foil from shedding and also helps in smoothing out any wrinkled areas while brushing on the sealer. It was a lot of work but the gold brackets certainly brightens up the space...isn’t it beautiful?!✨
Now let's talk about this non-wallpaper paper. I initially started using a different floral wallpaper but once it was on the wall, it just didn't do it for me. I REALLY tried to like it (mainly because I didn't want to start over) but after a few hours I still didn't like it so it was time for Plan B...
Remember I mentioned earlier I was trying to stick with using things I already have? Well, I found this beautiful floral wallpaper tucked away and it was PERFECT for what I wanted. Except that...it wasn't wallpaper! It was GIFT WRAPPING paper (grrrrrr)!!! I was NOT about to go buy more wallpaper (wallpaper isn't cheap yall!) So now on to Plan C...
What I winded up doing is using this INEXPENSIVE GIFT WRAPPING PAPER and used it as my WALLPAPER. Yeppers! I simply made my own wallpaper paste by combining good ole modge podge with some water and brushing it on the back of the gift wrapping paper as seen here...
But make sure your concoction is not too liquid. You want enough consistency that the wallpaper will move around as you adjust it. Modge podge is thick and dries quickly so adding water helps with that. You also don't want it too liquid either because the paper will absorb alot of it. And make sure you are careful when brushing and applying to your wall because remember, it's still just paper.
It was actually pretty easy and it allowed me to move it around until I placed it just right. It was easier than actual wallpaper. I'm SO GLAD I decided to go this route and use this paper because I think it's soooo beautiful!!!
What do ya'll think?
I really wanted to work with things I already had. I didn’t want to have to spend too much money on this refresh. One of the funnest things for me to do is to “shop my home”, look in other rooms for knick-knacks, and move things around. Nothing seems more boring to me than to keep that exact same vase in the exact same spot for the next 25 years. It's just fun to switch things up!
That being said, I did make some purchases on a few statement pieces I've been eye-balling for some time. One of my biggest purchases was this Mid-Century Modernisque Pink Sasha accent chair that I bought at At Home. What girl doesn’t love pink velvet?! (Like seriously girls...swoon!). It gives this nook that fabulous pop of fuchsia/hot pink color I love. The chair fits perfectly under my desk and it’s OH...so COMFY!
As you've probably seen by now (or already knew if you read yesterdays blog), I decided to cover that ugly formica desk countertop with polka dots! Now for this I DID use REAL wallpaper. It was easy peasy and I'm just coo-coo over this polka dot wallpaper I found on Amazon! Isn't it gorgeous?!
STYLING: Now let's talk a little bit about my styling products (sorry if I'm getting long-winded here folks but inquiring minds wanna know! ;) ).
The gold flamingo I got at Michael’s for 50% off (in addition to a 20% off coupon I had for my entire purchase🙂).
This cute little gold Kate Spade lamp I found at Home Goods...
The small Hollywood Regency gold mirror with seagulls (right up my ally) was a vintage find...
These beautiful flowers (yes, those are real strawberries, brussel sprouts, and grapes in my arrangement) are from a floral workshop I did with my friends at Wild Veggie Bouquet...
Aren't they just wonderful! Julia at Wild Veggie Bouquet is just so talented!
DIY:
Details...details...details! As mentioned earlier, I love Kate Spade and that includes her cute decorative boxes! I do have a few (that I typically purchase at Home Goods). I love her rose boxes but unfortunately are out-of-stock. They are hard to find and if you do happen to find one, they can run you $50 a pop! So in the spirit of staying on budget, I decided to make my own Kate Spade boxes with some things I already had.
I got these plain white photo boxes at Michaels a while back and then just (you guessed it), started sticking these STICKERS all over! The rose stickers were also found at Michaels and the black polka dots are actually some sort of black tape I found in hubbys garage that I just hole-punched using this 1-inch hole puncher. The lids were decorated with black and gold tape to mimic Kate Spade's beloved nesting boxes.
Not too bad eh?
Another DIY are these lined desk drawers! I lined the inside of the drawers hot pink/fuchsia to compliment my gorgeous hot pink velvet chair and keeping with the Kate Spade theme, I used black and white striped paper on the sides. Now once again, i used PAPER I already had so used the same modge podge method I used for the paper on the walls...but any type of wallpaper or contact paper works just as well. You could even use simple card stock or pretty paper cut to size without even having to glue to line the drawers.
Now let’s talk about this rug!!!!
Eeeek! My friend Monica at Monica Wants It introduced me to Karastan rugs (and SO GLAD she did)! I initially wanted a Dalmatian print rug but they were ALL sold out (can you believe it??). Another black and white rug from Safavieh that I loved was too big for the room space. But this one...auuugh...this one was juuuuuust right (cue Goldie Locks). Not only is the size perfect for this little nook but the dark contrast really makes a bold statement and helps “break things up”. I’m so glad I waited and went with the perfect rug! It’s not only beautiful but it’s versatile. Versatile, affordable, and timeless!😍.
Overall, I love every bit of this office nook/vanity space. I mean, I really love EVERY area in this space! What do ya'll think? Did I forget to mention anything? Please leave a comment below or feel free to ask any questions about ANYTHING! I'm always happy to help and hope you enjoyed walking this journey of my office nook refresh with me! :)
