Inspiration For A Closet Office

Curt and I have been working on this huge closet switch-a-roo to make some space for me to have an office/craft area.  I wish I could say room, but well, its only a 750 square foot condo!

So we finally converted our hallway pantry into a walk in closet, leaving our bedroom closet as PRIME CRAFTING SPACE!!
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I'd show you pictures, but I really just shoved all of our tools and building supplies in there and it looks horible!  But esentually the space looked like this.

Narrow but long.  My closet is only a few feet deep but there is a considerable amount of space on ether side of the closet doors.  So its longer then the doors lead on to be. It also originally had thos horrible sliding doors.  I always hated them, they were always in the way.  I ripped them out years ago and just hung up a curtain in front of it.
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So now that it's finally time to start working on the office.  I really wanted to take some time and think about what I really want the space to be like. Today it all seemed to come together.

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Here is my inspiration.

This picture was the starting spark of my inspiration.

BLACK WALLS!

Black is scary, and honestly I'm way too scared to ever consider putting it on any of my main living area walls.  It would probably make my space seem even smaller then it is now, and considering there technically is only 2 windows in this little beach condo, it would just turn into a dungeon.  But, in the closet, I think it could do wonders.  Its already a tiny space so it can't do any more damage, and I think in the end its going to compliment our dark grey undertones in the bedroom, and just pop.

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This picture above really made me see how complimentary black, brown and white are together.

I was able to find this Besta Burs desk from Ikea on Craigslist for less than half the price I would have paid for it in the store.  It was in perfect condition, and best yet, ALREADY ASSEMBLED!

Those Ikea instructions can drive a person completely mad.

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I love this desk because it is clean, crisp, shiny white.  Its also very narrow and very long, so its a perfect fit for my tiny closet.  It also has two really long drawers that will fit lots of stuff in them.

Keeping with the black, brown and white concept, I'm going to build some thick stained wooden shelving like in the picture above.  I think the stained wood will be a nice contrast against the black wall.

For the space between the desk and the shelves, I want to carry on the science/nature theme we've been working on throughout the house.  I have a great old typeset drawer that I was originally going to use to hold all my sewing bobbins.  The bobbins don't fit, and probably would have looked way too messy for me anyway.  I've been admiring this table on etsy made from an old typeset drawer.  I love the different shells and specimens.  I'm going to mimic this and put it on the wall.  I really wanted to use that drawer for something, so this is perfect!

I also love this idea of putting air plants in the drawer sections.  So cool!

Along with the shell display, I'm going to find a few more butterfly taxidermy to hang along with it.

They are so pretty against this black wall.  Stunning!

I'd like to find lots of industrial bins, baskets and vintage looking jars to house all of my craft and office supplies.

Like I said, I tore the closet doors out years ago.  I've always just kept a curtain in front of it, but I think now, I'm just going to embrace the hole!

I love these old wooden architectural pillars, and I have a nifty little salvage shop in Seattle where I can find tons of them.  I'm going to line each side of the closet opening with a fun decorative architectural pillar.

I have a great pharmacy lamp that I found at a rummage sale that will look great on top of the desk!

I also found an awesome old wired in box, similar to this one except double deckred.  Found at the Funky Junk Sisters, Junk Salvation show they put on a few times a year in Puyallup Washington.  Always find great stuff at that show!

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So there you have it.  I know it looks like a Mich Match of photos... but in the end I know its going to look great! I'm so excited about it, I want to get started NOW!!

First step is to find a good shade of black..... HA HA HA!

Honestly though, I think I'm not going to go totally solid black.  I'm thinking REALLY dark ALMOST BLACK gray.

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I would love to hear any of your thoughts!

"Beep Beep!" from The Little Road!!

TAXIDERMY AND THE MAN WHO KNOWS.....

Hi everyone!

I know I've been neglecting this blog.

But, ya know what, I'm just going to get right back to it.  We're all only human right?

I showed you guys a little while back our project of moving our pantry into an open shelving unit we built in our dinning room.  Well, the project continues!  We've just transformed the old pantry into a walk in closet. (I will post pictures soon!) It's been working really well! Still struggling to fit all our stuff into it though!

And now were on to converting the old bedroom closet into an office/crafting space!  Whew!

I'm about projected out at this point! 

So now that the majority of our cosmetic house projects are being rapped up, I figured its time to start pulling all my decorative stuff out of storage and start hanging pictures and putting out the chotchkeys and such.  So I started pulling stuff out of hiding and setting them out......Only problem is, and this may sound totally silly...... I just don't feel grounded!  For weeks I've been wracking my brain trying to conceptualize how my home is really going to come together, and I've hit a major stump!  So I started thinking about what makes me, me!

I love most everything shabby and industrial.  I love things that show age and tell a story, but I also love how clean and personal it makes a space feel. Family Pictures, Old pieces of torn down buildings, Relics of history!

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I also have an Mcobb side.  I love strange things! From things that make your brain go "What!" to things that give you a little bit of the heeby geebys.   I actually have a huge old poster of Alexander, "the man who knows." floating head hanging in my living room.  (FYI Alexander was a local Seattle magician that was very popular in the 1920's)  And its a really cool poster!

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I also have a naturalist side.  I work for a farm, I love being outdoors camping, exploring, combing for treasures.  I hate to fly, I prefer to keep my feet on the ground. That is a big part of who I am.

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So, how the hell do I make all these sides of me work together?

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So the other day it hit me!

Taxidermy! Biology! Creatures of strange seemingly uncharted territory!..... Usually Asia.  :O)

Think about it for a moment with me!!!

Each item has a story! A history, just like all of my old shabby furniture and architectural pieces!

Though I know it seems on the contrary, being dead and all, in my opinion, taxidermy actually breaths a sense of life into a room! It makes me remember that there is so much beauty in the world we live in!  Free beauty! So not only does it relate to my shabby/industrial side by telling a story, being able to put something in my every day environment that comes from nature relates to my naturalist side.

And without saying it relates to my Mcobb side.  Taxidermy gives a lot of people the Heeby Geebys, but for me, reminds me that life and death are constantly around us.  That there is beauty in all things and in all stages of life and existence, even the dark stages we all go through at one time or another. 

In all actuality, in a way, it also brings me back to my childhood.  I used to catch yellow butterfly's and metallic blue lizards, and keep them in a secret box in my bedroom.  You can imagine my mothers surprise the day she stumbled upon them!

So its time to start combing the beach for sea specimens, and hounding ebay for amazingly cool died bugs and bats!

Also, West Elm has this beautiful Faux taxidermy wall mount head that's above!  It shall be mine!

"Beep Beep!"  From The Little Road!!!