Respite

A respite is "an interval of rest and relief". I have been grateful and blessed during these last few weeks which have served as a respite for me. I've had time to get lots done, but always in the comfort of my pajama pants with The Bachelorette on in the background. Every once in a while, I do venture out for taxing errands such as the grocery store, Hobby Lobby, or HomeGoods. It's a hard job, but somebody's got to do it. (Don't be too jealous, though... I work like crazy the rest of the year.) In the last two weeks, my wonderful husband has allowed me to decorate a room in our house that I have been DYING to decorate for a year now: our study. The study is a room with tons of potential: tall french doors, arched windows, and lots of space. However, it was totally under-utilized and just plain ugly (as you can see below).

Before, the room consisted of a desk and chair pushed up against one wall. The rest of the room was empty except for disorganized, teetering stacks of books and moving boxes full of office supplies and random junk. That's right.... moving boxes. Never unpacked. Brent would do work at the desk, and I couldn't be in there with him unless I sat on the floor and gazed at the mess. That didn't happen very often!

Before:
I think even Brent got a little tired of the disorganized mess, so he gave me the OK to start decorating. That was all I needed! Two weeks, approximately eight trips to HomeGoods, two visits to Hobby Lobby, the construction of two IKEA bookshelves, and a whole Saturday of arts & crafts later... we have a new, beautiful, USABLE study!! The study now provides respite for me... I am in love with reading in there and hanging out with Brent while he works.

Behold, the after:

This is the view of the study from the dining room. I sometimes look down the hall just to see this view because I love how it looks. Believe it or not, I found the chair at HomeGoods for a price WAY lower than any chairs at IKEA. I immediately loved the cute stripes and over-sized shape. It is so comfy! I also found the modern little table and blue lamp at HomeGoods. It kind of has an overall 'beachy' feel, and I have no idea where that came from since it's not usually my style, but I kind of like it for this room. I have been eying these cute framed letters at Hobby Lobby for a long time, and I finally found a place for them! Thanks to my wonderful hubby for constructing these IKEA bookshelves. Apparently I need more books to fill them up. (Never thought I'd say THAT!) Blazer enjoys his portion of the room as well.

We put the desk at an angle looking out into the room, which I love. I learned that by looking at model homes when we were house-hunting. I think model homes always have a desk at an angle for some reason. Then I found that adorable lamp (at HomeGoods, where else?). The framed bulletin boards are from Hobby Lobby. The computer is off to the side of the desk so I can bring my laptop in there and work on the desk, too! Of course anytime I do a new room, I get the urge to paint something, so I bought four canvasses and painted the art you see here. I tried to mimic the coral pattern from the lamp, and then I found a cool graphic design that I copied from some pillows on the internet for the other two canvasses. Although they probably wouldn't sell for thousands at an art show, I like them and they cost less than $25 total.

Here's a parting view for you. I'm typing this from the comfy chair and have no intentions of getting up anytime soon!