When we found out we were expecting baby #2 we started assessing the space in our home. We had a spare bedroom ready to become a nursery and plenty of living space with our open floor plan upstairs that includes a pretty spacious living room and we also added a playroom downstairs a few years ago. Our morning room has always been used as an office of sorts since I work from home and my husband works from home regularly. This only causes a problem when school isn't in session because it's hard for work related calls to be taken from the morning room and it's hard to focus.
We had one last empty space downstairs that could be transformed into a more useful space if we wanted it to be. At the time, it was being used as a storage space but with a baby on the way, a lot of those baby-related items were going to be brought back upstairs and were going to be used again. So began the downstairs office construction project.
While I'm never thrilled with any type of mess or construction going on in my house, this was tolerable since it was downstairs, and we still had our regular living space to enjoy. There were some messes that almost drove my pregnant self insane, but after about eight weeks or so, the downstairs room was finished and we could begin moving things in. We had half the room to work with after the office was planned, so the other half of the room became a small gym area.
I was lucky enough to receive complimentary paint from Sherwin Williams for this project in their 2016 color of the year: Alabaster (SW 7008). The color is basically a very creamy white. My husband swears he sees some yellow to it and I swear there's some gray. We've agreed to disagree. Originally the color was going to be used for our upstairs nursery, but once we found out it was a boy, any shade of white just didn't seem to sit well with me and we went with a shade of silvery blue (Nursery reveal to come soon). We chose the Alabaster paint in an eggshell finish and the Harmony brand from Sherwin Williams. Our whole house has been painted in Sherwin Williams paint thanks to the low VOC content.
This is the office portion of the room. You can get an idea of the color difference between Alabaster white and a creamier butter color, which is what the hallway is outside the room. Also, the trim and door are painted traditional white (flat). The walls have a bit of a different tint to them. It's made for a very bright room.
I didn't want to spend too much money on the décor of the room. The desk I ordered from Walmart for under $90. The small area rug was under $40 from Lowe's and I repurposed the cabinets from elsewhere in our downstairs. All of our supplies including the flooring came from Lowes.
Looking across the room we have our small workout area. This is another good picture that gives you an idea of the Alabaster white when you compare it to the white trim near the floor.
I'm a big fan of earth tones and tans. I just like the neutral, warm appeal of them and you can change your décor inside a room whenever you want. Alabaster white from Sherwin Williams is a change for me, as its a much brighter shade. It works well for the downstairs though, and has made the room much brighter and cheerier. Our home is now about 2,300 square feet in total and the 300 extra square feet of this room provides us with a very quiet and private work space when needed.
For more information on Sherwin Williams 2016 color of the year, Alabaster, you can visit their website at
www.sherwinwilliams.com.
