The Scrapbook Room - Before and After's

Just about 3 months to the day of our move, we finally have one room checked off the list.  We hung the final curtain (after dabbling with some "no sew") in the small bedroom on the main level this week and now have one room that is completed...finished...done-zo!

Of course, there are a few things I’d like to add/change down the road, but it’s finished in the sense that it’s clean, organized, and more importantly, presentable. So if you come to visit, I’ll hurry you through the unfinished mudroom, through the chaotic living room, and down the unpainted hallway, so you can get a sense of what a completed room in the Cohen household looks like.

One of the main reasons we focused on this room first is because it didn’t need to be painted. The wall was a light tan and the trim was already white.  Here's the "before". 

We knew from day one that this would be the office, or as I like to call it, the scrapbook room. Originally, I had envisioned a white corner desk, but we already had a perfectly good desk from the apartment.  Since a new one wasn’t a necessity, I made peace with the one we already had. We had two other pieces of furniture we knew would work in the space – a green comfy reading chair and a cube organizer, both from Target. The cubes fit perfectly on the closet wall, the chair went in the corner, and the desk went on the only other long wall. 

Once the layout was complete, I set to work organizing the cubes. I like things to be functional, yet nice to look at, so I filled the cubes with books, scrapbook supplies, and a few odds and ends.  The printer sits on top along with an Ikea lamp, a candle, and a fake plant (the only type I can keep alive).  Here's how that space turned out:

As for the walls, I knew exactly what I wanted. The area above the cubes was screaming for a giant cork board.  A month or so ago, I found the perfect one at a yard sale.  The woman selling it only wanted $2!  I couldn't believe it.  These things currently go for $30 at Home Goods.  It was in perfectly good condition, so I snatched it up.  The hubs put a quick coat of white paint on the border just to freshen it up and we hung it in its new home.  I added our calendar, a few family photos, and some inspirational quotes, and it was complete.

We put some shelves from our apartment on the wall to the left of the desk and I filled them with photo albums, pictures, and other craft supplies.  The room was taking shape quickly.  We hung a few more things - our diploma's, our wedding shower guestbook, and some shadowboxes I made a few years ago.

The last thing we needed was something above the desk. We didn't have any artwork that really worked in the space, and I thought the room needed something else, something functional. I had always thought about having a pegboard in my office with all my tools at arms reach. So we headed out to Home Depot and found a 2 x 4 white (everything is better in white!) pegboard for only $7. We also found a 43 piece pegboard organizer at Lowe's for only about $11. That night, the hubs hung the board (it fit perfectly above the desk!) and I set to work. A few hours later, the board was complete. I mostly filled it with my scrapbooking staples - glue gun, scissors, trimmers, and brads - but I also included a few magnets, and photos to add some life to it.

The total cost to complete this room? $20! No, really, you read that right. Nearly everything in the room is stuff we already had.  We only purchased the cork board and the pegboard/hardware.  All the furniture, decorations, art, and rug were reused.  I'm THRILLED that we finally have one room completed.  Sometimes I sit in there and look around, just admiring the fact that something is done in our house!

Be well,

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