Tossin' Another Bag!

Or, at least I’m revising the contents of one…

I am definitely a pack rat! I save things.

But what it really come down to, is clutter! No other word for it. I need to refine the spaces around me. The unnecessary “stuff” robs me, and probably my family, of serenity & calm. I am going to concentrate on unloading this extra baggage!

Yesterday, we started in the office. I say “we” because I had the help of my wonder woman friend, Patti! More on this amazing woman later…

The office is the place in my home where I spend the majority of my waking hours. Since I work my full time job from home, and run my Tupperware & Refined Room businesses from there, it really needs to be organized! I also share it with my husband who has his own necessary parephanelia…you get the idea! Piles and piles and piles!

This room is the one room in my home that has never had any attention. When we moved in, we threw the desks and a couple of bookcases into the room and that was it. The walls have remained builder’s white, which is certainly not my style. The oak desks and bookcases are out of date and NOT the beautiful, rich, dark wood I would prefer. But if Refining is making the most of what you have, to make improvement by introducing subtleties or distinctions, then I am going to make them work!

First job was to clear everything out of the room, ugh! (Of course now, the living & dining rooms are stacked with it all.) Then onto a fresh coat of paint! I chose a warm color “Tamarind” – SW 7538. It is one of the newer “Concepts in Color” shades. It reminds me of a slightly warmer version of SW Latte. It really makes the old oak furniture look like it might have been “on purpose”. I actually like the way the furniture looks now!

This is the wall color.

Next, we cut the bottoms off the 8’ tall bookcases so that we could sit them on the desks like a hutch. I think it looks wonderful and has created so much more floor & wall space! Ed is a train & tractor enthusiast, so I can bring some of his art & collectibles into the room.

Here is a my desk with the "new" hutch.

That was Saturday. Today we tackle the really tough job of moving all the cr*p back into the office. Well, not all of it! A bunch of it is getting tossed! Won’t be fun, but it is so necessary! And it will feel really good to be free of all that junk!

LATER...

It is done, at least for today! We finished what work we could the office, including organizing my fabric samples and decor catalogs! We took the two bottoms that we cut off the bookcases and stacked them to make a bookcase in the closet. Still need to order new blinds and some fabric for a valance. But I must say, I am really pleased with the results. I am also exhausted! It isn't easy to let go of some things, even when you know it's the best thing to do!

The closet with the "reused" bookcase bottoms.