Bedroom to Office Before and After Reveal

In this article: Turn a basic bedroom to office with a simple and budget friendly makeover. Here’s how ours turned out!

Our nest is officially empty.

Although we’ve been preparing ourselves for this moment  since the day our first son was born, I admit ~ it’s a bit strange.

We’ve had a taste of the empty nest in small bits, but this time it feels official.

A few weeks ago, the last box was packed, the clothes’ piles removed from the floor, and posters taken off the wall. Our youngest son moved across town to rent a house with his older brother and a friend.

And, we were left with this…

A completely empty room.

We bought this townhouse with the empty nest in mind. It’s the perfect size for 2…But, a wee bit cramped for a family with grown boys…

So, right from the get go, we knew that someday this room would be turned into something else. Initially, we thought it would be a guest room. But, frankly, we didn’t think taking up the entire room’s floor space for a bed that may or may not be used once a year was a bit of a waste.

My husband has recently enrolled in a Master’s Degree program, so we know there will be lots of studying in his future.

We decided quick as a whistle that this room would be his office.

Sometimes room makeovers take lots of plotting and planning.

But, this one?

It came together so quickly!

How to turn a Bedroom to Office Before & After Reveal

In two weekends, it was painted and furnished…and for a whopping budget of less than $100, here it is now!

Step 1: Paint

The first order of business was paint. That beige color had to GO! So, up on the walls went Simply White, with an accent wall of Iron Mountain by Benjamin Moore.

It freshened and brightened up the space immediately.

Related Article: How to Paint a Room

Step 2: Find practical furnishings

My husband wanted an overall feel that was warm and library-inspired, so I admitted out loud that I wished we could find an antique desk and chair.

Rustic Office Desk and chair

Hours later, he texted me a picture of this ~ a set from the 50s that was being given away by a dear couple from our church!

Oh, how I love it so…

It was this dear lady’s father’s desk. He worked for an insurance company here in Canada in the 50s, and when they went out of business, they gave him his office furniture. The desk has all kinds of amazing storage and fine details…

And, I love the time worn chair filled with tons of character. Oh, if this furniture could talk – the stories it would tell!

My Grandparent’s chairs make a perfect little sitting area off to the side.

Although I regret that I had them professional upholstered in red fabric (what was I thinking??), they fit in well in this office setting.

New pillows with a black print help tie in the black wall, and add a nice texture to the space.

Step 3: Add in functional storage

Once the furniture was in, we were left with a LOT of empty wall space! After pouring over pictures on Pinterest, we decided to try long floating shelves above the desk area.

I love how they make the room appear to be larger, as well as offer a practical storage space + decor! It turned out to be a great, budget friendly solution. (They only cost $15 each to make. Click here to read how we made these floating shelves.)

Another budget friendly wall art project was the old nautical chart above the chair area. In just a few minutes, it became a large scale art piece – instead of rolled up in the closet!

Since my husband loves music, we hung his guitar on the wall, and are trying our hand at keeping a live money tree alive beside it!

This room gets great light, and I find my husband loves to spend time up in “his” space.

Yet to come are some roman shades for that window. I’m still on the hunt! 

Room Makeover Budget

Paint: $40 Behr Paint, mixed in Benjamin Moore Simply White

Paint: $0 Iron Mountain that was left over from previous project

2 Throw Pillows for red chairs: $10 each at Superstore

Floating Shelf Material: $35

TOTAL:$75! – Thanks to the beautiful furniture passed down to us. Thank you, dear friends! We are honored to have been gifted your furniture with a rich history…

More Budget Friendly Room Makeover Before & After Reveals:

Give your own tired rooms a fresh new look!

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12 Comments

  1. The office makeover turned out great! What did you use to hang the guitar? My hubby had a couple and that might be a great idea for keeping them out of the reach of our toddler grandson!

    1. Good question! It was a screw in u-hook from the hardware store for garage tools! We spray painted it and screwed it to a little black of wood and then hung it on the wall. Hmmm…Maybe I should do a tutorial on that?

  2. Your husband’s office looks amazing! I was following on Instagram too 🙂
    My husband just finished his doctoral degree and yes, needed a space to study. Wishing your husband all the best during his andragogy. Learning as an adult is so rewarding!

  3. Rita, this is just stunning!!!! Everything came together SO well…and the desk and chair you were gifted are indeed ‘priceless’!!! You just may have inspired me to do ‘something’ with one of the kids rooms upstairs 🙂

  4. Rita, that would have been a hilarious video. You waving good bye to your son, and two seconds later getting out the
    pain cans! Nice.job. Love the dark wall.

  5. When my son moved out, I turned his room into a sewing room. Just loved having a place to spread out! 2 months later Mother in Law moved in with us, there went the sewing room! Let’s hope your husbands office get’s to stay an office!

  6. Great to hear Irwin is doing his Masters! He might find that much easier than raising four great kids who are now moving on……the room looks amazing!

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