Our Office Project
Since Two Poppies Design was formed, we had been finishing furniture projects in the craft room of our home. While the convenience was nice, the space was no longer functioning well for our growing business. Sharing craft space with the entire family was not conducive to staying on track with our work. It was time for an overhaul! We decided to make some physical changes - we kicked the kids out of our new office space (don't worry, they still have a place for crafting and making art projects also!) to make a more functional work space for Two Poppies Design. Decluttering and organizing our supplies was a priority. Providing ample space for reimagining fabulous pieces of furniture for our customers. Take a look at the office work space we've created - so we can create for you!
Craft Room - Before
So here's where we started... a large room with multiple work surfaces, so-so lighting, large storage cabinets and lots of knick-knacks on display. What we needed was less visual clutter and places for marketing items, hardware, paint chips, brushes, wallpaper samples... and the list goes on. We also needed better lighting and a sturdier worktable. Our rolling carts provided space for some items tucked under the large standing-height desk but they were inconvenient to reach into and could hold minimal supplies. Also the kids had their own desk (matching ours, of course), which was often overflowing with school papers and half-finished craft projects. We weren't taking full advantage of the 9-foot ceiling height and large size of the room. So we came up with a new plan to keep Two Poppies Design in line with our furniture and decor production goals!
Out with the old and in with the new...
The bold pattern on our rug was great for concealing minor art supply spills, but it was a bit chaotic in this very busy room. The large table (previously a dining table that we painted in the same creamy white to match the cabinets) left much to be desired in surface area and strength. It wasn't large enough for cutting wide bolts of fabric, nor did the leaves or dainty legs make the table sturdy for working. The vintage farmhouse-style candelabra light fixture wasn't providing bright enough light for choosing paint and wallpaper colors. The only thing really working in our space was the thrifted storage cabinets - they hold a lot of stuff! It was a no-brainer to keep these through the renovation and into the next phase of our work space.
Productivity Zone
As much as we enjoyed having a standing desk with open space below, the rolling carts didn't provide the concealed storage we were after. Repurposing a matching pair of small dressers was the perfect solution for providing office supply storage at the ready. After prepping the pieces, we added natural wood feet and applied a green wash over the wood drawers. The hardware was what originally drew us to the dressers, so of course we reattached the gold-tone pulls. The old butcher block counter from the previous worktable spans the top of the dressers (it can be removed for a different layout if needed), creating a counter-height desk with space for a comfy stool. Dividers (original) within the drawers along with bins keep our supplies organized and within reach.
The walls are now painted in pale blush, adding a warm light to the space. Our new patterned rug ties together the shades of green, blush, terracotta and blues while hiding any crafting mishaps. New leafy patterned curtains balance the rug and soften the multitude of hard surfaces in the room. In the works - we're building a new worktable for the center of the room using thrifted table legs and a plywood top (stay tuned for completion photos). We updated our primary light fixture, placed in the center of the existing ceiling medallion, with this six-light simple fixture. It casts plenty of light for working on projects, while keeping the style in line with our farmhouse look.
Storage Galore!
The storage cabinets that were already in place needed to stay (too many craft and sewing supplies inside), and we added another cabinet from a previous home (yep, it used to house a deep TV - remember those massive things?). Luckily the piece was already painted the same creamy white, so we simply changed the hardware to the dark tone for consistency. The cabinets fill nearly the entire wall but keep our supplies nearby for easy use.
Finishing Touches
One element that we didn't previously have room for in our workspace was our collection of hardware. The miscellaneous pieces were stashed in plastic tubs in our basement. To bring these necessary items to our office, we decided to repurpose a file cabinet into attractive hardware storage. Using some antique sewing machine drawers we'd collected over the years along with a few new wooden boxes built to the same specifications, we're now able to sort and store plenty of hardware options. The variety of drawers adds charm to the Two Poppies Design office, and gives us inspiration in a quick moment. Above our cabinet, we hung two metal shelves which display a few sewing notions and vintage buttons.
