When our basement flooded last spring, we took the disaster as an opportunity to revamp our basement.  We laid new carpet and have plans for a new wet bar and kids’ play area in the works.  What made me the most excited though, was the prospect of converting our rarely used guest bedroom into a home office for me.

Our guests have a love affair with our sectional.  It didn’t matter that we had decked out the guestroom with new furniture and flat screen tv; everyone who came to visit always ended up sleeping on the couch.  I don’t blame them – it’s like sleeping on a cloud.  That said, a perfectly good room was going to waste; now was my chance to take advantage!

We had an interior designer friend come and take a look at the space.  She immediately said: “This can be your Working Woman’s Retreat!” I was determined to make it so from that point on.  I got to work creating a design plan; I envisioned what I wanted my space to feel like {bright, soothing, warm} and what I wanted it to look like {light, chic, feminine} and scoured websites and magazines for the elements that I wanted to include.  Of course, in a household with 5 people, my home office was at the bottom of the budgetary and scheduling priority lists, so it’s been slow going to pull it together.  But I’m excited to say that I finally reached a turning point in the last month where the ball has gotten rolling!

The first major challenge was finding a desk.  I knew exactly the desk I wanted. I had seen it on an episode of “Run’s House” (don’t laugh).  Angela and Vanessa had a huge white French Provincial table with curved legs in their Pastry offices. Like this:

And so I searched. For something similar but that didn’t break the bank. I was flat out of luck.  Turns out those tables are treasured antiques and run in the neighborhood of $1500 and up.  That was not going to work. I was getting very discouraged and took to checking Craigs List like a madwoman.  I responded to an ad that I saw posted and dragged my entire family out to the girl’s place, with my husband’s pick up truck, to see it. What a letdown! Her table was in terrible shape, chipped and yellowing and rickety. After that I gave up the search for awhile. And then…2 weeks ago I FOUND MY TABLE ON CRAIGSLIST.  Within a few hours it was delivered to my house in great condition for a great price. Woot! I was on my way.

Meanwhile, I was contacted by CurtainWorks asking if I might be interested in reviewing a set of their curtains.  They were featuring all of their styles in blue as the color is one of the design trends for 2011.  What perfect timing!  I was sent their Messina velvet curtains in Peacock.  They are the perfect addition to my space and add a luxurious, rich quality.  We had painted the walls to the office a light, light blue and carpeted the floor in a similar shade; these curtains are the perfect accent.  The length is great too; I ordered the length longer than needed so that they would pool in a bunch on the floor.  Instead of using them to cover the window, which is small is this basement room, I decided to use the curtains as coverings for the closet.  I plan to use the closet for file storage and like the idea of sprucing up a typical supply closet with these gorgeous curtains.  I am now in search of  the perfect curtain ties to complement the curtains…oh and a steamer to get them silky smooth! If you are in the market for curtains, definitely give CurtainWorks a shot. Their prices are super affordable ($49 – $79 for these!) and they are currently offering FREE shipping on orders over $125.

Image Source: CurtainWorks.com

Aren’t they pretty?

In addition to a fabulous bronze snakeskin, studded end table and studded leather chair that I scooped up at HomeGoods, I’ve added a pretty lamp, desk and wall accessories, decorative mirrors and Southern magnolia wreath to the mix.

I’ve still got a ways to go, but I am excited to say that my Working Woman’s Retreat is well underway.

We had an interior designer come by our house over the weekend.  She is actually someone I know through Junior League, and she immediately sprang to mind when Hubby and I were hemming and hawing about what to do with our basement.  You might recall that it recently flooded; now it’s all dried out, cleaned out and a nice clean slate for us to create our dream basement.

We’ve decided to make it into a functional family room, with a dedicated play and workspace for the kids (therefore saving my living and dining rooms, hallelujah) and – since no one bothers to sleep in the guest room when they visit (for some reason, the couch is the preferred choice) – converting that room into a home office for me.  Or as the designer called it, my “working woman’s retreat.”  Love it!

In the hour that she was at our house, she came up with a dozen fantastic ideas that made us say: “why didn’t we think of that?” Needless to say we are very excited about the prospect of a redesigned basement that we will actually use.  We also have big plans for our backyard that we’re aiming to get underway soon.

I have to say that I love the idea of having a professional, skilled in interior design take the lead on this project. As much as we love DIY, there is just something about having someone with a trained eye guide you through the process.  I’ll make sure to post before and after pics!

I’ve decided to take on a pretty ambitious project for a non-creative type like myself: I’m going to design our backyard deck into an outdoor living area for us to enjoy now that the weather is warming up.  This may not seem like a big deal to someone like, say, Justice Jonesie, who has a knack for home design, but for someone like me, whose first thought is to hire someone talented, like Jonesie, to design it for me, it’s an intimidating undertaking.

When we first bought our house, hubby immediately stained our wooden deck. It’s pretty large and came with an outdoor dining set and umbrella that the previous owners left for us.  Fast forward 7 years and our deck is looking pretty wack. We still have the same furniture (which looks sad after years of wear and tear) and there’s absolutely no decorative accents anywhere – not even a plant.  I think at the moment, the only “pop of color” is the kids’ abandoned plastic red painting easel. I’ve been dreaming of the days when we move to our dream house with a large backyard and outdoor living room, but – ahem – until then, I figure I better make the best of what we have. So I am in the planning stages of my project.

Oh! And my DIY project is starting out as a secret. I want to show hubby that I can do something around the house without his help! Also, I know he’ll freak out at the thought of spending money on this, so I want to find inexpensive solutions to show him. {I know what you’re thinking: Not to worry – there is next to zero chance that he’s reading this blog.}

Do any of you have tips, suggestions or ideas for me? I’d love to hear them. Wish me luck…