Below is our my husband’s office space in the new house. Messy, I know!
I have only shown it in the original house photos when we closed on the house 5 months ago, so of course it was empty then. It’s still fairly empty other than a mid century modern desk we bought at Austin Antique Mall and my husband’s work equipment.
The desk was his choice, which I like… but don’t you just hate all that computer equipment. Ugh. He HAD to have his desk face the door and HAD to have the equipment, which gave no choice. But, I figure, hey, it’s his office and he has to work in it daily, so it’s important that he’s comfortable in it.
How do you hide big fat monitors? Maybe I’ll box him in with a cubicle and he can return to his right out of college days. Just playing. Restrict him to just a laptop and all other equipment on a credenza? Wouldn’t that be ideal. I have no idea, so I’ll just get over it. Just like in most households, it’s a compromise around here.
On the up side, it is really nice that it’s a piece of furniture this time rather than built-ins like last time so if we had to move again, we can take it with us and it’s not money lost.
As you can see, we didn’t style or do anything for the photo above. I believe in keeping it real. It’s how it looks – lots of monitors and such as much husband works from home. Paint cans in the corner ready for the painter, trash can with trash in it. Probably hurts your eyes, but makes you feel better too, though, huh? I know photos like this make me feel better. Then, I know others don’t have perfect looking homes 24/7.
As you can see, we tried out a few paint colors in that corner. Below is a close up image that I shared recently of the Benjamin Moore colors that I tried out in there.
We want to change out the Builder’s beige (SW Kilim Beige) to a more up-to-date color. We were looking at various greiges, as you can see. In fact, I did a recent series on greiges that may be helpful if you are searching for that perfect paint color.
For the office, we chose the color Senora Gray by Benjamin Moore. Our painter is supposed to come out in a couple of days to make it happen!
We also hope to paint a huge open part of the house where one wall connects to the next. You know how that goes with newer builds and open plans? There are many times no great stopping points and for the sake of continuity (making the house feel like it flows and is larger), I like one consistent color. Unless, however, a room is clearly separate from the next or there is a great wall for a stencil or wallpaper.
The Senora gray that we chose for the office is possibly a little too dark for the bulk of the house, especially since we’d be doing ceilings as well.
So, my second choice was a color I had used before called Sandstone Cliff by Behr. However, it was too light. It didn’t pop enough against light furniture and trim. So, we mixed it with some other colors we had on hand. To be honest, I almost always mix colors in the end, so I can get just what I want. This goes for furniture, walls and anything I touch with paint. It’s commonly a mix.
It’s not a ton different than the builder’s beige, but it’s definitely less beige and more gray. With it’s clear brown undertones, it’s a true greige. You can see the original lighter Behr Sandstone Cliff color in the photo above as well.
Below, is a photo of the color painted by the fireplace in the family room. You can hardly see it. I considered not showing this photo, but why not. Color is hard to capture in photos, but you can see the difference in person. There is contrast between it and the fireplace, but, it is a light color. It will give a light and bright feel to the space.
And, that brings me to a confession. The art is still not hung. I’ll get around to it. I’ve just been busy with client work and garage stuff so my own home progress is a little slower at the moment.
On the left are poster boards I painted with Senora Gray and Sandstone Cliff. The custom paint color on the right is a color in between the two, which of course, looks a little different when painted over SW Kilim Beige (builder’s beige) than when painted on white poster board. It actually comes out looking much more gray on the wall which is a little counter intuitive.
I’ll paint it on a few more walls in key places and then get it color matched for the entire main portion of the house! We will hold off on bedrooms, bathrooms and anything clearly separate.
Now, let’s really hope these estimates for the main portion of the house come in at reasonable prices! Cause I’m pretty committed.
Did you paint over your builder’s beige? I don’t hate the colors builders use, but, it’s just not right for me. Have you gone greige? Don’t you hate pesky computer equipment?
Oh, and don’t you think that office door would be sweet in navy?!
Oh, and on a side note, Anneke from This, That and Life won the Blue Soul Designs Giveaway! Lucky her! She has a great blog, so check it out.
