Office Archives - Love Grows Wild

How to Create a Cozy Reading Nook

Liz Fourez — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 00:03:48 +0000

Discover the secret to creating the perfect cozy reading nook with our simple step-by-step guide. Transform any corner of your home into a serene sanctuary, complete with comfortable seating, soft lighting, and your favorite books within arm’s reach.

I’ve been making little changes in my home office recently and owe you an update on what I’ve been up to. It all started with finding my dream desk (more on that later), rearranging the entire room, getting rid of a ton of old furniture and things that no longer have a purpose, and adding plenty of really pretty storage.

With all the rearranging, I ended up with space by a window to create a little seating area and have been working on making my new little reading nook feel extra cozy. Here are 5 elements for creating the perfect Cozy Reading Nook:

THE PERFECT COZY CHAIR

– click any photo to shop –

SIDE TABLE FOR STORAGE

– click any photo to shop –

SOFT LIGHTING

– click any photo to shop –

BLANKET TO CURL UP WITH

– click any photo to shop –

BOOKS TO INSPIRE

– click any photo to shop –

SHOP MY OFFICE

– click any photo to shop –

As always, I sincerely appreciate you shopping through the links I share, which allows me to make a small commission from your purchase while your purchase price remains the same. When you use my affiliate links, I’m better able to create content for this blog as well as support my family, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting what I do!

The post How to Create a Cozy Reading Nook appeared first on Love Grows Wild.

Cozy Little Office Corner

Liz Fourez — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Sometimes I get so focused on finishing big projects around the house that I forget to show you the smaller ones…

The simple things that bring me joy, like adding a new book to my collection or a thrifted vase that I found and loved or how I shuffled some furniture around to make a room flow better.

While they’re not the most exciting, they certainly are more relatable and attainable than some big, huge room makeover or massive renovation. And I need to be better about showing these small, simple moments that might spark an idea of something you could go do in your home right now.

Do you agree?

I restyled the shelves in my office a bit for spring and moved my desk back to make the space feel a little more cozy and the room a little more open. Here’s a peek at some of the “simple projects” I worked on this week…

Note: I have everything linked under photos with either the exact item I have or one as similar as possible. You can find all the links together at the bottom of the post as well!

desk chair – I can’t recommend, broke shortly after this photo was taken, about a year after purchasing

book boxes | cast iron twine stand | vase

SHELF STYLING:

Shelf styling is definitely an art, not an exact science, but I do try to follow these guidelines for an effortless, cohesive look.

I love the simple repeating patterns here… notice how there are several round vases scattered across the shelves? All different sizes, but similar in shape and color, cream + tan.

See the stacked wood boxes, round woven basket, and the front picture frame? They’re all the same light brown color with texture and create a triangle if you were to draw a line from boxes to the top of the frame, over to the woven basket, and back down to the boxes.

Same with the greenery… they’re all different (faux) stems, but they add a ton of interest in both shape and color compared to the rest of the items. See how they form a sort of triangle as well?

This little change in shelf decor really brought such a bright, spring feel to the office, which is very welcome after a long Indiana winter.

P.S. don’t look too close at the calendar on the wall. It may or may not still be showing December…

… clearly not everything has been updated in this room yet.

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As always, I sincerely appreciate you shopping through the links I share, which allows me to make a small commission from your purchase while your purchase price stays the same. When you use my affiliate links, I’m better able to create content for this blog as well as support my family, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting what I do!

The post Cozy Little Office Corner appeared first on Love Grows Wild.

Office Updates for my Interior Decorating Business

Liz Fourez — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 09:00:05 +0000

Today I have a very long overdue update to share with you on my home office! Last year I decided to expand the services I offer by opening up my virtual interior decorating business, Liz Fourez Interiors. Instead of only sharing design inspiration from my own home, I wanted to be able to work with people from this amazing Love Grows Wild community to help them create beautiful spaces in THEIR homes. I started taking on clients and over the last few months have completed some amazing full room makeovers and helped dozens of you with smaller design decisions through my design consultation service!

But while I was preparing to launch my new business venture, I knew I needed to make some updates to my home office that would allow me to be more productive, organized, and inspired with all the additional hours I would soon be spending in here. If you follow me on Instagram (and if you don’t, I invite you to follow me here for more behind the scenes of Love Grows Wild!), you probably saw little previews of what I’ve been working on in the office, including a very bold makeover of a large piece of furniture, a new desk setup, and more. Let’s take a tour of my new home office!

One of the biggest changes in the room was getting rid of my old World Market desk and replacing it with this L-shaped wood desk and matching file cabinet. I absolutely loved the old desk and how beautiful it was, but I need a little more space and storage for my office to function the way I need it to. I was a little nervous adding such a large darker wood piece of furniture to the room (you know I’m a light and bright kind of gal), but it inspired a really pretty design contrast between dark and moody & my usual white and airy aesthetic.

I’ve had the desk for several months now and am very pleased with the quality and design. I love that it has a matching file cabinet so I can keep any paperwork organized and close at hand without looking like the typical metal office eyesore.

I decided to position the desk against a wall where my computer, printer, and lamp cords could be hidden, but my desk chair is able to face both the window and the center of the room, which I find to be so helpful with work productivity. I would much rather have some kind of a view while sitting at my desk than be staring straight at a wall!

I installed two floating shelves on the wall above the filing cabinet to help visually fill the space and create a focal point when you walk into the room. I bought these inexpensive shelves in white (they come in several different lengths/colors), and they were very easy to install.

On the other side of the window, I added a few pieces of art that I absolutely fell in love with. I’m a sucker for a pretty vintage landscape painting, and I surprised myself by choosing a portrait painting to pair with it. I quickly realized how difficult it is to pick a human you don’t know to be prominently displayed in your home, but I was instantly drawn to this female portrait… having a male in the headquarters of my female-run business just didn’t seem right. I think she’s absolutely perfect, and I love this little corner of my workspace.

And now for the boldest change in my office…

I painted my bright white antique cabinet a dark, moody, matte black, and I’m absolutely in love with the character it added to the entire room.

I’ve slowly been embracing some colors and finishes outside of my usual comfort zone, and when I added my black front door to the house last year, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I updated something else with this darker, more grounded color. I used Fusion Mineral Paint in the color Coal Black, and I will say that out of all the chalk, milk, and other furniture paints I’ve used over the years, this is one of my very favorites. It had such good coverage even with the first coat, and the finish was so smooth. I highly recommend Fusion if you’re looking to update a piece of furniture in your home.

I left the original hardware on the top hutch, but the many of the hardware pieces on the bottom part of the cabinet were not in good shape. I matched the same antique brass finish and replaced several drawer pulls and knobs so I wouldn’t have to pry open the cabinet doors any longer.

I have a whole blog post where I discussed how I use this cabinet, but this is where I store all my decor and accessories that I’m not currently using. If you want to see what this cabinet looked like before I painted it black, go check this out!

Since we only have one bathroom, I’ve had a little makeup vanity set up in my office for several years now, and it works perfectly. It’s just a little antique desk and my old desk chair with a small mirror and some decorative boxes to hold all my makeup. I always prefer to be as close to natural light as possible when doing my makeup, so sitting right next to this window is the perfect little spot.

You may have noticed I also switched out the darker bamboo roman shades with these white balloon shades that I borrowed from another bedroom. The new desk made the bamboo shades feel too overpowering in the room, and this was the perfect easy swap.

When I design a space, I try to keep function as the top priority and the decorative aspects a close second. It’s not always easy to balance the two, especially because our home is the backdrop I use to create content for this blog, but my office is one room that function had to be the number one priority. I will admit when I’ve shown my office in the past, sometimes I’ve moved things around slightly to create that “magazine worthy” photo. But I never want anyone to leave here feeling like the ideas I share are unattainable in your own home, and this is truly how my office looks now… giant printer sitting on top of the desk, a calendar on the wall to keep me organized (although it is a very pretty calendar), and stacks of papers (just neatly organized in trays).

I’ve added so many storage pieces in this room, many of them antiques, so that my office can be organized and tidy, which allows my brain to be able to focus and be creative so much better. In fact, I think this room has more antiques in it than any other room of the house. I suppose it’s a little collection of all my favorite pieces… the whitewashed armoire, the black cabinet, a tall chest that stores office supplies, and my old vanity table.

Doesn’t this photo feel so pretty and dreamy with the sunlight coming in through the sheer curtains?

– SOURCES –

wall color: PPG in Gypsum
cabinet color: Fusion Mineral Paint in Coal Black

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Office Update

Liz Fourez — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 17:19:45 +0000

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve shared an update on what my office looks like (actually, 2 years now to be exact), but since I’m spending more time than ever working from home I thought it would be a good time to give you an updated look at my home office. This room serves multiple purposes currently, functioning as my office, a photo studio for projects, home gym, and I even have a vanity area in here where I do my makeup… well, when I actually leave the house and have a reason to do my makeup, which is few and far between these days.

I’ll leave links for everything I can at the bottom of this post and explain just a few updates along the way. Step inside my office, sweet friends…

Storage is a huge necessity in here, and I love all the antique pieces of furniture I’ve collected over the years that help organize and hide everything from camera equipment, to tags and labels for my shop, to props for styling photos, and some of my most used tools. Do you remember the big whitewashed antique cabinet I had in the living room for the last several years? After swapping the living and dining room areas, I debated selling my beloved antique cabinet since I no longer had room for it. The thought of parting with it broke my heart, which is strange because I rarely get sentimental about any piece of furniture. So I found a cozy spot for it in my office, which ended up being PERFECT for extra storage that I always need in here. I had to shift a few other things around to make room for it, like this tall dresser, but I love the way everything fits and functions now.

Do you remember when I shared how I store and organize all my home decor and accessories for styling? Most of it is in that white cabinet with glass doors, and you can read all about it here!

My little buddy is never far from Momma when she’s working…

I prefer to do my makeup in natural light close to a window, and I always found myself coming in the office to do my makeup. So I eventually just set up a little vanity area using this clear organizer to store all my makeup and a small flower pot to hold all my brushes. I also have this makeup mirror from Amazon that I use, and I keep it all organized with a wooden tray.

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– SOURCES –

wall color: Du Jour by Valspar
wooden desk: World Market
desk chair: Kirkland’s (similar)
round black mirror: Wayfair
lamps: Target
oval tray: Wayfair
rug: Wayfair (similar)
candle: Antique Candle Co.
covered book: tutorial here
chandelier: World Market
olive tree: Wayfair
twine stand: Amazon
wooden vases: Amazon
vintage botanical print: Etsy
bamboo shades: Home Depot
tie top sheer curtains: World Market
pampas grass: Etsy
makeup organizer: Amazon
tufted arm chair: Overstock
pillow: At Home Stores

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One Last Christmas Tree

Liz Fourez — Thu, 06 Dec 2018 11:00:00 +0000

What is the acceptable number of Christmas trees to have in one tiny farmhouse? I’m not sure what the answer is or if there’s an appropriate number, but what the heck… let’s add one more! Before the busyness of the holidays started, I desperately needed to clean out my office and get things organized in here. Naturally, that led to rearranging all the furniture in my office because I’m a chronic re-decorator, and I was ready for something different. I moved my desk to the wall on the right to free up more space in the center of the room and set a tall mirror in the corner where my desk used to be. This room is pretty small and has to function in many different ways to run my business out of here (computer work, photography studio, labeling and shipping for my shop, etc), so space is usually very tight. But the little corner where the mirror now sits just felt like the perfect spot for a Christmas tree!

I adore my Balsam Hill tree in the living room, but because this is a secondary tree in a space not many people will see (except you guys!) I just picked up this fairly inexpensive tree that was on sale. I love the different texture of the branches, and for the price, it is a pretty solid tree. I’ve tried to keep my spending on holiday decorating to a minimum because there are so many other expenses this time of year. And since I spent money on a new tree, I decided to just dig through my Christmas boxes and gathered up a fun, eclectic collection of garlands and ornaments…

leftover burlap and lace ribbon for a garland…

wood beads I strung together…

frosted pinecones…

big rusty bells…

handmade sheet music and gnome ornaments I made years ago…

a few snowy poinsettia picks…

and handmade clay Christmas tree ornaments (tutorial coming soon!)

Instead of buying a new tree skirt, I just grabbed a pretty white blanket and wrapped it around the base of the tree. Easy and cost me nothing!

I thought it couldn’t get any better than falling asleep each night with a Christmas tree glowing in your bedroom, but I was wrong. Waking up each morning and going to work in your pajamas with the lights of a Christmas tree in your office is pure Christmas perfection. I’m going to have a hard time putting this guy away in January!

I’ve slowly been working on wrapping Christmas gifts, and my oldest son, Alec, came home from school SO excited the other day because he learned how to make origami paper boxes in art class. He had me pick out some patterned papers and created a stack of little boxes that we could wrap Christmas presents in. These sweet, little boxes are only about 2″ x 2″, so I’m not sure what kind of gifts we’ll fit in them yet, but I told him I would certainly use them to decorate with, so here they sitting in a tray on my work table. They make me smile every time I see them!

Now that the house is all decorated, I’m working on some DIY gift ideas and yummy Christmas recipes for you! Thank you so much for stopping by today, and I’ll see you again soon! xoxo Liz

MORE CHRISTMAS FROM THIS YEAR:

Farmhouse Christmas Tour
Christmas in the Living Room
Green & Galvanized Christmas Tablescape
Vintage Winter Bedroom
2018 Holiday Decorating Guide
2018 Holiday Gift Guide
How to Make Sugar Cookie Christmas Trees

SHOP THIS POST:

wall color: Du Jour by Valspar
Christmas tree: Target
tree skirt blanket: World Market
desk: World Market
wood bead chandelier: World Market
tufted desk chair: Wayfair
large tufted sitting chair: Overstock
market bag: Etsy
bleached woven rug: Wayfair
bamboo roman shade: Home Depot
sheer tie-top curtains: World Market
cast iron twine holder: Amazon
oval woven tray: Wayfair
tall wood frame mirror: Wayfair
windowpane mirror: World Market
brown boots: Shoe Carnival
black leggings: Target

The post One Last Christmas Tree appeared first on Love Grows Wild.

Office Archives - Love Grows Wild

How to Create a Cozy Reading Nook

THE PERFECT COZY CHAIR

SIDE TABLE FOR STORAGE

SOFT LIGHTING

BLANKET TO CURL UP WITH

BOOKS TO INSPIRE

SHOP MY OFFICE

STAY CONNECTED:

Cozy Little Office Corner

SHELF STYLING:

SHOP THE POST:

STAY CONNECTED:

Office Updates for my Interior Decorating Business

– SOURCES –

– SHOP THE POST –

LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!

Office Update

SHOP THE POST:

– SOURCES –

LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!

One Last Christmas Tree

MORE CHRISTMAS FROM THIS YEAR:

SHOP THIS POST:

LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!