When we moved our office into our home at the beginning of the pandemic, I wanted to create a more neutral space. While our second bedroom is tiny (7 sqm), it has the most beautiful light and I knew that using lots of colour would overpower it. Instead, I wanted to experiment with lots of different textures, all in different shades of white, to create dimension and interest.
Besides creating two decent sized work spaces, the room needed to function as a place to store all of our DIY, photography and office equipment, as well as serve as a library for my sample collection. We repurposed the cabinets we had used in our studio, but updated them by creating a bas relief texture using foam, glue and paint. I really like how the matt surface of the shapes communicates with the glossy paint on the cabinet. The bas relief shapes were inspired by Constantin Brancusi's studio, one of our favourite places to visit in Paris. For a rundown on how we created the shapes and then turned them into bas relief, keep an eye on my Instagram stories.
The cabinets were not the only thing we repurposed. I also tried my hand at plastering a magazine rack we had previously used in our living room with Marmorino plaster. While I accidentally picked a shade that was slightly pinker than what I had intended, the texture created a beautiful sheen that reflected the light.
My husband, Timothy, is a bit of a whizz when it comes to lighting so I recruited his help in turning a candle holder, one of my favourite ever carboot finds, into a table lamp, using a chrome light I found while in a dumpster on my daily walk. It's actually one of my favourite lamps we own and IMO gives the room major Brancusi studio vibes.
The last DIY I made for the room was an oversized pinboard to use as a display of all of my ideas for ongoing projects. All of these DIYS will sooner or later make their way onto my IG stories, so keep your eyes peeled.
My original plan was to use wallpaper on the ceiling, which is why I went for a very basic matt emulsion on the walls. Unfortunately, the wallpaper I liked exceeded my budget so to create another layer of texture, I made some textured velvet curtains as backdrops to our desks. It definitely added a layer of interest and maybe even a measure of luxury to the space, but to be honest, I'm still a little on the fence whether I like it or not. It is a very small room and I'm not sure if they achieved the feeling I was going for. What do you think? I'd love to know!
