Well hello out there and happy new year! I’m back with my first blog post of 2024 and introducing a brand new project! For almost 9 years now, I’ve welcomed in the year by jumping into a month long home project. Today kicks off Week 1 of the New Year, New Room Refresh Challenge! I’m refreshing my office / guestroom in our home over the course of January and taking you along each week as I chip away at this mini makeover.
I’ve participated in this month-long challenge since way back in 2016 alongside our super talented leader and challenge host, Stephanie of Casa Watkins Living and several other extremely creative bloggers.
Last year, I spruced up our Stairwell leading down to the basement. It was a small but mighty project and truly made a significant impact on the look and feel of our home. While we’ve been in this house for 2.5 years now, there is still so much I want to work on, so this challenge serves as a great starting point each year.
OFFICE / GUESTROOM REFRESH // NEW YEAR NEW ROOM REFRESH CHALLENGE WEEK 1
Today, I’m going to share the Before photos of the space and give you a project punch list for the month. Next week, I’ll share the design plans and then there will be 2 weeks of progress posts / updates before the big reveal on Tuesday, January 30th!
This space currently serves as my office as well as the guestroom when friends and family are in town. It sits at the back corner of the house and shares a hallway with the littlest’s room, T’s office and a full bathroom.
I have my desk alongside the right wall when you walk in and the Queen-size bed is nestled in the corner of the back wall and runs alongside the left wall which has a window with a view to the pool in the backyard.
It is a small space, but I’ve managed to squeeze in a nightstand, file cabinet and room for a luggage rack when guests are here.
Since we only have guests a few times a year, but I work in there daily, I decided it was time to reclaim the space as my own. The bed takes up the majority of the room leaving very little floor space or room to do anything else in there [besides sit at the desk!]
I’ll share my plans for the room, but first come take a look at how the Office / Guestroom looks currently.
OFFICE / GUESTROOM BEFORE PHOTOS
I did a mini spruce-up in this room to get ready for guests back in 2021 shortly after we moved in. Here is where we started…
…and here is how the room has looked since.
The room does look nice in its current state, but the functionality isn’t ideal for day-to-day use.
You might recognize the animal print shams from the Guestroom in our old, old house when I refreshed it during my very first One Room Challenge back in 2015. They landed in the Guestroom in our last home in Illinois before this Arizona guestroom. And now, these same shams accessorize the bed in our littlest’s Big Boy Room I completed last Spring.
I guess they’ve gotten some good mileage over the years!
I’d love to be able to use this room for photography, try-ons and other content creation-related tasks, so making better use of the floor space is going to be key. I had an idea and it just so happens to fall into place with some help from my grandpa.
He recently moved into a new home and in the guest room, there is a Murphy bed installed in it. He’d like to make that room his home office, so asked if any family members could use a Murphy bed. After my aunt decided she wasn’t going to be able to use it after all, I quickly said yes for a shot at it.
He said it’s mine!
Fast-forward to today and the plan is to uninstall the Murphy bed from his house and re-install it in here! He’s eager to get his home office ready, so the timing is perfect for me and this challenge.
And for a dose of reality, here is what the room looks like today [after the boys have taken it over during Winter Break.] They love to take turns sleeping in here and I often find them hiding out in here since there is a TV. If the other boys don’t know one of them is in here, they can watch a show of their choice without having to compromise [aka argue] with the others!
Don’t believe everything you see on social media or when photos are taken for a blog post. Real life happens but I’m determined to get this place in tip top shape this month!!
For now, let’s take a look at the rest of the plans for this space.
OFFICE + GUESTROOM PROJECT TO-DO LIST:
swap out ceiling fan
remove bed & install Murphy Bed
create a feature wall behind desk area? wallpaper?
add wall art
replace rug
add a chair
reconfigure closet set-up
MISCELLANEOUS DIY PROJECTS:
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
It’s a small space to work on, but I believe there are enough elements to update or spruce to keep me busy for the month!
Next week I’ll be back with a design board to give you an idea for the style and aesthetic I’m going for. I’ll be sharing a NYNR update each Tuesday all month long. And if you have a space in your home you’d like to tackle this month, feel free to join us! Just use the “#newyearnewroomchallenge” on Instagram!
We are going to have so much fun! I hope you’ll stick around and see how this space comes together each week!
Now, be sure to stop by the other participants’ blogs today to see what they’re all going to be up to in January.
I’ll still be sharing more style, home and other miscellaneous posts including the best of 2023 posts throughout the month in addition to the challenge progress, so stick around!
