We've got the 13-year cicada infestation in Nashville right now, which is offering all sorts of entertainment for folks (or aggravation, depending on your tolerance for insects). I don't like the mess these guys are making, but they sound pretty incredible... like right now, as I sit on my deck, there is a wall of sound coming at me in waves from the trees behind my house. Around dusk (I discovered the other night), they will go to sleep and give way to intermittent chirps. Cicada snores. I'm amused at God's creativity and imagine Him up there going, "Do I need a reason to send strange bugs every 13 years, other than to see the bewilderment and wonder it produces in you people?" Good one, God. Good one.
But I did not come here to talk about bugs today! I have a few snippets of my newly decorated office to share. The project is not complete yet, so I'll save the "after" pictures till later, but I'll give you some pieces to show you the work in progress and my inspiration along the way.
I ended up going in a slightly different direction with the office furniture I chose from West Elm. In order to prevent recreating what I already had—a room full of chunky, dark pieces—I went with a desk and shelf that are open and make the room feel more open. Here is the desk and shelf I chose:
The best part: I got all of the pieces on sale! I'm happy with the quality, and while I had to build it all myself, the DIY part was minimal, only a screwdriver required, and the directions easy to follow.
Since I wanted to keep the antique dresser I had along with these more modern pieces, the challenge has been tying them all together. I went with placing the dresser in the corner of the room where it's not a focal point, and the next step is getting some more modern drawer pulls to spruce up the front of it. I'd been wanting to replace the pulls anyway, so now I have a clear direction for the look!
Still, the basic bones of the room were just sitting there for a week or so while I waited for them to speak to me further. In the meantime, I decided to clean out the closet and stumbled upon some old bottles that I'd stashed away. Voila! I've always loved these old bottles (many of them are from my grandmother), but when they were combined with my old, piecemeal furniture, they didn't feel like accent pieces... they just felt like more old stuff sitting around. But now with the new, modern pieces, they feel more intentional and add just the bit of vintage flair I want.
The bottles started the ball rolling for other pieces I have that can add a bit of the old to the room and tie my antique piece in with the new things. Some old books from my grandparents (one can never have too many old books) and some dried roses (reminders of someone's thoughtfulness and also a labor of love since I have to devote precious closet space to drying them), placed in a really old, fragile mason jar "borrowed" from my mom.
The other "old" piece I knew I wanted to keep in the room was a painting by my paternal grandmother of the Florida Everglades. Grandma Clemen was a wonderful and prolific painter, but I only have this one full-size painting of hers as of now. My dad and stepmom chose it for me, and they chose perfectly. I love all the shades of green, the soft light, and even the frame Grandma chose, which is carved wood. The color of the wood ties in with my new bookshelf, and happily, the greens in the painting tie in with other green accent pieces I have around the room.
The final piece is putting up some soft green curtains (also recycled from past uses) with some oiled bronze rods to pull in the hardware of the house. Then I'll add a few more accents, and finito!
I'm so excited to finish this room and share the finished product with you! It's already become a room I want to spend more time in and in which I feel inspired, which was the goal. If you have a room like this in your house, I encourage you to shake things up! Move things around, add something new, pull out something old you think you won't use again. See what happens.
As I do this in each room in my house, I'm realizing how much the spaces are becoming places I love to spend time in, for different reasons. I think that should be the goal for how you decorate and arrange your home. You should look around, love what you see, and feel utterly comfortable there. You'll always love coming home, and others will love being in your nest, too.
But if you don't love a cicada symphony every 13 years, you probably shouldn't make your nest in the woods of Nashville, TN. :)
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