Office Refresh at Bliss Barracks

Today, we’re sharing the Bliss Barracks Office Refresh!

If you’ve had the chance to follow along, you already know my parents have been painting their primary home, Bliss Barracks, while we’ve been under safer at home orders.

They’ve made great progress so far.  Now that most of the rooms have been painted, it’s time for my Mom and I to give the house a fresh feel with fresh decor.

After we finished the master bedroom refresh, we decided to start working on my Mom’s office.  She basically had all the pieces she needed including furniture.

In her words, she just wanted the Bliss Barracks office refresh to feel “fluffed up a bit” ? which is honestly something I think we can all relate to.

A New Rug & Fresh Desk Acessories

My Mom’s desk is a sentimental piece, and she still likes it in front of the window.  But as you can see here, the rug is just way too small…

So, the first step after they painted the room in Benjamin Moore’s White Dove was to find a larger rug that was also neutral.

Next, we move the magazine rack to another wall and added a few blue and white accessories to her desk.

Here’s a look at how my Mom’s desk was styled before…

And after the refresh…

Bliss Barracks was super traditional before with lots of greens, reds, camels and plaids.  It’s been a lot of fun to find blue and white pieces for their home.

Styling the Library for the Bliss Barracks Office Refresh

Once the desk was set up and in place, we turned our attention to the library bookcase.  We knew this piece would take a while.

For one thing, it’s huge.  For another, we knew we would have to have a lot of coordinating pieces in order to fill the bookcase properly.

Thankfully, we were fully up to the task.

This is how the library bookcase was styled before…

And after we added pops of blue and white including a few vintage finds we’ve been collecting for a while now.

I know bookcases can sometimes feel intimidating. We used these easy tips for styling a bookcase to make it super simple though.

Here’s one side…

And here is the other…

A lot of people ask if we specially got the library for the Bliss Barracks office refresh. Honestly, we’ve had it for so long I can’t even remember what year we got it.

I was actually shocked when my Mom bought this piece. She’s usually a “I should think about it or sleep on it” kind of shopper.

Especially, when it comes to big or expensive items.

I’m pretty sure I gave her a high-five in the store for being able to make a decision on this library almost immediately ?

It really provides a great mix of storage and staging opportunities for items that have been collected over time during their travels.

Updating the Wall Art 

Just off the side of the library, is where we hung up the $5 wall art that was one of our latest finds from Renningers.

My Mom is always fun to shop with because she sees things in a completely different way than I do.

Here’s a look at how that same space was decorated before the Bliss Barracks office refresh…

Creating a Cozy Reading Nook

I’m fully convinced every office needs at least one cozy reading chair and a small table for a cup of tea.

My Mom already had this comfy chair on hand. So, we were super excited to find the small side table for $15 also at Renningers.

Tucked in behind the chair and small table is another area where my Mom houses additional office supplies like file boxes, the printer, bulletin board, etc.

You can see a much better view of how everything is set up in this before photo…

Finally, no cozy reading area should be without a big basket full of magazines and books.

All in all, the Bliss Barracks office refresh was the easiest of all the spaces we’ve completed so far because we already had almost everything we needed on hand.

While we purchased a larger rug, changed out the artwork and brought in more blue and white pieces, repainting the room in Benjamin Moore’s White Dove probably made the biggest difference.

And thankfully, it was a really budget friendly way to give my Mom’s office a totally fresh feel.

Let us know what projects you’re working on this year!

A Few Other Posts From Bliss Barracks You Might Enjoy:

• Blue and White Refresh in the Twin Bedroom 
• Bliss Barracks Lanai Makeover Reveal 
• Outdoor Dining Table Makeover at Bliss Barracks 
• How to Make Side Tables From Store Bought Columns 
• Blue and White Christmas Home Tour 

Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo