The Lovely Side: Closet Office Progress: Desk Painted

The closet office in my bedroom is coming along. To recap: I nabbed an Ikea Mikael desk off of Craigslist. I didn't like the birch finish, so I painted it Sealcoat (a nice, dark, warm charcoal hue) by Sherwin-Williams. Since the desk fits the nook within inches, it had to be put together inside the nook. Let me tell ya... if you thought putting Ikea furniture together was a challenge, try putting it together inside a closet. The space was so tight I couldn't use tools – just my hands! It was a tricky, tricky challenge that involved crouching underneath the desk and uttering a few not-so-lovely words.

But it all came together eventually – without dinging up the paint job too much. (I did have to grab my brush and touch up a few spots.) The paint matches my Threshold Gray Botanical curtains from Target perfectly – that is how I picked my paint swatch, after all.

It's so exciting have a BIG desk to work at. I used my huge desk back in my last apartment all the time. But after selling my writing desk and creating a tiny makeshift desk in this nook, I often ended up at the dining table when I had writing and blogging to do. No more! Now I have a dedicated writing, blogging, and working nook.

I've put a few things on the desk already, but I'm not sold. I do love that the deskspace is large enough for my gray typewriter. I'm going to focus more on gray, white, and lime green accessories – cutting out the turquoise since my bedroom really sticks to a red, green, and yellow scheme. The turquoise stuff will probably end up in my living room / kitchen, where pink, orange, and turquoise dominate.

Here's a look at the space from a few steps back. I love that the nook is darker and cozier than the rest of the bright, colorful room. It's like a little retreat where I can light a candle, pour a glass of wine, and get to writing. Tomorrow I'll be hitting up some antique shops, thrift stores, Target, and TJ Maxx for some accessories to bring my closet office decor board to life.