An Office Makeover Using Antique Decor & A Gallery Rail From Picture Hang Solutions
We have lived in our current house for four years as of a few days ago. During that time, our spare room has had many iterations, but always being a combination of excess storage, a desk space for a computer, and a guest room with a queen sized bed. Even through multiple versions of the decor and setup, I could never get this room to look quite right.
Once I began my antique shop, this became the room where I held my live Instagram sales and my inventory, previously stored in our basement, slowly began to creep up to the third floor—taking over any extra space this room held. As my shop grew, so did the inventory count, until earlier this year when the spare room felt it was bursting at the seams. As a self-proclaimed minimalist, the situation was completely out of hand.
This overgrowth of “things” led to the day I broke down and listed the guest furniture on Facebook Marketplace. With the largest items out of my way, I was able to begin executing the plans I’d held only in my mind, to turn this space into a beautiful and functional workspace.
KEY ELEMENTS
Gallery Wall Hanging Solution: The most important element of this room makeover was the gallery wall. As an antique dealer, it was vital that I have a functional and beautiful way to display my art, while also being able to change up the layout as items sell. Previously I had simply added a hole to the wall, anytime I needed a new one… Not the best practice.
Luckily, Picture Hang Solutions was kind enough to send me a beautiful Brass Gallery Rod Kit so I could easily swap out my art without the need for new holes in the wall. Their Brass Gallery Rod system is so easy to use, as well as extremely high quality.
It comes with a J channel moulding, which is mounted along the top (ours was able to be secured into a stud, making the system extra sturdy), as well as the 5’ brass gallery rods and adjustable brass hooks.
The brass rods easily attach to the moulding and the hooks slide onto the rods, allowing you to hang your art in just the right spot. Since the rods and hooks are easily adjusted, this means your gallery wall can change as you do.
DIY Faux Fireplace: As I have acquired antique inventory, I’ve come across a few fireplace specific decor items. However, our home does not have a fireplace, nor are we allowed to have any type of space heater. This meant when those fireplace themed items came into my shop, I did not have a great way to photograph and style them.
For many months I had been dreaming about adding a mantel into this room, creating a space where I could style and photograph these fireplace items. I had about given up on finding just the right mantel to use, when I was picking up another item from Facebook Marketplace. The home was an abandoned one that was being cleaned out by a professional company. As I packed the item I came for into the back of my car, I spotted a small mantel on the side of the road. I asked if it was also for sale, which it was, so into my car it also went.
This piece took the most TLC to clean up. I sanded it down and gave it a fresh coat of paint. Then my husband, Steve, built an insert to fill the fireplace and give it a more realistic look. While we still would love to find a hearth of some kind, so it isn’t just sitting on the carpet, as well as adding some lighting effect to make it appear as though it is functional, simply having the faux fireplace has been a game changer to the look and feel of this room.
A Limewash Wallpaper Backdrop: If you watch my YouTube video, you will get a small peek into what this “live wall” looked like before the makeover. It was full of scuffs and holes, and the overall appearance was extremely aggravating to my “aesthetic”. Over the months, as I had been mentally planning the look of this room, I envisioned a limewash backdrop.
As I had already been using a flat painted wall, I knew that paint was not the way to go. I needed something that wouldn’t feel so delicate, plus—I didn’t want to physically paint the limewash. I wanted an easy solution that would still look beautiful.
The hunt for the perfect limewash wallpaper began. I scoured the internet, and for a long time most options fell flat. But when I stumbled upon THIS realistic limewash wallpaper, I knew it was the one. Steve saved the day, once again, and installed it for me, and it truly looks stunning.
Having a subtle “texture” as the backdrop to this space was exactly what it needed. There’s depth and movement, but it’s not overwhelming, and it allows the antiques to feel right at home.
You’ll have to watch the video to see the full room transformation, including my desk space and inventory storage. It finally feels like this room has purpose and function for our daily lives; I even feel more inspired to create content and am able to be more focused on important tasks.
A huge thank you to Picture Hang Solutions for gifting me the Brass Gallery Rod Kit. This one element really gave this space what it needed—form and function. It’s a beautiful addition that I know I will continue to use for years to come.