Office Turned School Room

This year we decided to homeschool our kids because of the state of the world. I realize this is a VERY privileged decision as many do not even get to make this choice.

Last year we announced to our kiddos that we would be moving to Hawaii in September and then March hit and Covid has been with us ever since and squashing our plans.

We decided to carry on as if we were in Hawaii – but explore our rainy Vancouver Island instead. Teaching our kids about the trees, animals and soil that we call home.

In January we turned this windowless 8×10 room into an Office but with 3 kids needing a place to hunker down and focus we decided it was best to turned it into a school room. Here is the office reveal if you’re wanting to see.

I should also state that we didn’t spend ANYTHING on this project. The only the we purchased was two cans of spray paint for the free chairs I picked up on Marketplace. Everything else we built with wood we already had and styled with items we already had.

The above console was the starting off piece for the space. We knew that we wanted to incorporate this storage unit that I DIY’d here as we will have lots of papers, books and supplies accumulate over the year of homeschooling.

It has one shelf, so we will be buying six plastic totes to store instead for easy clean and storage.

I also had this really fun wooden caddy in storage that I had no idea what to do with. I think it’s meant for utensils.. but I LOVE the look of having all their pens, crayons, pencils and calculators. Also, if you’re looking for an amazing label maker, here’s mine. If you can read the little cup it says “pencils“.

But now on to what you’re really here for, the desk.

We took the legs off our existing desk, but I also found these too and screwed them on a brand new top! The old top was bulky and restricting and we wanted out kids to be able to sit on both sides.

If you’re looking for a quick tutorial, head on over to my Instagram and watch the highlight called “Desk Build”.

The chairs I found on Marketplace for FREE. Again, if you want to see what they looked like ‘before’ you will know why they were free.

I cut the metal off the bottom and wiped them down and spray painted them. I also reupholstered the seats too! They look like brand new chairs now!

We were so lucky that we had so much on hand. We had these stunning sconces in storage that are actually plug in, so they’re easily for the kids to turn off and on and give their desk a ton of light.

We also had this beautiful rug in our living room that I moved into here so if they get any type of stains or dirt on the ground it was just blend right in.

The chandelier is actually the only thing we’re not keeping in this space. I want to find an oversized basket to make a basket chandelier. But I haven’t found this perfect one yet!

Down the road, we do want to build a cool industrial shelf against the wall that the pouf is. But for now I can’t find a style that I really love.

Since this room has no windows it was very imperative I add a large mirror to make the room seem brighter and bounce any little bit of light it does have. We had this large arched window mirror and I knew it would be perfect in this space!

For a small list of items we have in this space, I’ve added shopable links below. I will also add a few cabinets like ours – but of course, ours is DIY’d so I can link our exact cabinet.

I can’t wait to start utilizing this room in a few short weeks and I hope it inspires you to spruce up any space in your home with items you already have!