Pretty office space makeover… on a budget of £ ZERO

You read that right. My home office makeover cost me a grand total of… £0.00. How? By utilizing what I already had at home. I recycled and re-purposed objects to make this little co-working space in my home look brand new. And I really think anyone can do this, all you need is a little bit of creativity.

Before I go any further, let me just say I’m actually really embarrassed to show you the “before” photo.

It’s fair to say, our office space has undergone a lot of changes, but this right here was the most recent “look” – yikes! A complete mismatch of furniture, unappealing and badly laid out. Now, there’s a reason why I let it get to that level of ugly. Number one, I recently decided to stop buying furniture. So when we needed a desk to accomodate our 2nd computer, I forced myself to utilize furniture I already had lying around in the house. Sadly it ended up being this small desk we got for free from a neighbour. I know I could have painted it, but I just didn’t like the look of it. Number two: I’ve been focusing on the living room area a lot, and admittedly our little office space was totally neglected.

In my defence, this area hasn’t always looked this bad. I have in the past tried to make something of our working space, but just never really managed to make it look the way I really wanted it to be.

Moving on to this makeover, the photos below are the exact look I was after. You know what it’s like – you go on Pinterest and start looking for inspiration. By the time you’ve found the looks you really like, you’ve already worked out the cost in your head, you’re planning the trips to IKEA, Homesense, Wilko, you’re thinking of ways to stretch your budget… Honestly, I wasn’t willing to go down that route. I have so much stuff here at home, all I wanted was to create a space that worked for me and my family, and looked beautiful without breaking the bank.

I’m so happy with the final result! Let me know what you think.

I wanted a working space that is functional, looks pretty and suits the modern style of my home. Firstly, I got rid of that small desk and swapped it for a curved table I was using as my vanity table in my bedroom. The chairs, I already had them. We use the same style chairs around our house so it made sense to use them for our desks too.

Adding plants or greenery to your space makes it come alive and gives it a warm and welcoming feel. These plants are all artificial – I’m all about the low maintenance factor, especially with a toddler running around the house all day and grabbing everything around her!

I absolutely love motivational quotes calligraphed and framed in my working space, so this was a must. However, was I willing to pay for one? You guessed it – no. So I simply made my own. “DREAMS DON’T WORK UNLESS YOU DO.” Oh you can say that again!

Would you believe me if I told you that this wall grid is actually an oven shelf I have never ever used before? It was just there, in my kitchen. So I re-purposed it and voila! I just needed a small grid that my family and I could use to clip memos or notes on the go. This one works perfectly, so why spend money?

I placed photos of our children and ourselves, as a reminder that everything we work hard for, we do it for ourselves as individuals, but also for each other as a family. These little reminders push you to continue working hard, and working smart.

As for every piece of accessory you see here, again they’ve all been re-purposed. I just moved stuff around and gave each thing a new life.

Super pleased with the final look and I can’t wait to move onto my next little low expense project: The vanity area in my bedroom. Keep an eye out!