Project 17: The Office/Guestroom - Completed!

So a little over two weeks ago, I wrote about how I needed to clean up our guest bedroom to make it livable for our guests and also an office for me (and Matt if he decides to use it that way). I thought it would only take me a few days, but there was a lot more stuff in the room than I thought! So, after a lot of sorting and organizing, as well as some shopping, I've finally created a space that fits all the requirements!

Again, here are some before pictures. And here we go with the afters!

A new book-shelf to hold all of our books, and everything in its place.

The desk and window with new curtains, as well as a glimpse of the guest nightstand.

The new workout corner with the inspirational Rosie the Riveter poster to motivate!

A close up of the desk space, complete with new laptop.

In all, the room transformation cost about $70 - for the bookcase, the curtain rod, and the curtains. Not bad for how different the room looks overall! For the most part, I reused other furniture and organizational pieces that we already had that weren't being used to their full potential, and I'm really pleased with the results! It's so nice to finally have a workspace, I've been sitting at the desk just to sit at it! And you'd better believe I'm writing this from my chair new desk right now.

Project 17: The Office/Guestroom

So, anyone who's been in either of the apartments that I've had since college knows that the second bedroom is ALWAYS a disaster. Unfortunately, it also functions as the guest room, so my poor friends (that continue to love me anyway!) have had to suffer through my clutter while trying to get a good night's sleep. It's been a constant point of anxiety for me, because my family always had this thing about making the house look good before guests arrived, and my house certainly hasn't! That's why Project 17 is focusing on this room, getting it in tip-top shape, and making it a more home-away-from home for guests. So check it out, here's what I'm working with:

The left corner and closet, clutter and piles beyond belief!

The guest bed, window, and far side of the room.

This space is also supposed to be the "home office"... not a lot of work happening in here with this mess!

Seriously, I'm so embarrassed just posting these photos. My friends are such troopers, aren't they? This space features a huge closet (that is pretty poorly organized at the moment), and will hopefully house an "office" area and a "guest" area. Come back this weekend for the transformation - you won't believe your eyes!

Everyone has one chore that they hate...

The house-woman in me is ashamed to admit this, but: I hate vacuuming. With a passion.

We don't get along.

There are several reasons I don't like vacuuming. First, it's extremely hard to multi-task while doing it. I can't work and vacuum. I can't email and vacuum. I can't even talk on the phone and vacuum. Which brings me to my second point. It's loud. You can't hold a conversation and vacuum. You can't hear the tv while you're vacuuming. I could be dying, and no one would ever know because the vacuum is running.

When the vacuum in The Brave Little Toaster runs over his cord and nearly dies? Heartbreaking. And terrifying.

Plus, there's so much that can go wrong with a vacuum. Vacuums are complicated machines that make me uncomfortable - is that noise that sounds like the world being sucked into a bag normal? I don't know, it's an eff-ing vacuum. Bags explode. Circuitry goes bad. Outlets catch fire. Cords get vacuumed over. Therefore, I don't vacuum.

For now, I'll let Matt handle the vacuuming. Or maybe look into getting a Roomba so I don't have to be home for it. :)