This year for Father’s Day I wanted to give John an extreme office makeover!! It is the last room in the house to be redone and probably the one that needs it the most!

My husband works from home, and his office has been basically off limits to decorate because he doesn’t want me to touch or move his many stacks! Like most husbands, he hates the chaos of a room redo. Poor thing being married to someone who loves to redo!! To keep the peace, I have always stayed out of his office/man cave! There is a mix of his sports equipment everywhere, old furniture, and even things like a lamp in the corner that he so proudly purchased on his own. The couch was the first sofa I ever bought, right out of college! Originally contemporary in style, it changed over time when I put the rolled arms on to use it in my son’s room, and eventually it landed here.

The desk and credenza were pieces we purchased about 20 years ago at an office furniture liquidator. In his attempt to decorate, John stole a French side table from another room and used it to prominently display his favorite ball from his coaching days. He of course was in charge of installing the TV, hence the cord coming out of the wall by the drapes in the corner! Next to his golf equipment is what we call his airplane chair, because when he sits in it for a massage, it lights up on the side. It’s so large and the first thing you see when you walk in the door!! Yikes!

Too afraid to ask, I was fortunate he was going on a trip right before Father’s Day so I could surprise him! The first step……. organization!!! There were two large closets behind his desk. When you opened the doors, things basically just fell out on you! I put all of his golf, tennis, and ski equipment in one, and in the other, his office and personal supplies.

The second step was to redo the desk and credenza! He loves that desk, so I knew I needed to make it work. I decided to strip and bleach it, giving it an older feel and bringing it down to its natural state.

I always forget how difficult and time-consuming stripping and bleaching is… and how toxic! Here, it is starting to take shape!

The next step was to refinish the credenza! Although they were purchased as a set, I like all things to look unique, so we finished this piece differently.

Wanting the hardware to be different but on a time crunch, I went to Ikea to find some hardware and purchased these more contemporary pieces.

They look great on the new piece!!!

While I was there, I saw this picture ledge that I thought would be perfect to fill the open gap between the credenza and TV! These are Ribba frames and come in black, white and gray, which is what I purchased. Ranging in price from 2.99 to 4.99, they have a great look for quite the bargain! The long shelves were out of stock at Ikea, so I had my dad build one for me, and I painted it to blend with the frames.

I had my daughter Kirby help me with the fabrics! We went to Interior Fabrics in Houston and found the dark chocolate for the sofa and the taupe linen for the new drapes. We found the lighter one with trim for his chair and pillows from High Fashion Home.  I always try to purchase fabric for large yardage items at very reasonable prices. The drapes and sofa fabric were under $25 per yard! The striped fabric, which pulled all the tones together, was purchased at Decorative Center Houston and rush shipped for the two pillows on the couch. The pillow fabric was a bit pricey, but I only purchased two yards. I used the cowhide rug as our color inspiration! It’ll be perfect to hide the stains our pups have made on our carpet!

Remember the before?

Now the after!

Well, John was only gone for a week so we were not able to completely finish the room!! This is what he saw for his surprise reveal! Most of the furniture was done, and the new drapes looked so much better!

He loves looking at pictures of his family and kids, so the shelf idea was perfect for him.

He’s been so happy with the changes so far!!! The airplane chair in the corner helps make the room look so much larger.  He especially loved the changes to his desk and sofa and the addition of the cowhide rug!

I adore these paintings that Segreto artist Stacy McNair does. She incorporates pictures of your kids into abstract pieces of art! I really want to commission three of these over his couch, one for each child. Although John loves them, he also loves looking at the big photography and my wedding portrait daily (how sweet!), so we are still looking for a place to put these wonderful paintings of hers! Yes!!!!!!!! I am obsessed!

Now without a tight deadline to inspire me, I hope I can make myself finish the room! I’ll share pictures with you when it is totally done! Here’s a photo of my new friend who perches on my back fence and peers at me while I’m drinking my morning coffee!!! Have a great week and a special Father’s Day!!!