HOUSE: Newburgh

More work in the office.

We finally have a ceiling light in the office! This is the 15″ LERAN pendant from IKEA. I love how it looks against the wallpaper, and at night it casts beautiful shadows across the ceiling through the bamboo.

I also conceded to needing just a bit more storage for papers and photos (as well as the printer, backup drive, etc.), so we put up this wall cabinet (also from IKEA, from the ASPVIK line). I’ve been wanting this cabinet since September, so I’m happy that it’s turned out to be as functional and well-made as I thought it would be. I really like having storage pieces mounted to the wall, too, rather than sitting on the floor. The feeling is so much more open and airy, something I didn’t want to lose in this room by filling it with too much furniture.

I’ve been a very busy bee so far on my “vacation”. More updates to come!

p.s. The plant on top of the cabinet is a False Aralia. Isn’t it cool?

p.p.s. I don’t know what I would do without IKEA.

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38 Comments

  • Reply PinkPatentMaryJanes May 25, 2009 at 9:10 pm

    Your office looks an absolute pleasure to work in. You’ve inspired me to move beyond utilitarian and onto the gorgeous in my home office space. First step: tearing up the carpet and painting the boards, second step: floor to ceiling bookshelves, next: a pretty desk and chair, final step – lolling back and enjoying it all {and getting some work done perhaps…}

  • Reply K-Line May 25, 2009 at 9:15 pm

    OK, comment just got eaten but the gist is that I just got back from IKEA and got the Applaro 10 seater acacia table (leaves fold down) and the chairs that go with plus some of the Bolla folding chairs. Just finishing a landscape reno and these are going to make everything lovely! IKEA is useful…

  • Reply Maria May 25, 2009 at 9:20 pm

    Looks great! I love following your white room and always wondered where you stored all your ‘office-y’ things! The wall storage unit is such a great idea and a perfect fit for your room.

  • Reply Amanda Nicole May 25, 2009 at 9:28 pm

    I am smitten with your office! I agree: airier is better 🙂

  • Reply Fernanda May 25, 2009 at 9:38 pm

    If you don’t know what you would do without IKEA, imagine if you lived in a country where there is no IKEA at all, like me!!!
    Here in Brazil the only similar of IKEA we have is Tok Stok (www.tokstok.com.br), which is good for some things, but terrible to others.

  • Reply puck May 25, 2009 at 10:08 pm

    again… jealous that there is no IKEA anywhere near Kansas. I really like the storage containers you posted about earlier.

  • Reply chrispito May 25, 2009 at 10:43 pm

    I find IKEA so overwhelming. The first thing I do is go eat and drink a beer in the cafeteria. Then and only then can I brave the throng.
    Your blog reminds me of how great shopping there can be.

  • Reply Why S? May 25, 2009 at 10:54 pm

    I have a lot of things from Ikea, including my butcher block counter top. But I’m with chrispito. It’s overwhelming. If I go there alone, I always get lost. The layout makes no sense to me. But I get lost everywhere anyway.

    I love the crisp, clean look of your office.

  • Reply kristen May 25, 2009 at 11:09 pm

    I like how your office is coming along, also I love the mustard chair, against the black and white rug, against the white floor! Really I was commenting because I saw these beautiful tear-drop light fixtures at a restaurant that had gone out of business and I thought of your house and your love of the shape. I wonder if they are selling the fixtures? The place was called Sheridan Square, and is on 7th Ave, a few blocks north of Christopher St. I wonder how high your ceilings are! I posted a pic of them on my blog (though not a good one!) if you want to look: http://homesweetbrooklyn.blogspot.com/2009/05/tear-drop-lights.html

    Enjoy your vacation.
    PS I love IKEA, I sometimes go there on rainy Mondays with my son–when there are no people–just to wander.

  • Reply Eva May 25, 2009 at 11:21 pm

    I love IKEA! Inspired from your last post, I went over the weekend and bought lot’s of KASSETT boxes to organize my closet and computer area.

    When we used to live in NH the closest IKEA was Paramus, NJ and then they built the one in New Haven and later in Boston. Now in TX the closest is only 5 miles away and I’m there at least twice a month 🙂

    LOVE the white office, the new things fit perfectly!

  • Reply siescierto May 25, 2009 at 11:28 pm

    I love when you get vacation time because it means more updates! Also, you look lovely in that last picture! Thanks for the continuous inspiration!

  • Reply maya May 25, 2009 at 11:38 pm

    very good looking corner!

  • Reply the brick house May 25, 2009 at 11:42 pm

    The floating cabinet is fab. Perfectly functional, but doesn’t distract from the airiness of the room – and the plant is killer.

    Sometimes I go to Ikea with a certain friend and we love to grab the really HUGE Leran shade and get inside of it. I’ve scared a few kids running around with those things on my head.

  • Reply *SNYdesign May 26, 2009 at 3:16 am

    Lovely! The lamp is so cool, one of my Ikea favourites:)

  • Reply alex sunday May 26, 2009 at 3:25 am

    ooh! love that wall cabinet! it has been noted down. 🙂

  • Reply Monica Duarte May 26, 2009 at 5:29 am

    I also love Ikea, I go there every week, I have a store 5 min from my house here in Portugal, so sometimes I go there for just 30 min, and love everything.

    Love your home office, looks so fresh and bright.

    Big kiss

  • Reply read me... May 26, 2009 at 5:53 am

    The cabinet looks really great. I love the light shade too. It’s one I always look at but have no need for where we live right now… How nice to have all that vacation still ahead of you!!

  • Reply Adam May 26, 2009 at 7:03 am

    That light is very lovely contrasted with the wallpaper!

  • Reply Fila 11 May 26, 2009 at 7:45 am

    Love the two pieces!

    I love introducing rattan in contemporary spaces! In fact I am planning to update the cushion on my grandma’s rattan chair and use it in the living room

    In my city we have an entire street with tiny shops devoted to rattan and it is always nice buying these pieces there… http://www.vigoenfotos.com/u_cesteiros_1.html#

    By the way… where has the yellow vase gone?

    Can’t wait to see the next updates!

  • Reply danielle May 26, 2009 at 8:41 am

    Hi Anna. I’ve been reading and a fan for a while.
    Question for you: How hard was it to mount that cabinet on the wall? I want to do something similar to my study, but I’m not very furniture-assembly-handy.

    Thanks.

  • Reply Pam May 26, 2009 at 11:40 am

    Hi Anna,
    Good job on the office, it looks like such a great place to hang out and get things done all at the same time.
    I have the same question as Danielle, only I’m worried about the cabinet ripping the wall down. Isn’t it super heavy? Did you manage to hit all the studs to mount it? Is there a maximum load limit…
    ~Pam

  • Reply Anna at D16 May 26, 2009 at 11:55 am

    danielle and Pam: It’s not any different from mounting any other type of cabinet (kitchen, bath, etc.) or shelving on the wall. I’m not going to advise you on the best method because it really does depend on the type of walls you have (mine are plaster and lath). You need to research the correct way to hang heavy pieces on YOUR walls, and take into account the maximum weight load of whatever type of fastener you use (and whether or not it’s necessary to reinforce the walls or mount a cleat underneath and so forth). I have experience with hanging very heavy things on walls, so no, I’m not worried at all about it crashing down.

    If you’re at all concerned about whether you know what you’re doing, you can always hire a handyman to do the job for you!

  • Reply lauren alane May 26, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    Looks so great Anna. Do you cut and install the ceiling medallions yourself too? I’m in the market for some and was wondering how hard it really is to cut the hole yourself and install them, or find fixtures that fit the pre-existing holes.

  • Reply theresa May 26, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    Love the leran lampshade, I’ve been trying to figure out where to use one in my house!

  • Reply Melissa May 26, 2009 at 4:56 pm

    Do you (or anyone else reading) think the ASPVIK cabinet could be used on the ground as a tv stand?

    I can only dream about mounting it, as I live in a rental apartment and am not too handy…with my luck it’d fall straight to the ground, tearing the drywall with it and leaving a big gaping hole…

  • Reply Anna at D16 May 26, 2009 at 5:18 pm

    lauren alane: Most the medallions in my house are original (and made of plaster), but this one is made of solid, high-density foam, which looks MUCH better than the ones made of extruded polypropylene. The hole was already cut to exactly accommodate a standard electrical ceiling box — the canopy on the shade covers the free edge. Here’s a photo taken prior to hanging the fixture so you can see what I mean:
    medallion installation

    Does that help? I did have to cut the one in our bathroom (can’t remember why — I think we may have had a non-standard box in there for some reason), and I think I just did it with a drywall knife. It doesn’t have to be gorgeous, just make sure the canopy will cover the cut.

    They’re really easy to install — construction adhesive on the back, plus 3-4 screws to hold it in place while the adhesive dries. Then take the screws out, patch, sand, caulk along the outside edge, and paint. Let me know if you have any questions! 🙂

    • Molly April 8, 2018 at 6:05 am

      Hi Anna. Miss you and hope life in NM is good. Forgive the overdone tacky source question, but I ADORE your old office medallion and have scoured the webs to no avail. Any chance you remember the name or brand? I know…unlikely. PS: your “I’m OK” post is one of the best things on the internet and my mind happily comes back to it allllll the time whenever I’m overthinking whether I’ve eaten enough dark leafy greens this week, or had too many tacos or margaritas, or if I should be soaking my oatmeal before bed. Which, yes, is allll the time.

  • Reply Anna at D16 May 26, 2009 at 5:26 pm

    Melissa: It would definitely work on the floor as a TV stand! It’s the perfect depth for a flat screen, and I’m positive it can handle the weight of a TV if it’s on the floor. The maximum depth for components inside is 12″. Any deeper and the doors will be obstructed. I just checked my DVR and it’s only 10.5″, but you should measure your stuff before buying just to be on the safe side. The only thing you’d have to do is drill a hole or two in the back for wires/cables, but that’s no biggie. 🙂

  • Reply PhillyLass May 26, 2009 at 9:55 pm

    Anna– love the updates. Would you mind posting some overview pics of the office so we can see how the whole look has come together? You’re really inspiring me to clear out the tons of clutter in my office area. I wish it looked as airy and inviting as yours.

  • Reply Barb F (Australia) May 26, 2009 at 11:03 pm

    Love the look of the pendant against the wallpaper and alongside all the white. Did you ever find a place for your David Trubridge pendant?

  • Reply Elisabet May 27, 2009 at 4:20 am

    Looks like summer, the light is fantastic! I wish I could put in new floor in our office, but I guess I will have to be content with new floor in the baby’s room for now. In fact my husband is very kind to me to even do that for me when I ask, I can’t help him being 36 weeks pregnant so he has to do it all by himself.

  • Reply Jill May 27, 2009 at 9:25 am

    I have this same light above our dining table… love it!

  • Reply eva May 27, 2009 at 3:20 pm

    love the storage!

  • Reply Franziska May 27, 2009 at 3:47 pm

    it really looks nice not filled with too much stuff. How do you manage keeping your space so clean (by meaning not crowded)?

  • Reply Down Pillow May 28, 2009 at 12:31 am

    Ya gotta love IKEA 🙂 I just wish it were a little easier to shop – I spent about 2 hours in there last week trying to find what I needed.

  • Reply lauren alane May 28, 2009 at 5:16 pm

    hey anna, just saw your reply and the flickr photo! thanks so much. because of you, i felt convinced that my husband and i could tackle an old home here in orlando built in 1925. we are going to redo everything and i am using your blog for reference! we’re closing tomorrow on it so i am ready to get working!

  • Reply Jennifer May 29, 2009 at 4:52 pm

    Love how the cabinet balances out the desk on the other side of the room, and also makes a nice spot to put a cup of coffee while sitting in the lovely Eames chair. Nice!

  • Reply Jessica July 3, 2009 at 12:43 am

    What a lovely look created with a simple cabinet. I am inspired by it! This may be a more affordable way to put a sideboard in my living room. Thanks for the post!

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