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Home DecoratingFlooringBefore & After
patrina_cossey

Before and after office/ŕeading room

Patrina
4 years ago

Perhaps the room I've worked the hardest on.I had a vision to build in Billy bookshelves but I wanted to change the colour and be brave. I upholstered the Armchairs, laid the carpet myself (saved£100 doing it and added a carpet kicker to my tool collection!) upcycled my haberdashery drawers etc. Here are a few pics of what is a small room with a big personality. The area by my desk needs some work and I'm still searching for the perfect office chair. Products used: Zinsser shellac undercoat, Dulux Steel symphony 1, Crown brilliant white washable, Valspar Privet Hedge. Blind from Blinds2go and I watched this fab video from B&Q to teach myself how to lay carpet😳 https://youtu.be/QJqI88F0wAM

Featured Answer
  • Jules Mc
    4 years ago

    Looking fab Patrina. Get Minnie101 on the chair search. She always comes up with something fab.

    What are the white pic frames surrounding the map? Are they still waiting for photos? Just can't help thinking they should be gold or brass to tie in with your wallpaper wall. Or another colour but just not white. A can of spray paint would do it.

    • Comments (43)

    • E D
      4 years ago

      What a succes story!

      Looks absolutely fantastic!

      Small room with great personality!


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    • PRO
      The Classic Barn Company
      4 years ago

      Very nice, congratulations. You have a good eye for design solutions

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      Thanks everyone @Jules Mc the frames are for our daughter to post her holiday pics with a stribg from the map of the places she's been. She bought them before we decided which wall we were putting the map on. Planning to paint them dark blue or black to match the rest of the frames. Great reminder about @minnie 101 re the chair suggestions.

    • Jules Mc
      4 years ago

      That's a lovely idea Patrina. They'll look great. I saw some push pins (drawing pins?) in homesense that were little aeroplanes yesterday!!

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      @jules Mc snap! I was in Homesense today didn't see those I can see how they would be perfect. But I bought a huge glass picture for the back wall of the room total impuslse buy but I instantly liked it. Hubby did not enjoy the kerfuffle of getting it in the car though hehe😂

    • Monica
      4 years ago

      Oh Patrina, what fabulous transformation !!! Well done you, very clever !!! <3

    • Juliet Docherty
      4 years ago

      Wow Patrina, you clever person!

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      Thanks everyone it's nice to have a hobby that is also practical 😁

    • Marylee H
      4 years ago

      Brilliant job! 🌈

    • rachelmidlands
      4 years ago

      Fabulous work Patrina! I always love your eye for detail. You have many talents👍

    • janet_allen8
      4 years ago

      Gorgeous, you are very talented! ... a new career perhaps? Curious, is the wallpaper from Wayfair or Cole & Son? Both beautiful but very different price points!

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      Thank you @janet_allen8 my hubby keeps encouraging me to do something along those lines, the problem is I'm a bit of a Jack of a lot of trades not sure I've mastered any though. Although I've boggled his mind with this particular project lol I did utilise him for the heavy lifting 😁 The paper is from Amazon and is branded Arthouse noticed this morning its been reduced to £9.99! I really like the quality of the paper.

    • janet_allen8
      4 years ago

      @Patrina if you’re half as brave with career choice as you are with your creativity, you’ll be successful! Just work out what aspects you like most 😀 your hubby sounds like a good sounding board. Love that wallpaper ... Trying to get creative juices going for revamping our old “playroom” into reading/work/chill out room but would take a lot for me to be that brave ☺️

    • Victoria
      4 years ago

      Looking fabulous Patrina ☺️

    • Sarah U-S
      4 years ago

      It looks fantastic - well done!
      Did you use Billy bookcases in the end? If so, how did you paint them?

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      Thanks @victoria, @Sarah U-S thank you. Yes I bought them on Facebay for £25 I painted them with 2 coats zinsser Bin shellac primer before painting the top coat. I must say the Zinsser is a bit tricky to work with so the faster you work the better. I used a brush for the zinsser application then a roller for the top coat paying special attention to the edges.

    • Sarah U-S
      4 years ago

      Thanks @Patrina. I’ve used Zinsser Bin before - it’s very sticky and odd!!
      Did you sand at all, or straight in with the primer?

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      I did a very light sand with a sponge sanding block then wiped the whole thing down with a damp cloth to get rid of dust residues. I think Zinsser behaves in that way because of how quickly it dries. You could try Johnstones any surface surface primer. It is meant to be good.

    • Sam Potter
      4 years ago

      Those Billys look a million dollars. I absolutely love what you've done with them. When you posted them on my dilemma a whole ago I had no idea they were IKEA. So classy!

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      Thanks Sam, yes another bargain buy from Facebay. I'm on a mission to use something recycled/rescued in every room of my home. Just got a a length of solid wood worktop from a friends for free. For some unknown reason they decided to rip it out and replace it laminate! Hoping to use it in my utility.

    • T Gray
      4 years ago

      That's a lovely room Patrina, fabulous job!

    • Anthony (Beano)
      4 years ago

      That’s fantastic! Honestly a cred to you, laying your own carpet! No end to your talents 😃

      very well brought together, bet your bursting with pride when you go in there!


      havnt been on as much, sorry I missed it, ive been looking at beds lately, decided I’m going to make my own come June time............

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      ooh thank you @Beano very high praises from the master of crafting 😄 I'm sure your bed will be stunning, you must let us know what ideas you have come up with so far. My next project I think will be the Utility room a project I've been meaning to start a few years ago lol.

    • Anthony (Beano)
      4 years ago
      last modified: 4 years ago

      lol, I’m no master but like you I’m very proud of what Ive achieved, your every bit as good and game as me 😉

      it’s going to have two large , loosely covered cushions as a headboard, they will be about 75cm high and go to the floor, you’ll only see about 35cm of them above the mattress, its quite a low bed tbh, the front and side frame will sit about 80mm of the ground, be about 150mm high, 50mm deep and have a unique stainless steel bar leg running across the front, the fabric on all parts of the bed will be fully changeable with Velcro tape sewed to them, the two large cushions that will effectively be the headboard will sit in front of a powder coated black plate of metal that will sit out past them about 30mm around the top and sides as a feature as well as support, nearly like a flat picture frame.

      slats I’ll be buying, beech fully adjustable as I have them in my current bed and they are great!

      fair bit of work in it tbh but hope to make a start in the summer :-)

    • Ribena Drinker
      4 years ago

      That bookcase is an absolute triumph, Patrina! You're so clever.


      My OH has a massive study which is long overdue a revamp. It's been the same for about 14 years. You've been inspiring.

    • Sam Potter
      4 years ago

      Gotta sketch Beano?

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      @Beano sounds fantastic, I echo Sam's request for a sketch. Also how cleaver your idea is for removable velcroed fabric is I can just imagine the design in that rich orange I've seen in your home album against a moody dark wall and the ambient lighting you speak so fondly of.

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      @Ribena Drinker thank you. It's amazing how versatile Billy book cases can be. If you do decide to use them and like me remove the backs do remember they get a bit floppy and need reinforcing. I used hidden metal straps on mine plus wooden blocks in between to stop any movement and they are solid. I did get extension shelves as well and shortened the with of the middle one.

    • Anthony (Beano)
      4 years ago

      @Sam and patrina, sorry, no sketches as I kind of plan in my head, I’ll try and draw something up but I’m not super great at art! I’ll have a go though! Lol


      its a fairly simple looking thing but there’s a fair but going on underneath it all!

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      lol Beano I'm really bad at art have you not seen my plan for my bookshelves? For me the quality of the drawing doesn't matter just how it turns out.

    • EE BB
      4 years ago

      Fantastic job. Inspiring.

    • Ribena Drinker
      4 years ago

      Patrina did you stick the wallpaper to the back boards with normal wallpaper paste?

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      Ribena Drinker the wallpaper is actually on the wall with normal wallpaper paste. I removed the backing from the shelves which weakened them temporily but I strengthened them using metal straps.

    • PRO
      MBH Carpentry and Joinery Ltd.
      4 years ago

      Love it, well done to you, that looks fantastic.

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      Thank you MBH 😁

    • Ribena Drinker
      4 years ago
      last modified: 4 years ago

      Oh my goodness Patrina, you've started something in this house!!! The OH is all fired up now about re-doing his office (he recently got a new job working from home more, so he's keen to get it gussied up).

      On Gumtree he's bought a set of 4 x 80 cm and 2 x 40 cm Billy cabinets (he needed a run of 4 metres) all with glass doors for under £200, which he is absolutely delighted about, which he's going to paint in F&B Hague Blue.

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      Wow @ Ribena Drinker glad I've been of some inspiration 😁 what a way to get going! Loved F&B colours but found them too expensive. Please make sure to keep us updated. I thnk you get so much more satisfaction out of doing things yourself. Can't wait to see the wnd result. p.s. isn't Gumtree great?

    • Ribena Drinker
      4 years ago

      I'm a massive Gumtree fan, both buying and selling!


      It's not gonna be the real F&B it's going to be the exact colour match mixing thingy by Valspar at B&Q! LOL :-D It's only his office after all!!!


      But we're going the whole hog, new desk, painting some of the other furniture and I've spotted some beautiful interlined silk curtains in a local curtain exchange place that will look great! I actually don't know who is more excited about it out of the pair of us.


      I've just got to work out how to apply some imitation gold leaf to the inside of the bottom of the glass doors...................

    • Gabby Wong
      4 years ago

      Wow... I'm stunned!! It's stunning.. you deserve to be so proud.


      I'm very impressed with your ingenuity and determination


      Can I ask a slightly random question as I think I remembered that you've bought roman blinds from blinds for you before now... when fully open, how much do they hang down? Do you find they block too much of the window?

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      @Gabby thank you. I bought my Romans from Blinds 2 Go. I can fold the blind most of the way up and still get lots of light. I personally love Roman blinds 😄

    • PRO
      Alternative Flooring
      4 years ago

      That is absolutely stunning - what an amazing transformation!! You must be so happy and what a perfect place to snuggle up in that cosy armchair with a good book. We love the wallpaper behind the bookcase and the colour of the walls and shelves.... off to order some wallpaper and paint samples ourselves!

    • Patrina
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      Thank you @alternative Flooring thank you I have been working from home more regularly so having a dedicated space for work and reading is bliss 😁

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