My mom and sister live together in a four-bedroom home in San Diego. My sister, Teresa is a great entertainer and has lots of guests (including me and my family) ALL the time. She and her partners run a successful, national marketing business from their home offices.
Teresa would frequently move out of her downstairs office, with a separate entrance, to make room for our brother and other guests.
She set up a sad little, makeshift office on tv trays in a corner of her bedroom. But as her big sister (and decorator) I was NOT going for it! I mean, I was one of the interlopers responsible for this situation…
BEFORE
There was a light airy loft space (meant to be a second family room) that only I used to work in while visiting. I knew it would be a great permanent office. It meant moving a lot of furniture out, like a heavy armoire that housed a television and a crummy IKEA sofa/bed (that I bought…a mistake, not comfortable at all with the pull-out bed in it).
I had an idea that we could get our antique French farm table out of storage and give it to Teresa for a desk. So, Howard and I rented a U-haul and brought it down. We set up her office (while staying with her once again) over Christmas.
The rest of the furniture she already owned but we reworked it as office furniture with IKEA baskets.
How about that elbow room?
The cool calendar was a gift from my daughter. We placed pages on larger clipboards for three months at a glance. A mid-back desk modern chair was a bargain. So much so at around $80, I asked Teresa for a review….
“Definitely a great value as office chairs can get very expensive. It looks good and it is pretty comfortable. It does not have any sort of lumbar support, so I am using the gray pillow for that. But it was much easier than I expected to assemble!! All things considered, I would absolutely recommend it to a friend.”
We also bought a floor chair mat to protect the seagrass.
On the other side, we created a seating area. I bought those club chairs twenty years ago and slipcovered them in white cotton about ten years ago. The slipcovers were trashed but what was underneath was not…and plaid is back in style!!! Hey, is that a pillow on the right chair, too?
No…he is Teresa’s intern (and Chief’s more serious brother), Judge! 
The wall color is Benjamin Moore White Dove. The banister and railing used to be “builder maple” which we painted. Please consider that if you have it. The wall to wall seagrass carpeting is great. It’s about five years old and stays so much cleaner than the white carpeting that used to be up here. 
Words of advice that I gave her a few years ago…and we are using it as a coaster in here.
I also sent Teresa these Farm Girl Flowers (with a note thanking her for taking care of our little Mamacita). They are at the SF Flower Mart but send Fedex nation-wide.
The lovely loose arrangement reminds me of the one that our daughter, Alie, carried in a wedding as a bridesmaid last year…
Source: Style Me Pretty
We are in Sydney, Australia right now!! Follow me on Instagram to see what I am up to!
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Beautiful, useful space! The seagrass looks great – how do you transition from seagrass to another flooring material like tile or hardwood? I never seem to see those transitions in photos… Is the edge finished like carpet, just tucked under?
It tucked under baseboards like regular carpeting.
Well, the place just looks amazing! There’s not much to say, really, just wow!
You’re a great big sister! Hope my little sister doesn’t hear about this. :-\ That’s a great table you pulled out of storage – perfect desk! And, I love a seagrass carpet. Looks like you’re having a great time in Australia! I’ll bet Chief misses you.
What a beautiful space, so light filled! Love the wall to wall seagrass, your table as a desk and those stunning flowers! Hope you’re having a wonderful time in Australia!
Love this space, wish I had an ounce of your talent. I hope you enjoy your stay in Sydney.
We are currently at Sydney airport (live 500 miles north of Sydney) waiting for our flight to
Hawaii to catch up with family from San Francisco. Love you blog.
I am the luckiest sister!! I love the new office almost as much as I love you, Mary Ann! And Judge is very happy with the new space! Thank you so much!! XOXO
Wow! What a great transformation.Beautiful. Thanks for the flower recommendation also. Really fun to see you work your magic. What a nice sister you are. Well, she’s a nice sister also.
Nothing says “thanks, sis” than hauling a long, and I am assuming heavy, table out of storage and down to San Diego and then hauling it upstairs! That was work but all of that heavy lifting paid off. What a light-filled, spacious place to work. That your mother would climb the stairs to enjoy the the space affirms that what you did here is captivating. I think the Judge agrees.
You totally understand my motivation 🙂 Our son, Tommy was there to carry the table up the stairs but Teresa had to hire guys to take the old furniture down.
Can you remember the brand of Sea grass carpeting ? I’m in San Diego and would love to put some in one of my rooms.
Thanks, martha
No…but it’s just the basic one. We used it in Ft. Lauderdale and in our previous house in Newport Beach. Comes with latex backing.
LUCKY SISTER! GREAT JOB!!!
Thank you!
Look beautiful! I have a plaid chair and ottoman with a pattern not as charming as yours in need of a slipcover, are there any ready mades you recommend or should slip covering be handled by a professional? Thanks for any advice!
I would recommend finding a local professional to make the slipcover. She/he will tell you how much fabric to buy (including an allowance if you want to wash it)–then you can shop for it a discount fabric places.
Do you think a whole post about that railing is in order? It’s a huge home improvement, such an update lots of people could use. I have gel staining the orange oak railing and painting the spindles on my DIY list. Maybe I should be looking at black.
Yes…or staining it an espresso color and painting the spindles.
What a perfect place for an office, so light and cheery! I’m sure she is thrilled and how great of you and Howard to make the trek down in a U-Haul to deliver that wonderful library table.
Can’t wait to hear about your travels!
Xoxo Gail
Beautiful , love the lamps.
Thanks, me too!
Where are the lamps from?
We got them a few years ago at Pottery Barn…on sale.
OMG I love that French Farm table as a desk! It is so spacious and looks perfect to spread out on. You did an amazing job and what a lucky sister you have to receive such a wonderful Christmas gift from such a talented sister. Enjoy your trip downunder. I’ll be following along.
Having a great time here, Celia…warm weather.
This is one of my favourite posts! I love everything about it and can’t believe this space wasn’t really used before. Is that a balcony I spy? It’s all just sensational!
Yes…there is a balcony too! She can take phone calls out there, too 🙂
Absolutely fabulous Mary Ann as always!
Hello Mary Ann! Thank you for the great post. Your comment about painting the banister and railing struck a cord with me. We have a maple banister and maple railing (which was an upgrade when we built the house in 1999!) Do you know which paint colors you and your sister used when painting the banister/railing? White Dove?
Thank you! Hope you are having a wonderful trip.
Yes. White Dove in semi-gloss. And I forget which black…just a regular black in semi-gloss.
Oh wow, I wouldn’t want to leave my office if it was like that. I mean I could happily just move across the room from my desk to those chairs for a cup of tea or a glass of wine at the end of the day. It is beautiful and perfect and I am sure a fabulous way to start 2018. Hope you are having fun in Oz.
That’s true…and now my mom, who never used to go upstairs, will go up and sit in one of the chairs.
What a great use of a loft space. Sometimes they are just awkward and this idea is awesome.
Yes, Phyllis…I can think of a couple other people with spaces like this that would benefit.
It’s fantastic. I cannot believe she ran a business on those TV trays!
You’re a great sister!
I also love that you did this mostly with repurposed furniture you already had. Bravo.
Well, it was just for a couple months that Teresa worked like that…this is much better now!