Work In Progress: Office

Remember this Curated Life post? Well I liked the idea of sharing areas in our home that are a work in progress so much that I decided to try it as a regular feature.

Today's space is my office, which is really just a desk and some drawers facing the back of the mister's desk and tucked into one side of our living room. While I don't have any before photos for this one, it's definitely not in a completed state, so we'll return to see the progress in the coming months.

Pink &: c/o Dots & Stripes Courage decal: Oh Hello Friend WA laser cutout: c/o Squirrel Loves Nut (website not functioning) Plaster D: gift from Paper N Stitch- DIY here

Today print: c/o Oh Hello Friend Triangle photo holder: Dots & Stripes

Be Brave print: Sophie Blackhall-Cain

Any item without a source listed is vintage

I still have a few projects on my list to complete this space- covering the back of the mister's desk with something pretty, making and hanging a pin board, finding a real plant to hang in the corner (to try out having a plant there I cut some branches from this invasive fern that grows in our backyard for these photos), and reorganizing all those drawers. It's coming together though- and hopefully soon I'll like it enough to actually work there instead of at the kitchen table!

What are you working on in your home? I'd love to share reader submissions for this new feature- send me an email if you'd like to contribute (danae{at}gatherandhuntvintage{dot}com).

All photography and styling by Danae Horst for Gather and Hunt

A Curated Life: Work in Progress

I think it's easy to look at pretty, styled photos of other people's homes and think- if only I could just get my home to look that good, then I'd be happy. After all, what we see online and in magazines is the best version- not the real life version.

In real life, even in the homes of interior stylists, things are constantly in flux. I'm constantly scheming up better ways to style things, and new projects I want to work on. Things are also not always pretty in real life. There are several areas in our home, now and in the past, that I am always unhappy with because they just don't look right, but sometimes I just don't have the time or energy (or money) to do anything about it. Real life can be messy and is always a work in progress.

Today I thought I'd share some before and after photos of a few areas I've recently refreshed. There are still a million things I want to change- namely I'm itching to paint most of our wood furniture (except the misters pieces) white- but I do like these little changes, and sometimes, it's all about the little things.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

(Of course, going from a bathroom with no windows and an insanely low ceiling to one with high ceilings and lots of light helps immensely too!)

Before:

After:

(Not as dramatic a change as some of the others, but enough of a change to make me happy).

What changes are you craving around your home? Are there little changes that would make you happy for now?

P.S. This post has really driven home for me how much better my photos look since I started using a 50mm lens. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm kind of blown away by the difference it's made. If you have a Canon DSLR, I definitely recommend getting the 'nifty fifty' lens- it's so affordable and makes a big impact. (Nikon users- a 50mm is still a great investment for you, but will cost you a lot more than the Canon lens- sorry).