Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

I want to go everywhere I haven't been, and back to everywhere I have been.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

A Peek At My Home Office: Before & After




Home Office | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

If you were on an HGTV show, like House Hunters, Fixer Upper, or Property Brothers,
would you be able to see beyond the current owner's taste in decor,  
the outdated kitchen;
the swampy pool, 
or the 70's light fixture in the foyer?

The fact that we purchased our house allows me 
to unequivocally answer YES to that question.

Jonathan and Drew weren't there to insist that this could be our dream home;
Chip and Joanna didn't invite us out to the farm to show us inspiration boards,
and there were no fans from House Hunters yelling,
"Go with House #2, you idiots!"

Nope. We could see past the ugliness all on our own.

When we first saw the home we now live in,
I literally walked through the front door, and said,
"We'll take it!"
The kitchen, family room, living room and dining room 
all had been beautifully renovated.

Little did I know what was lurking beyond.

The entire upstairs was such a disaster, 
that I thought we must have taken a wrong turn on the stairway, 
and ended up in another house.

The bathrooms - all five of them - were terribly outdated.
The master bath was so awful that instead of using it for its intended purpose,
we used it as a closet until it was renovated.
The "den", and the laundry room off the master, could only be described as vomitrocious.

And then, there was this room -- 
on the main floor, just beyond the family room.

What the WHAT???

What is that brown thing in the middle of the floor?

Home Office | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Turns out, underneath that cover was a hot tub.
A most unappealing steam shower was in another corner of the room.
It was spa room, by function,
but does that look like a room you'd like to kick back and relax in?
Nothing...NOTHing would get me into that hot tub.

There was so much wrong with this room, yet...
 as halucious as it was, I saw past all the mildew lurking in the tub,
  beyond the horrible gray floor, and water stains on the ceiling...
seeing only the large corner windows,
pretty backyard views,
a skylight,
and the generous size of the room. 

Right then and there, I hereby pronounced this room 
to be our future home office...to have and to re-mold
from that day forward.

We ripped out the hot tub and shower.
We replaced the leaky skylight.
  We painted.
We put in new high hats.
We carpeted.
We hung new shades.
We furnished.
We got WiFi.

(When I say "we," I mean not us, literally, wink wink)

Well, HELLO, office!

Home Office | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 Although we updated the office years ago,
I'm only first getting around to showing it to you.
Honestly? The thought of cleaning up our desks in order to take pretty photos 
always seemed like too much work.
But then, I realized I don't have to show the whole room...
I can just show the part that's nice and neat, heh heh!


A long bench from Crate & Barrel is under the windows.
The round clay pot in the center is a souvenir from Mexico. 

Home Office | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Home Office | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

The blue flowered pitcher was my mom's...
I remember it being in her bathroom.
The little sculpture in front of the picture frame 
is a whale-bone carving from a trip to Alaska.  
The clay sculpture on the door handle was a school project 
made by Junior Goo Shoes many years ago.
I treasure it!  

Home Office | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 The painting belonged to Mr. Goo Shoes' father and his wife.
I love it...It determined the color scheme for the room.

Home Office | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 What's a room without a little animal print?

Home Office | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Or...a little animal?
Sadie can often be found sleeping on this chair. 



So, now that I've shown you half of my office,
perhaps it will motivate me to straighten up, and show you the rest.

Or, maybe not.  
After all, the outdoors is calling


By the way, if you are a fan of HGTV shows,  
Buzzfeed's "Funny Tweets About HGTV
will give you a chuckle.


20 comments:

  1. You had great vision! I could never convince my husband to see anything other than what is right before him.

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  2. Excellent. You are so funny. Why yes, I take pics of one side of a room with the other side being messy. Glad I am not the only one. You had great imagination when viewing your house. I sort of did that when we purchases our current downsize. No hot tub though! Ha. We left one on the deck at our other house. Sheila

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  3. The pictures are almost as beautiful as the room itself. I've always loved how you decorated your 'home office'. I'm one of the lucky ones who get to see it in person.

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  4. The room is inviting now. It would be a pleasure to relax there. Can't wait to see the other half.

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  5. When I watch those shows and people say stupid stuff like 'I can't live with this paint color' I just want to bitch slap them. Drives me bonkers!


    Lovely office Amy, and your pup looks a LOT like Charlie!

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  6. All treasured objects with memories but Sadie's little face is precious! Is she not darling!

    Hmm, maybe I'll give up on ever getting my office cleaned up enough to show it on the blog, just focus on a couple of areas? Because otherwise it ain't gonna happen.

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  7. LOVE that there is a bird in the painting! How very YOU with all of your beautiful bird watching photography. Beautiful transformation and can't wait to see more. Pinned!

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  8. You guys did a great job. Not many people can see beyond the old, outdated and damage!

    Our home wasn't called a Fixer Upper. Back then it was called a Handyman's Special. Sadly, my hubby wasn't handy so after 30 years we are still chipping away! lol!

    Jane

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  9. That painting is lovely and I am not surprised that you'd find inspiration in it.
    The 'before' room.......yes, it was pretty bad. Just the thought of such a 'spa' room is high in ICK factor!!!!

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  10. I would eat worms before showing you our den, actually I probably won't live long enough to clear the clutter in it to ever show anyone the surfaces in the place. Loved your story and as a fan of all those television shows I could so relate. Great tale and what a stunning room.

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  11. Wow! What an amazing transformation you did of that room! I never knew that your house wasn't in great shape when you purchased it. I love the cozy factor you've given that space. I don't think I would like to buy a fixer upper because I'm too impatient to get things done. I'm sure I would rush through the process and make many mistakes and question all of my decisions. You did a great job!

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  12. How bizarre to find a hot tub in the middle of the house!!! Lovely office, far better than the tiny desk cubicle I have. Oh well!

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  13. I love all of the HGTV shows and it looks like you transformed that room in the spirit of those great professional decorators. Looks great!

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  14. What a lovely room you have to work in. I love the painting that inspired your decor.

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  15. It seems to be a gorgeous room and the light pouring in is lovelyy.

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  16. Actually,I take pictures of both sides of the room, but I only share the neat and organized side. Love it!!! :) Great job. Found you on Tweak it Tuesday. So happy I did. You are refreshing.

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  17. I love that you immediately could see past the disaster to what your house could be.

    And, I love your little doggie!

    Thanks for sharing with SYC.

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  18. So cute. I love your photos. Your dog is such a cutie.

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  19. Nice article about interior designs! ! House Painters in Brisbane

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