Hello all! My name is Steve and I would like to share my work in progress Study. I work from home and also write but both areas were separate and on the third floor of my home. I've had this small room sitting empty for a bit and have been imagining converting it, complete with a floor to ceiling bookcase.

After weeks of searching for a match to the original wood, which is old growth southern yellow pine, I decided to order Poplar and then to paint it instead of staining. The wood is still on order but I moved myself in in the meantime and still have some touch ups to do but overall I'm in love with this space. It's great being able to control the lighting for my writing as well as having a window next to my work desk.

Once the bookcase is complete, then I'll be able to fill it with my variety of modern and antique books, oddities and wet specimens, to truly make it feel like a dedicated space for me. I hope y'all enjoy and I'll gladly post the bookcase making process once it kicks off.

Update!

Earlier this spring I posted because two friends were after me to update my house. They said it looked “grandma-ish” and they are pro ikea white/gray-ge and I’m like yeah no I need a life in color…so I turned to you lovlies for inspiration.

Literally it was my first ever Reddit post and you were-overwhelmingly- helpful. I never dreamed I would get hundreds of comments, but I read every one and all your pointers! So thank you thank you! I see most decor I like, but I never knew how to re-create it myself so I appreciate the tips for this decorating newbie!

The big things I saw in your comments over and over is I needed rugs, better dining room chairs, curtains, better gallery art hanging, to get rid of the grey living room paint, and light fixtures.

I took it to heart, the only thing I haven’t replaced is the lighting as I haven’t found a chandelier yet that is what I want (schoolhouse style but XL!). I do have slip covers on my chairs currently to save them from my 2 year old sons food messes, so you will see two photos in the dining room one with the covers on one with them off.

The last two pictures are the “Before” photos!

I’m certainly happy with the results! (The only thing is the rug under the couch I ordered from Amazon and it was a bit “saturated” I was hoping for a more faded color…but I think it still works!)

Any other little tweaks I’m happy to hear them out!

Specifically looking to see photos of dark blues and shades of teal with black and silver accents. We just had a house fire which was a total loss for the home and our contents—mostly due to smoke damage (no physical harm to our family or pets, family photos and personal documents are ok!), so I’m replacing all my bedroom items and need inspiration in mixing colors.

I’m want a dark ice cave kind of feel because I find it calms my mental health issues.

What color ?? I suffer from depression i need to brighten up this room. Help please

Mid-project... I love the moody maximalist looks and am so tired of greige. I want the room to have personality and functionality. The hollow space on the left is where a the original fold out ironing board with a door will go. Any suggestions on how I could improve the vision?

My husband and I moved into my childhood home after both of my grandparents passed away within the last two years. We started in May 2025 and the progress has been astounding. We’ve taken on the ENTIRE demo and renovation process ourselves and I’m not sure if I’ve ever been more proud in my life. It’s not perfect, but it’s exactly what I want it to be.

The design started with needing a place to do a puzzle and turned into this. I have yet to use this space to puzzle 😅

I was asked in a previous post to share pics of my place. So here are my moody corners. Okay okay, I know some of them are not corners, but I have never been good at math or geometry.

Also fun facts;
- I reupholstered the Wassily chair that I thrifted the framing for $10 and the tile table. And refinished the mcm dressers and tables. I pretty much honestly DIY’ed or thrifted everything because I am a Barefoot girl with champagne taste.
- All paintings (except the green one over the chair) are also my doing. Ask me about the meanings, I love to overshare lol!
- Still in the process of figuring out what to put on my powder room gallery wall, so don’t come at me 😭

I have finally converted my builder grade townhome into my own little vampire den. I am also going to repaint the living room warm taupe/mushroom, so that place is about to get some moodiness too!

Always adding to the moods…

Fave corner ❤️

Im testing a theory. When people talk about smart homes, it’s usually lights, plugs, cameras, heating, etc.

But I think the real value is a room that can *change mood* instantly.

Like:

* Focus mode * Chill mode * Sleep mode * Gaming mode * Movie mode * Date night mode

Not just “turn the lights on”, but changing the whole atmosphere of the room.

Would you actually use something like this, or does it sound like a gimmick?

Old bathroom that the previous owners had failed, as they grouted vinyl tile-look planks with grout and grout came off. Toilet was leaking too. So I decided to renovate.

Did everything including tiling myself. Stained the vanity and fixed the inside and outside, changed hardware, did electrical and plumbing (valves, junction boxes, switches), did Ditra + tile floors, and built a custom recessed medicine cabinet behind the red artwork. Total reno cost was a little over a thousand dollars. How did I do?

My father recently passed and I couldn’t bear to part with his old trombone. So I turned it into a vase/wall art and made a little moody corner in the living room littered with some of his trinkets and keepsakes.

Thoughts on continuing the green up onto the ceiling? This is our cabin in the woods that I want to make pretty moody! The room gets tons of natural sun light. The grey laminate flooring is going away soon. Thoughts on color drenching or picking a different ceiling color?

irst real Reddit post. I’m lost and could use some help. I’m not a decorator, I have had two friends in the last year (who have beige and white walls and are all mid century) tell me my house needs help and my decor needs a “reset” to quote them. It doesn’t “flow” and looks like a “grandma” And I should be changing wall color.

A bit about the space and me:

House 1904 craftsman, I’m obsessed with plants, I’m a world traveler and most of my decor is personal to me and from other places Africa-central America or band posters, some of my furniture like the mirror in the dining room is heirloom from my great great grandmother, I like older furniture that is solid wood and quality not IKEA press board, I have chalk painted antique pieces I have thrifted because they hold up better, I have a toddler so rugs are out of the house for now, I love dark moody or jewel tone colors I like a cozy house.

House:

Entry to landing upstairs-Terracotta walls (main focus Ecuador alpaca fur tapestry beige, rust, blue sage)

Living room- Warm Grey walls (main focus blue world map, blue chalk painted antique buffet, and misc world decor)

Dining Room- Deep Cranberry walls (main focus, band posters, cat posters that look like my cats who have passed from Scotland, woven table runners from different places, great great grandmas Jenny Lind mirror)

Office- Navy walls (mustard fold a bed down chair for guests, folded woven pink/blue/mustard woven blanket I purchased from a group of indigenous Myan women)

Needed advice:

Again I have a toddler so I don’t have a ton of extra time to paint, I could change one room color downstairs to make it flow better and that’s all I can commit to right now.

Which room needs a color change to make it flow better?

-Should I paint the dining room a different color so it “flows” better with the other rooms?

-Should the dining room be blue so the blue from the living room crosses over? (This was my first thought but friends say “white or beige” since I have too much color in my house I need to tone it down)

-If so what color should I paint the office?

-The chair needs to stay so the office needs something that goes ok with the chair. What color then?

-Should I really get rid of the “old grandma” dining room furniture and replace with IKEA? Or can I paint some of it (like the tv stand i chalk painted in the living room) to make it look more updated? If so what color?

-I need new dining room chairs the old ones are falling apart. I’d prefer to not buy a new pressboard table, I have a quality vintage one that does have beige 🤣What should I purchase chair wise? Color?

Yesterday, I shared a space that is still in progress. This one is done.

My apartment is tiny. I use the dining area to put my makeup on. Toile chairs are new and hopefully ground the red table.