You won’t believe this vintage-inspired office was once a plain bedroom

With more of us than ever working from home, it’s not always easy to find a spot for a desk, which is why transforming another room can sometimes be the solution.

Sharnene Jewell, a mum of four from Cardiff, did exactly that when she turned a plain bedroom into a vintage-inspired study with tons of home office wall décor ideas. Keeping costs down by buying furniture secondhand on Facebook Marketplace, and upcycling everything from a wall canvas to a clock, Sharnene managed to bring the makeover in at under £250! 

‘It’s so much easier just going into a shop and buying items that go together, but it’s a bit more challenging when your only choice is things other people are selling,’ she says.

Vintage gentleman's club style home office

Before

The bedroom was empty, having previously belonged to one of Sharnene’s daughters. ‘It originally belonged to my youngest daughter, but had an upgrade when my middle daughter moved out,’ Sharnene told Latest Deals. ‘So we then decided to use the room as an office because my husband works from home a few days a week.’ 

The room itself wasn’t the only thing to get a makeover – Sharnene also put into practice a home office desk idea by upcycling this desk that she bought from Facebook Marketplace for £75. 

‘It’s originally from Made.com,’ she says. ‘I sanded the top and applied satin black wood paint with a cloth for a rustic effect and I did the same effect on the window frame.’

Let’s take a look at the finished results… 

After

Can you believe it’s the same room? This new office gives us serious gentleman’s club vibes, with its leather chairs and moody décor. The walls have also been given a concrete-effect look using clever painting techniques and the desk looks completely different now it’s been upcycled.  

‘I got the dark brown leather chair for free from Facebook Marketplace, which I blacked in the creases for an aged look,’ says Sharnene. ‘The swivel chair was also secondhand from Facebook Marketplace, and cost £50.

'It was originally orange, but was a little bit faded due to sun damage, so I dyed the fabric black, but not perfectly. I wanted a grungy look so I left some of the orange showing through.’

So, how did Sharnene go about transforming the walls with her creative paint idea? ‘I started by drawing two to three-foot rectangles on the wall, leaving space for the faux grout,’ she says. 

‘Then I used a kitchen sponge and matt grey emulsion paint with a bit of water in to create the concrete effect. I added a small amount of salt to it for a bit of texture. For the faux grout, I used matt black emulsion mixed with a bit of the grey for an off-black colour. 

The rest of the room is painted a matt black and Sharnene has estimated that room would have cost £2,000 if she’d had to pay full price for everything.

While the walls got given an industrial look, other parts of the room were treated to a more rustic effect. ‘I painted the outer edges of this wall canvas from The Range in black and a few random areas in white, then I went over the white with teak wood stain for the rust effect,’ says Sharnene. 

‘The loft hatch you can see on the ceiling was originally white. I painted it black with Rustoleum matt black paint and then used the same teak wood stain for the rust effect.’

Sharnene bought the bullet lamp from a car boot sale – her husband rewired it with the green fabric cord, then she added an Edison-style bulb.

Turning her attention to the floor, Sharnene knew the light wood flooring that was in the bedroom previously wasn’t going to work with her new office look.

‘The floor was whitewashed, but I wanted it darker, so I stained the white to brown and then scraped matt black floor paint into the grain,’ she says. ‘I finished it off with clear yacht varnish.’ 

Along with other secondhand buys, the rug was £60 from Facebook Marketplace, while the green vase cost £5 as it had a damaged top. ‘I bought rope from B&Q and attached it with a glue gun to hide it,’ says Sharnene.

‘I definitely achieved the look I wanted for the walls and floor, but slightly compromised for the chairs and furniture,’ she continues. ‘However, for the money it cost me I couldn’t be happier. I managed to put my own stamp on everything to make it unique and I highly recommend upcycling, it gives a feeling of accomplishment.’