Office Renovation Update

Office Renovation Update - roomfortuesday.comI promised an office update, so today I wanted to share where we’re at in the space! Our pocket doors have finally arrived, our lighting is here, electrical is ran, and the test fit went well. We’re cruising right along as best we can with the current delays on materials and backordered items. So far, so good! I’ve been practicing patience, and we’re truly in not hurry for this room anyway. Click through for a big update and a peek at some pretty details!

Office Renovation Update - roomfortuesday.comFirst, let’s talk about the pocket doors. As you remember, I designed these to be a space saver and they arrived to us last week. We ordered them locally (from Granite Mill, for those in the Salt Lake City area), and they turned out really gorgeous. They are solid core and HEAVY. Already having one pocket door in our home (between the laundry and powder bath), I knew weight and quality was very important. Our existing door slams, has terrible acoustics, and makes a ton of noise on the track. I wanted a heavy, solid door that was soft open and soft close. If you’re taking the pocket door route, they have to be heavy on the track, slide easily, and provide adequate acoustics and privacy… especially in an office setting. I’m very happy with these!

Office Renovation Update - roomfortuesday.comEmmett did a test fit to make sure they perfectly fit the track, and things fit really well. That means he is ready to drywall and close the studs back in. We just wanted to make sure the doors were a perfect fit before walling it off, in case we needed to make adjustments. If we adjustments were needed, we would be able to easily access the entire track. We’ve really been at a stand still because of that- just waiting on the doors to arrive for our test fit.

Office Renovation Update - roomfortuesday.comNext, let’s chat about the electrical. It’s all ran according to my lighting plan, and I also added a floor outlet, since my desk will be centered in the room. I want to hide my computer cords behind the leg of my desk for a seamless, clean, and organized look. If you missed the floor plan, check that out in this post. Since everything is to scale, I knew exactly where I needed the outlet in relatively to my desk legs. Half of design is really good planning!

Office Renovation Update - roomfortuesday.comMy chandelier arrived (sneak peek pictured above) and it is gorgeous! My gallery lights are also here and are as expected- I tried to choose timeless and neutral fixtures for this space.

Office Renovation Update - roomfortuesday.comI do have bad news on the desk chair front. Remember the chair I thrifted? My plan was to attach casters to the legs, but unfortunately the arm height of the chair is too tall for my desk. I ended up buying this simple upholstered chair (with performance fabric), and my plan is to potentially add casters to that chair instead. We’ll use my thrifted chair elsewhere, because it’s beautiful and I still want to style it into our home. I don’t have a plan for it yet! For now, it’s staying in the entry…

Tips for Using Faux Florals & Greenery - roomfortuesday.comWhile Emmet is still building our built-in (see that plan in this post), we decided to have his work make the glass cabinetry door fronts for us. Why? They’re really intricate and to be honest- Emmett is just busy. Between his regular job, we’re both putting in a lot of hours at the Tuesday Made shop, and of course this room renovation is also taking time. We decided it would be best to leave the door fronts to the pros, and we’ll rest assured knowing they’ll look perfect, while saving us precious time. Since we’re taking this route, of course we’re playing the waiting game once again in regards to lead time, but that’s totally fine with us. They’ll be worth the wait!

Office Renovation Update - roomfortuesday.comI’ve ordered a few new things for the space, but I’m just being patient, am on the hunt for some fun vintage items, and am planning to decorate slowly. I really want this room to be my happy place, since I spend so many hours here. I think that’s part of the fun of taking the curated and collected route. I hope eventually it’s a bright and cheerful place to work, filled with things that make me smile. That’s the goal anyway. So… next up? It’s drywall time! This is when the room will really start to feel like a room again. It’s also messy, dusty, and the worst part of a renovation… my least favorite, anyway. We have everything closed off, zipped up, and I’m hoping it won’t be too terrible. The pocket doors felt like a huge win this week! Let me know if you have questions about anything. I’ll work on a pocket door installation tutorial as things progress- I’ve had a lot of requests for that and am happy to oblige!

Heads up for tomorrow… the remainder of my weekly blog posts will go live on Thursday and Friday (no Wednesday post this week)! Emmett & I are finishing our dive training, so I’m having to take a day off work to complete that… anyway, I’m just shifting things around to fit my schedule. Check back on Thursday, and have a great day tomorrow if I don’t talk to you!

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18 Comments

  1. Yay!! Those are beautiful doors! I had no idea that they could be soft close and open. I think the only pocket doors I have experienced lived in historic homes-definitely grand, but not high-tech. Have you shown the hardware yet? Does it have to be recessed, so the door can open fully? Installing that sounds like an especially pesky task. So happy that the fit is perfect. Keeping the wall open for potential adjustments was smart; can you imagine the headache otherwise? How great will it feel to have drywall again?! Haha. Sorry for all the questions; can you tell I’m excited? The lighting looks smashing. Can’t wait to see that chandelier installed! Bummer about the desk chair, though. Arm height vs desk height…the eternal struggle. Your new option is lovely; I went to the Serena & Lily site to try and guess your fabric choice. (dork.) Your patience with projects always impresses. You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy creating in your sophisticated space.
    Good luck tomorrow! I’ll be thinking of you. Lots of stellar cosmic energy happening! See you Thursday!💜

    1. Thank you! I’m very excited about the doors! I haven’t shared the hardware yet, but I should have… it is recessed and it’s antique brass finish- super simple and minimalistic. It would’ve been a BIG headache if we would’ve closed the wall in and then have to rip it down again to make adjustments to the track. Smart move on Emmett’s part- I can’t take credit for that one. Ha! I never thought I’d be looking forward to drywall day, but here we are. The lighting won’t be installed for a long while, but everything looks great in person. It will be a fun day to see it in the room! Argh- the desk height / arm height is definitely a constant struggle. I ended up with the performance Sunbrella canvas fabric, and I want to add brass casters. I had a leftover gift card, so I figured I’d put it to choose use on a nice upholstered (armless) chair. Thanks for sending the good vibes my way! We are required to do two half day open water dives- yesterday went well (minus my scuba mask giving me a face hickey, LOL!), and my next one is coming up in a few hours. All the cosmic energy combined with diving in a natural thermal hot spring with sapphire blue water sounds like the best kind of combination. Perfect timing! Have an awesome day my friend! xo

  2. I really love these pocket doors. I remember having pocket doors in our house when we were young – these are so different. I like the option of pocket doors, as it gives you more space. Can I ask – is there just a track at the top or is there something along the bottom as well? thank you!

    1. Thank you, Leslie! It’s such an awesome space saver and they feel really versatile. There is a track at the top… nothing at the bottom on these!

  3. Melanie T says:

    Maybe you could clarify for me: is the first photo of the pocket doors ( without the trim installed yet) the permanent scenario? I thought pocket doors could only be installed if there were no walls intersecting where it recesses into the wall space. Did Emmet have to do some modifications to the support structure to allow that to happen?

    1. Melanie T says:

      I’m so glad you have found a new home for that gorgeous thrifted chair but the new one looks very sturdy and comfy!

      1. Thank you! I’m hoping it’s comfortable :) I also want to try to add casters, but I’ll probably decide once it arrives… of course the lead time is 10+ weeks. Ha! Have a great day, Melanie!

    2. Happy to clarify, Melanie! Yes- that’s the permanent scenario… obviously we’ll install trim and make them look more finished, but that’s what they’ll look like. You’re exactly right… there has to be enough room within the wall cavity for the doors to recess. We had adequate space on both sides- my office actually extends further past the entry (the wall you’re seeing next to the front door). I shared my floor plan in this post, so you can better see the space from an aerial view (although I switched my vision from french doors to pocket doors).

  4. I’m incredibly excited for you! The doors already elevate the room so much, and I’m picturing your amazing window treatments adjacent…stellar! I had no idea you could get a soft open/close pocket door. We have one pocket door in our house that is the noisiest little beast. Judging by the rest of the doors in the house I’d say it’s because they installed a hollow core, but then again it’s also a 25 year old door and track! For the soft open/close function, is that a feature of the track itself? I would imagine the answer is yes, so what you’re telling me is I’d have almost equal amounts of headache to replace the track?😂🤣 How I wish the builders would have thought to put a pocket door in the kids’ bathroom. They have the tiniest water closet stuffed with the tub/shower combo and toilet, and a swing in door- not ideal. I do have the option to put one in myself, or change the door to an out swing instead (the wall it would open up to is a fairly large blank wall). I wonder which would be less of a headache…
    Back to your office- I’m stealing Peggi’s word, because there is no other way to describe the impact of those light fixtures: SMASHING!! It’s honestly refreshing to watch a project unfold slowly- I know tons of people really want that quick turnaround, but it’s so helpful to see it come together slowly over time. As with all of your projects, once drywall is up, it feels like the rest unfolds overnight—home stretch!! Lol! You and Emmett are doing an incredible job. I can’t wait to see the end result.
    I’m crossing my fingers for you and Emmett to sail smoothly through your last test. I’ll be sending the good vibes your way all day tomorrow! Have fun and I’ll see you back on Thursday. Xo

    1. Thank you so much, Lauren! The soft open and close is such a nice feature. These already feel so much better than our existing pocket door. Yes! That feature is all about the track. Depending on how difficult it is to access your track, it may be a pain. Ha! Sorry! I wonder if you’d be able to install one in your kids bath- it depends on what kind of plumbing is behind your walls and where it’s located. We considered that option in our guest bath for a moment and decided against it because of that! Ooooh whew- I feel like we’re so far from the homestretch, but I’ll take the encouragement. Haha!! I’m oddly not feeling stressed about this one. My current work setup at home isn’t bad and we also have our office building (where I’ve been spending a lot of time lately). I think it helps that we aren’t on a deadline and it’s totally on our schedule. While I’m so thankful for my brand partners and sponsored renovations (that are my livelihood), it’s really refreshing to do things according to our own calendar and not have to stress about deadlines for this one. Thanks for all the positive vibes! My first open water dive was yesterday and I was nervous, but did well. Here’s to hoping today is more of the same :) Hope you also have an awesome day! xox

      1. I’m all about installing one in the kids bath. The builders were smart with the plumbing/electrical layout. The toilet plumbing is on the shared wall with our upstairs linen cabinet, and the shower plumbing is actually inside the wall just behind my bedroom door. They even installed access panels! (They did them terribly, but it beats having to pull down an entire wall!) So in terms of anything being “in the way”, we’re in the clear. Jeff is 💯 hard no on going pocket door route. I think it’s a mistake NOT to do it; it would feel so much more open in there. That’s a chip-away-at-him sort of deal. We have years before we’re willing to do anything more permanent/upgraded in that space (because kids man!). I’m sure I can work some magic by then! Haha!!

        1. Yes you can!! I’m team pocket door :)

  5. Great tidbits of information on the pocket doors. They look great! You are one of the most patient people I have seen when dealing with room renovation. Bummer about the chair and desk situation. Just thinking but could you add height to the bottom of the desk legs? Probably not but wondering. Love love love gallery lights and your chandelier is beautiful!
    Good luck to you & Emmett on your scuba test. Stay calm and relaxed. You’ve got this!

    1. Thanks so much, Danna! I could probably add height to the desk, but right now it’s a standard height… which is nice for resting my arms, typing, etc. I’m worried it would be too tall for me or it wouldn’t look right. It felt easier to just buy a different chair! I’m also really excited about the lights- I can’t wait to see those installed. We just passed our scuba… YAY!! Thanks for your words of encouragement. Despite a mask malfunction, I was able to calmly sort it out underwater. Whew! Ha! Hope you’re having a wonderful week! xo

  6. Kristin Richardson says:

    Anxiously waiting on the pocket door tutorial! We plan on creating a new bath/closet out of space in a narrow rectangular room and a pocket door is the plan for space saving. Now you have me thinking I could make it glass panes, frosted of course. That would echo the french door we have between dining and family room.

    Oh, and imagine my surprise when I was flipping through my most recent TOH magazine on a trip this weekend!!! Congratulations!

    1. Yes! I’ll get that posted just as soon as we get hardware and have them fully installed. Pocket doors are the best for saving space… and they’re so beautiful! Of course I love the ideas of glass… especially if it feels cohesive with your existing french doors. Thanks for your kind words about TOH magazine :) I have actually yet to find a copy!! I keep hunting and they’re always sold out. Here’s to hoping I can find one and check it out soon. Hope you’re having a great week, Kristin! xo

  7. Christy Johnson says:

    Hi Sarah,

    Would you be willing to share where you purchased your double pocket door kit? Our door supplier is having difficulty tracking down a quality one and we’re about to start our remodel. Also, I would love to read a pocket door tutorial if that’s still in the works. Thanks so much!

    1. Hi Christy! I’d be happy to share. This is the system we bought: https://www.johnsonhardware.com/1500sc-series-soft-close-pocket-door-frame-kits We had the doors made from a local millwork company. I hope that helps! I wish I would have been able to finish our pocket door installation tutorial, but sadly- I was dealing with medical issues during the majority of December & January and didn’t get to photograph as I had hoped. I’m sorry!