The bleeping paneling is taking a wee bit longer than we expected. Le sigh. Hopefully we’ll have an update for you soon. In the meantime…
Every once in a while a shop or office inspires us so much that we decide to crash it (just like we did when it came to this fun kids consignment shop). And we weaseled our way into this office space for Towne & Reese (a jewelry company named after two Charlotte ladies’ kids) thanks to a house crashing adventure from a few years back. You have to remember this one, right? Here are a few shots to jog your memory:
And here’s a pic of the cute couple with their darling daughter Towne out front (from back when we house crashed them):
That good looking couple happen to be Christi and Barret. And Christi happens to be 50% of Towne & Reese (which makes sense of the fact that her daughter’s name is 50% of the moniker). You still with me? Anyway, since Christi’s brain runneth over with amazing style, we couldn’t leave Charlotte without stopping in to see what she did with a bland blank-slate office space. Here’s what it looked like before she got to work:
And here’s what it looks like these days. When you walk in you see a charming bright blue wall emblazoned with their sweet company logo (created by this amazing couple that we’ve also House Crashed – Charlotte is a small town, haha). Gotta love that they put a bird on it.
And see that lovely rug (scored on sale at Anthropologie)? That was the inspiration for the entire office makeover. For example Christi plucked the blue for the wall (Valspar’s Tropical Oasis) right out of the rug (she also got another accent color from the rug that she used in another area, but more on that in a minute). Oh and the leather pouf and awesome side table are from a local shop called Post & Gray.
To the right of the logo wall with the rug-that-inspired-it-all is another teal wall (still Valspar’s Tropical Oasis) covered with their jewelry.
How creative and sweet are the linen canvases that Christi picked up in a variety of shapes and sizes which she uses to pin up all of their gorgeous bling? Sidenote: I know that the word bling was supposed to be dead once our parents started using it, but I just can’t let it die.
Intermixed with the linen canvases is a giant secondhand mirror that Christi got at Post & Gray. It’s huge and such a statement piece among all the jewelry. And it’s even functional (if a buyer shows up and wants to toss on a necklace from the wall there’s a spot to check out the goods).
Christi got the linen canvases really inexpensively from Binders (there’s a location in Charlotte, but they have a website too). Never wanting to pay more than she needs to Christi signed up to be a “preferred customer” (which is completely free) to score some pretty amazing canvas deals. She says that she’s never found better canvas sales anywhere else.
Here’s a better shot of the insanely cool giant mirror. It was literally as tall as I am and I loved the cool grass-cloth-ish texture and ornate design at the top. Oh and from this POV you can see a sliver of the other color that Christi pulled from the rug for another punchy accent wall in a zone beyond the wall of canvases:
How much fun is that splash of raspberry on the wall beyond their charming old meeting/conference table? That paint color is Panama Rose by Olympic. The rugs both came from Ikea and the table was a secondhand score at a local shop called The Sleepy Poet.
As for those great metal chairs, they were from Overstock. Four are just $193, which made them just 48 beans each (she has two extras in another area). Oh and the extremely convincing greenery on the table is Ikea too. I thought it was real. That was embarrassing.
Here’s the view if you walk up to the raspberry wall of frames and turn around to face the table. On the right there’s a little shelf with some great black stools lined up (those are also from Overstock, scored for $45 a pop) and the richest darkest not-cloudy-est chalkboard paint we’ve seen. Ever.
And that chalkboard paint is carried over to the other wall across from the raspberry frame wall as well. We had to know the exact type of paint that came out so deep and rich (sometimes it looks kind of cloudy and gray) so Christi hooked us up with the info: it’s Valspar’s Chalkboard Paint from Lowe’s. Good to know.
Guess who made those scribbles? Hint: remember the name of the company. Yup, that’s Towne and Reese’s handiwork along with a few of their buddies. Gotta love a kid-friendly office complete with a small Ikea table with sweet little colored poufs from Urban Outfitters.
Is Christi not a total genius at mixing elegant stylish industrial pieces (those metal chairs and black stools) with secondhand finds (the conference table, the giant mirror), inexpensive finds (Ikea and Urban Outfitters items), bold colors (those pink and blue accent walls) and fun touches (the grid of kid and jewelry photos, the chalkboard wall, the linen canvases of jewelry, the kid station in the corner)? I was running around drooling and squealing. It was not a good look. Forgive me oh fashionable and composed jewelry designing women.
Here’s one last peek into their gorgeous space (once again Christi brought in a little bit of old thanks to this secondhand buffet from Post & Gray). But look how great it looks with the sleek industrial metal seating and the raspberry wall peeking out from around the corner.
Oh and file this under so-charming-and-boutique-y-that-I-want-to-do-it-at-home:
Yup those are just dry beans on a plate with rings happily bathing in them. Once again, I bow to Christi and her fun creative approach to decorating on a budget and making her space feel so happy and inviting. What a great place to work, eh? Snaps for Christi. And a big thank you to Jessica, the other 50% of Towne & Reese (yup, you guessed it, she’s Reese’s mom). She was just as sweet as Christi. And on top of letting me traipse around drooling and shouting unintelligible things like “Ohmygooooooooons!” and “Chalkblort paint!” they wanted to hook you guys up with a discount code for their entire line of jewelry. So feel free to drop by this online dealer of their lovely wares and enter YOUNGHOUSELOVE15 to score 15% off. Anyway, thanks for showing us a good time in an office building of all places, Christi and Jessica. Smooch those sweet jewelry-inspiring kiddos of yours for us.
So, who wants to play the what’s your favorite part game? I’m having a hard time narrowing things down, but I think the linen canvases, the black stools, and that happy raspberry wall are awesome with a capital AWE.
Psst- Check out other awesome places that we’ve crashed here.
Psssst- We crashed an nursery-turned-big-girl-room over on BabyCenter today. Come on ovah (ovah is the new over).
Donna says
I am so glad you posted a link to that Clover crashing…a few months ago I was wracking my brain trying to remember what blog and what store had really cute and clever decorating/organization ideas. Could not remember for the life of me, and then today you post the link! Thank you!
Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove says
First of all, I love the rings & dry beans. I honestly want to go home and arrange my jewelry like that. I also liked the earrings hanging on canvas.
The space is so fun and energetic with all of those bright colors on the wall. And the chalk works, too! Did they put specific colors in the bin to match the room’s decor?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh I didn’t even think about that. Hilarious.
xo,
s
Tuesday says
Huge chalk….Love that!
myhonestanswer says
I love it! At last, Young House Love swear. Well, nearly, but I’ll take a bleep.
And I’m sure I’d be bleeping all over the shop if I had to paint that panelling. I don’t envy you, but I’m excited for the results.
Corien says
amazing! Every couple whose house you crash has a baby!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, babies do pop up a lot. The couple that we mentioned in this post (who designed the logo) doesn’t have a bambino. They do have two amazing dogs though. That’s another one of our favorite House Crashings.
xo,
s
Cait @ Hernando House says
Love it all!
And I was so glad to see those Overstock chairs! I’ve been trying to decide whether I want to get those or splurge on some more expensive ones, and the Overstock images just weren’t helping.
arell says
Any idea where they got the name “Towne” for their little peanut?? Lovvve that!
YoungHouseLove says
I’m not sure. Here’s hoping Christi will drop by with that answer for ya.
xo,
s
Mel says
Okay, I will now wipe me the drool from my mouth. Chalkboard paint! I knew I was missing something in my life. Now what to paint with it????
Adrienne says
We had our garden shed/workshop converted to an office for me. Maybe you could virtually crash it?? It’s bright yellow with black & white damask accents and a lot of bling. A very glam garden office :)
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds like lots of fun! Feel free to send us some preview photos and we can go from there!
xo,
s
laura says
small world – christi lived in the same apartment building as my three best friends in nyc. all uva alums, we all used to hang out together way back when. i remember when she first start dating barret. so funny to see their faces when popping in to read your blog this morning. ;)
Elisa says
I just pinned the crap out of this post.
Which sounds so wrong.
Yet so right.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, if pinning the crap out of a post is wrong, I don’t want to be right.
xo,
s
Julia @ Chris loves Julia says
This is amazing! That Anthro rug. I die.
Chris Loves Julia
Callie says
You are making me re-fall in love again with my own city. Sleepy Poet and Binders! Thanks for the little reminders of how awesome Charlotte is.
Jill says
I love that they have a giant rug version of Sue The Napkin! (Not that they look alike, but that they’re used for the same inspiration purposes).
MissPinkKate says
Love all the bright colors in this house!
Rachel says
I just tried to buy some lovely earrings on the site, and the discount code isn’t working. Is it only for specific products?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, it’s supposed to be for everything. Here’s hoping Christi can drop in with some more info (did you try keeping it all caps locked? sometimes that helps!).
xo,
s
YoungHouseLove says
Update: try “younghouselove15.” We hear it works…
xo,
s
Towne & Reese says
You are probably trying to enter the code on the paypal portion of the site. Finish filling out payment info (it will not charge you until you confirm) and then it will take you back to the Queen Street site (you’ll know because the background will be black again). Then they’ll be a line for promo code. Let me know if you have any other issues.
THANKS!
ktmade says
I also just tried to buy a couple necklaces and the code wouldn’t work. Maybe it’s not set up yet?
YoungHouseLove says
We’ve heard it’s up and running from a number of folks who have ordered with it. It’s younghouselove15 (lower case works). Good luck!
xo,
s
Van says
love the bold colours in an office space… it makes paperwork a little lighter…
Donna Huebsch says
What a stylish work space! I love that it is so kid friendly.
My favorite part was probably the two pictures that had poufs in them – it reminded me that my daughter received a hand-made Amy Butler honey bun pouf from her aunt through the mail recently…I’ve been trying to locate bean bag filler to finish it off, which is harder than it sounds. I can’t find it locally, and apparently there are different grades of polystyrene beads so you have to be careful what you order – plus many places charge a FORTUNE to ship something so bulky (we need 4 cu. ft.), so I am still on the hunt – thanks for the inadvertent memory jog :o)
Sarah says
That buffet…amaze.
Heading over to check out their site to see if I can find something to spend my 15% discount on. Thanks Christi and Jessica!
Jenn says
Love this! I picked up a pair of T&R earrings in Orlando a few years back and have been a huge fan of the line ever since, but I had no idea about the story behind the name or the fact that they were based in Charlotte. I’ll definitely be taking advantage of that discount code :)
Stefanie says
I think I saved almost every picture in this post – seriously, I want the same table/chairs/rugs set up they have in their conference room in my kitchen. Is that weird? I love it!
Samantha says
Whooooa I love that! The raspberry wall and linen canvases are my favorite. So chic!
Paige says
wow. love it ALL. if my office looked even one tenth as awesome as that space, I’d never want to leave work. It’s so inspiring to see a space blend so many textures, colors, and styles to make one totally amazing space. I love the darker, grounding colors of the furniture (rich antique wood, dark metal chairs/stools) that allow the pops of wall color and bright jewelry really stand out. My favorite thing might be the rugs…however, I do LOVE the metal stools and chairs. I might have to pop over to overstock and check ’em out. nice office crashing, guys! OH, and I LOVED their logo. I’m a fan of awesome, whimsical logos, and theirs is definitely amaze-zor.
Estela @ Weekly Bite says
What a great office space! It must be so fun to work at :) Thanks for sharing!
Lori and Ethne at wom-mom.com says
I love the colors! Perfect for creating fun jewelry!
Lori
http://www.wom-mom.com
Michelle @ A Huckleberry Over My Persimmon says
Incredible style. Everything flows so perfectly, simply, elegantly. LOVE that buffet, and the earrings photographed second down on the right.
Kristin @ Ogo's Love Nest says
Wow ! I love all the bright colors. :)
J says
I love the linen canvases! I have been planning to do something similar with a cork board, but the linen looks much more polished. I am worried that linen may not support my heavier necklaces and the hooks would get pulled out by the the weight. How did they attach their heavier pieces to the canvas?
YoungHouseLove says
They just used T-pins for everything so I wonder if the canvas itself is pretty thick (so the canvas + linen with a t-pin in it works). Maybe Christi has more info?
xo,
s
Sara says
I second Valspar chalkboard paint, I’ve used it on cardboard to make tags for gifts, and even on a wooden clementine box to repurpose as a gift for my daughters teacher and it covered very well!
Andrea says
I tried to use the discount code at checkout and it says invalid. Bummer!
Great shop!
YoungHouseLove says
Already emailed Christi about it. Here’s hoping she drops in with more info soon!
Update: try “younghouselove15.” We hear it works!
xo,
s
Tina says
I may have pinned a couple of items too! How can you not?!
CMC says
Hi, the code isn’t working?
I get this error message: “Unable to find a valid discount matching the code entered”
Thanks!
C
YoungHouseLove says
Are you using all caps? Sometimes that helps. If not, here’s hoping Christi will drop in with more info for ya asap (already sent her an email about it). Fingers crossed!
xo,
s
YoungHouseLove says
Update: try “younghouselove15.” We hear it works!
xo,
s
Allisson says
I am ready to buy something since all their jewelry is amazing but I don’t see anywhere to enter the coupon code at checkout?
YoungHouseLove says
It sounds like others have found the coupon code area but it wasn’t working for them (might be an all-caps thing or the code might need to be tweaked). Here’s hoping Christi can drop in with more info for ya!
xo,
s
YoungHouseLove says
Update: try “younghouselove15.” We hear it works.
xo,
s
Sarah says
Promo code is younghouselove15*
Younghouse15 is invalid.
YoungHouseLove says
Did you try using all caps? Sometimes that helps. If not here’s hoping Christi can drop in to clarify or update the code (already emailed her about it)!
xo,
s
YoungHouseLove says
Update: try “younghouselove15.” We hear it works!!
xo,
s
Allisson says
Yeah younghouselove15 works, thanks!
Taylor @ TheProposalEnthusiast says
Love their space. And great prices on the jewelry! I’m definitely going to order something after work… If anything is left after all the YHL readers have snatched everything up.
Kathleen says
Love the canvas jewelry displays – what are they using to hold the jewelry? Did she have to line the back of the canvases with anything? It seems like the some of the necklaces would be heavy. And of course I am asking so I can recreate the look at my house! Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
They just used t-pins and it all seemed to stay up really well (perhaps the canvas material plus the thick linen was enough?).
xo,
s
Emma says
Oohh. So lovely. I adore the blue reception(?) area. Thanks for sharing – I checked out the Twone and Reese jewels and I love them! They’re just the right price too!
Sarah says
Yeah I tried every variation of younghouse15 lol. Then I added the “love” and it went through :)
YoungHouseLove says
Ohhh- Younghouselove15 it is! Thanks for the tip!
xo,
s
CMC says
Thanks! younghouselove15 (no caps) worked!
Maura says
Love the office and the jewelry is stunning. I successfully used the code:
younghouselove15
Hooray for beautiful design and lovely new earrings!
Krysta @ Domestic for Dummies says
I would love to work in an office like that, so fun!
Dana says
I would love going to work every day if my office looked like that!
Beth says
So many fantastic ideas!! I can’t wait to put some of them into action in our new house. I really love the raspberry wall, which is kind of odd, since I’m generally not a fan. It just works!
Megan says
I love everything! I worked at a jewelry shop years ago and the ladies there always have creative ideas to showcase jewelry and for the longest time it was natural items, including beans! I never thought about it at home though… may have to do it!
Becky says
ooo I love the door to their mudroom! Do you happen to know how they did the frosting with the word stencilied on? I would love to do this for a bathroom door.
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s hoping Christi stops in with that info for ya.
xo,
s
Laura@JourneyChic says
Such a fun space! And I love that you crashed the office of a company that makes stuff I actually own! I have a great Towne & Reese necklace that I scored on major sale from Zulily a while back, and I love it! Those girls are crazy creative. Thanks for sharing!
Jill says
The canvases are my favorite!!!!! And I’m totes (new word for totally) sending my BFF some big earrings from their store for her bday! Woot Woot! :) Thanks, yall!
Short, Sweet Season says
Oh my gosh, the buffet table. Be still my heart. I have been looking for something like that forever!
Melody says
drool! what an amazing space! I think my favorite is the conference room. The chair area by the blue wall and anthro rug is a close second.
Shelley says
I loved everything about this space. I had a big dopey smile through the whole post – half based on my love of the design, half based on your awesome, romping enthusiasm, Sherry. =)