DIY Office Nook Makeover

Once in a blue moon, I’ll give a space a makeover… and then make it over all of again. Styles and tastes are ever changing (and, that’s okay)! Especially when a space I designed forms a new purpose… like the basement office nook I created at my parents’ house! Over the past year or so my little brother Jordan has turned the office nook into his dedicated space for editing my videos. So, to help say thank you to him for helping me out, I gave this office nook a makeover with a faux brick wall, floating shelf, storage upgrades, and in-wall lighting upgrades from TopGreener!

DIY Office Nook Makeover

This project is sponsored by Top Greener. For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Want to see this project in action? Check it out on my YouTube channel & please subscribe (if you like what you see)!

If you’ve been following along for a while, then this view might look familiar…

I created a small office space in an unused nook in my parents’ basement a while back… which, honestly ended up being clutch during the “p” word/work-from-home era for everyone in the house…

…especially for Jordan. Because, this is what it looked like a few weeks ago:

While I’m stoked that Jordan made a home for himself (and his computers) in this space, it clearly needed some help. So, I got his input on what he wanted the space to look like, and we got to work! Here are a few of the projects we completed with my materials lists (make sure to check out the YouTube video for the full transformation)!:

DIY Floating Desk With Storage

One thing that definitely was not changing about the space was the floating desk with hidden storage! You can find the full tutorial for that here!

DIY Faux Brick Accent Wall

To help mimic the look of the painted cinderblock in the stairwell of the basement, Jordan and I created a whitewashed brick wall using faux brick panels. Here’s how we did it!

What I Used:

Tools
Circular Saw
Brad Nailer
Spackling Knife
Painter’s Tape
Paint Brush

Materials
Faux Brick Panel
Joint Compound
White Latex Paint

The Steps:

Checkout my YouTube video for the full tutorial!

Installing A Motion Sensor Switch In The Basement

Since the workspace I fixed up is in the same space as the laundry room, bonus space, and workout room, I wanted to make the process of traveling down the stairs a bit easier on everyone. So, Top Greener and I came up with the bright idea (#pundefinitelyintended) to install an in-wall motion sensor light at the top of the stairs! It was so easy to do – here’s how!

What I Used:

Tools
Screw Driver
Electrical Tester/Multimeter

Materials
Top Greener In-Wall PIR Motion Sensor Light Switch

The Steps:

1. First step was to cut power to the basement stairwell at the breaker! After that, I was able to remove the existing switch cover and test the electrical wires for current using my multimeter.

2. Once I was 110% sure the electric was powered off, I removed the old switch by unscrewing the wires from the connectors.

3. I then installed the new Top Greener In-Wall Motion Sensor Light Switch by following the directions in the box as well as the labels on the switch itself. This was so easy to do!

4. Once the switch was installed, I was able to adjust the sensitivity and duration settings on the switch — and then installed the plate! I love how customizable the switch is – it now powers on as soon as it senses someone entering the side door or the basement entryway!