School is now back in session and I was actually involved in a big back to school secret over the summer! Several months ago Melissa at Sippy Cup Mom asked if I would be able to help her complete a teacher’s lounge makeover at our children’s elementary school. Of course I was excited to be involved. She another local St. Louis mom blogger who enjoys helping out in the community and she knew that I’m passionate about that too. Plus, recently our school district went through some major changes with growth. For years the teachers had went without a space of their own. The lounge was previously needed as a classroom and it finally could become an area for teacher’s use again. That’s where we bloggers came in to transform the space!

Back To School Teacher’s Lounge Makeover

For this makeover we pretty much had a blank slate to work with. As a classroom the space was indeed functional, but for a teacher’s lounge the space was not at all inviting.

We definitely had our work cut out for us!

The wall color needed to be toned down and the space was in need of new furnishings from top to bottom. But as a whole the room had great bones and was a good one to use as a teacher’s lounge. Plenty of floor space for tables and chairs. (Even room for a sofa.) Lots of wall space for some great decor and aesthetics. Two windows to let in ample amount of light. Just an overall great space to work with!

What Went Into The Space

Transforming the space began with a more neutral paint color from Sherwin Williams and a new refrigerator from Appliance Discounters. The owners of the appliance store actually attended this very elementary school at one time. Small world!

I love this wall color and how it really makes that black fridge just pop!

From there the room was filled with furniture and decor:

If you follow me on Instagram then you probably noticed that my mom helped me to put together all of those gray chairs!

Mother/Daughter night out! My mama helped me put together chairs and we be finished! 👊🏻 #teachersloungemakeover

A post shared by Tara Smith (@seeingdandy) on Aug 17, 2017 at 6:45pm PDT

She definitely loves her grandchildren to help out at their school!

Did you see the tall tables in the collage above? Can I just tell you that those pub tables from Rustic Grain are gorgeous?

We wanted something unique to the space that the teachers would be able to use for years to come. Rustic Grain definitely delivered on that. They took our idea and actually created a vision in these beautiful tables. Every piece at Rustic Grain has a story to tell and no two pieces are exactly alike.

Rustic Grain definitely takes reclaimed wood furniture to a whole new level. I love that the each table tells a story. How neat that this wood was reclaimed from a barn 86 miles from here in Carlinville, Illinois! The coordinates are even embedded in a brass tag on the top of each table. It’s a conversation piece. Seriously love.

Teachers need a break sometimes and spending time in the lounge is a great way to recharge. That’s the reason we created a relaxation station with products from Homedics. Massagers, speakers for soft music listening, and essential oils from Homedics are perfect for relaxing.

I have this Ellia essential oil diffuser at my house and it’s a favorite!

Teachers also need nourishment for break time so we were sure to set them up with some snacks and drinks for the first day of school.

Snacks, decor and furniture were from a few of our friends in the community: Charmette Academy of Dance, Sunset Ford, Precision Office Furniture Installation, and Neighbors Credit Union.

We had so many helpers on this project and couldn’t have done it without them! The transformation was amazing and turned out so much better than I ever could have imagined.

I’m in love with the entire space and how it turned out.

I need one in my own home!

We are so grateful for our kid’s teachers and the amount of work they do each and every day. They deserved this space more than anyone I know.

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Thank you to those who donated towards this teacher’s lounge makeover!

A very special thanks to all the generous donations from companies, businesses, and people who helped to make the teacher’s lounge makeover a beautiful success. I think you are all very dandy.

Sherwin Williams
Appliance Discounters
Rustic Grain
Sunset Ford
Neighbors Credit Union
Charmette Academy of Dance
Homedics
Precision Office Furniture Installation
Parents and teachers organization

If you liked this teacher’s lounge makeover then be sure to check out the other dandy DIY ideas HERE. You can also see Melissa’s teacher’s lounge makeover post HERE.

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