HOME OFFICE RENOVATION

My home office is where I am most days, with visits to job sites and showrooms sprinkled throughout the week. At the beginning of quarantine, I found myself thinking I should share my office with my husband. We could set up two desks! This would be FUN! But, I quickly realized that he is on the phone. All. Day. Long. One conference call to the next. Ooof… that is way too much talky-talky for me. So, I quickly helped carve out space for him in the guest room so I could maintain my space.

I realize that many of us are in the same predicament these days!

A previous client of mine reached out to me asking if I could tackle the next phase of their home – the office quickly climbed their priority ladder. They were empty-nesters until their 3 college boys moved home after a shortened college school year. Both of my clients were now working from home and her husband’s travel had come to a halt.

So, it was time to put doors on the office and give it a facelift.

She was presented with two image boards – a softer feminine scheme and a moodier masculine scheme.

Which do you think they went with?

In either scenario, I wanted to use a few key furniture pieces that had their own individual style. The masculine scheme has lighter white-washed oak furniture pieces with cane inlays. Steel black accents are mixed throughout the hardware, lighting, legs on the credenza, and elliptical side table. The upholstered pieces offer a variety of texture from the smooth whiskey-colored channeled leather desk chair to the nubby, tactile lounge chair, and the woven wool rug and tailored charcoal gray drapery panels.

The feminine scheme has a light envelope with soft white walls that have a whisper of gray, an intricate ash gray and cream wool and silk rug, accented with a blush cashmere throw, linen watercolor-esque pillow, and graphic artwork. The almost-ebony stained furniture offers a striking contrast to the light palette and the accents of brass and white marble give another element of interest.

In both schemes, we’ve included additional lighting to the space. In a working environment, it’s important to not only have overhead light but also task light (desk lamps) and ambient light (table lamps and sconces). I know tearing into the walls to add wiring for sconces isn’t always an option. Look for sconces like the ones in the “masculine” scheme that are plug-ins. In this scenario, you could either locate them over the credenza on either side of the art. Or they could be placed towards the ends of the sofa or seating group.

And, nobody wants to see their clunky printer, paper, and all the stacks of “to-dos”. A handsome credenza can house all of these things for you, so when your day is done, you can put it behind closed doors.

That being said it’s 4:00 on Friday…Happy Hour Time for me! If you need any office tips – hit me up on Insta and shoot me a message! Happy Officing!