Home Office Tour: Design Is In The Details

August 1, 2018

Finally is the word that comes to mind when I think about todays post. I FINALLY put the finishing touches on my home office space and I’m excited to share it with you.

When we moved into the house almost a year ago, I started planning how I wanted to decorate my office. I knew I wanted to do something bold and dramatic. I also wanted the color theme to be black & white with a pop of color. Well friends, I think I checked off all the boxes and I’m so happy with how the space turned out.

Before I share more pictures, let me show you what the room looked like when we purchased the house. We have a three-story townhouse and my home office is located on the lower level. The walls were painted a cadet blue color, the doors black and the carpet was in desperate need of replacing. You’ll also notice that the ceiling light was broken. Even though the space is on the lower level, it gets pretty good light because of the large windows on one side.

Just a few weeks after moving in, I came up with a design plan for the space. It included bookcases along one wall, a large desk and blue & white accessories. I also wanted gold light fixture for the ceiling. But the most exciting design detail was the Smith Honig Bryony Storm Noir Wallpaper I wanted to put on the ceiling. In a nutshell, the space was designed to have a classic but modern vibe.

Here’s my newly decorated home office space…

One of the first things we did before we moved into the house was rip up the carpet and replace it with hardwood flooring. The floors are Brazilian Cherry to match the floors on the 2nd level. I love the look and the color contrast the floors provides against the grey walls, white trim and black furniture.

The wallpapered ceiling is the crowing glory of my office and really takes your breath away when you walk through the door. After I created the design plan and shared it with Kellie at Smith Honig, she graciously provided the wallpaper and manpower to install the wallpaper.

For those of you not familiar with Smith Honig, it’s a fabulous company owned by Kellie Smith and Melanie Honig. The Boho Luxe inspired products they sell are bold and dynamic with lush colors and statement making patterns. Inspired by their travels around the world, every product is infused with global influences that make them unique and distinctive. The line includes wallpaper, fabric by the yard, throw pillows, tassels, art and personal accessories. You can check out the entire Smith Honig Collection here.

All of the wallpaper that Smith Honig sells is peel and stick which makes it ideal for any room in the house. It’s a breeze to hang and can be taken down whenever you want a new look. Since I was hanging the wallpaper on my ceiling, the installer used wallpaper adhesive along the edges and seams to get the best application. If you’re considering hanging peel and stick wallpaper on a ceiling, you’ll definitely want to use a little glue to make sure it’s secure and stays in place. I absolutely love how the ceiling turned out am I so glad I wasn’t afford to add such a bold and unexpected design detail.

There are vintage pieces sprinkled around my home office. I bought this vintage typewriter at The Longest Yard Sale a few years ago for $40.

Because my home office space needs to serve multiple purposes (design work, crafting etc), I needed lots of storage. I went on the hunt for a white cabinet and found the Lainey Credenza on Wayfair. The minute I saw the door detail and acrylic handles I was sold. This cabinet holds fabric books, paint decks and other items I use in my design business.

I hung a gold starburst mirror above the credenza and accessorized the top with design books, a ceramic bust and a few vintage pieces. The lamp is one of my favorite thrifted finds of all times and only cost $13.

I placed three Ikea Billy Bookcases along the back wall and have a collection of blue and white jars displayed on top. Most of the jars I bought at antique stores but you can purchase the small lidded jar here. I replaced the wood cabinet door knobs with ceramic pulls from Hobby Lobby.

I own a ton of design books and have just a small portion of my collection in my home office. And I’m always finding new vintage pieces so I’m constantly reworking the accessories on the bookshelves.

When it came to artwork, I wanted to use abstract artwork and these black and white designs by Steve McKenzie were perfect. Each piece is a limited edition Fine Art Giclee print from Steve’s Alchemy collection. You can view all of the Steve McKenzie artwork here. The frames are from Ikea, painted gold.

Instead of using a chair on the other side of my desk, I have a long bench for additional seating. I found this one at HomeGoods and while the blue stripes work in the space I am planning to re-upholster it in a royal blue velvet.

A Chinese Chippendale style chair was part of my original design plan and I was thrilled when I lucked upon a black one at an estate sale for under $50. I bought the pink pillow from Steve McKenzie’s and it ties into the touches of pink in the wallpaper. And the rug was a great find at HomeGoods. The texture and subtle black and white yarn mix add a lot of visual interest to the space. You can buy the rug here.

During a normal work day, my desk is covered with papers, fabric swatches and other design supplies so a large desk surface was a must. Instead of an office desk, I’m using a large dining table as my desk. This is the Brookwood Dining Table from Wayfair.

There were several lantern style light fixtures I considered for my office but I ended up getting the Park Lane Lantern from Ballard Designs. This was another lucky find which I scored at the Ballard outlet for $25. The lantern was originally forest green but I gave it a coat of gold spray paint and totally transformed it.

As I mentioned above, I am thrilled with how my home office space turned out. From the ceiling to the furniture selections, it’s exactly as I envisioned it. I hope you enjoyed the tour. If you have question about anything, just leave me a comment below. In a future post I’ll share how I keep my office space organized and how I store supplies like ribbon and items for my Etsy shop.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be finishing up a few more rooms in the house and will share those with you.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today.

Wall Color—Whisper by Benjamin Moore

Trim Color—Simply White by Benjamin Moore

Door Color—Black Satin by Benjamin Moore

Wallpaper (peel and stick adhered with glue)—Smith Honig Bryony Storm

Lantern Light—Park Lane by Ballard Designs painted gold (discontinued)

White Cradenza—Wayfair

Starburst Mirror—Amazon

Acrylic Lamp—vintage

Typewriter—vintage (great options available on Etsy)

Ceramic Bust—HomeGoods (similar here)

Pink Abstract Art—Etsy

Black Bookcases—Ikea

Cabinet Door Knobs—Hobby Lobby (in store only)

Black and White Abstract Art—Steve McKenzie’s

Frames—Ikea (painted gold)

Blue and White Ginger Jars—antique stores/thrifted (similar styles here and here)

Black Desk—Wayfair

Black Desk Chair—Estate Sale (similar here)

Rug—Rugs Direct

Gold Desk Lamp—Target

Rattan Desk Caddy—thrifted (similar here)

White Ceramic Desk Tray—Target (on longer available online)

A few of my favorite design books:

HomeFront by Windsor Smith
Things We Love by Kate Spade
William Yeoward At Home
Elements Of Style by Erin Gates
Flair by Joe Nye
Modern Mix by Eddie Ross
Beauty At Home by Aerin Lauder
Soiree- Entertaining With Style by Danielle Rollins
French Accents by Erin Swift

My Home Office Design Plan | The Vision

September 7, 2017

One of the rooms I need to get pulled together as soon as we return from our vacation is my office. I am going to be turning the bedroom on the lower level or our townhouse in my office and creative space. The room is fairly large and has a wall of windows that I love. When we bought the house, the room was painted an admiral blue and had carpeting that was in desperate need of changing. Here’s a before photo I snapped with my iPhone.

Before we began moving in, I had the entire house painted and choose a soft color palette for this room. I haven’t been able to take any after photos yet because the room is filled with boxes but I’ll share those when I start decorating this space.

The walls were painted Benjamin Moore Whisper and I freshened up the trim with BM Simply White and I used Black Satin for the doors. The biggest change came when we removed the carpet and had hardwood floors put in.

When I started thinking about how I wanted to decorate my office, I had several things to consider. In addition to providing ample space to work on design projects, I also need storage for my Etsy shop inventory. And I wanted the space to feel more like a living space and less like a traditional office.

I started looking around for inspiration and came upon several office space images that spoke to me.

Ballard designs

decor pad

source unknown

HOME OFFICE DESIGN PLAN

After finding my inspiration I’ve come with a design plan that I’m excited about. The general feel for the space will be sophisticated and elegant with lots of black and brass. I’m also planning to infuse pink and blue & white into the space to add pops of color.

A lot of the furniture I’m looking at is from Ikea and most of the accent pieces are items I already own. Here are some of the pieces I’m considering…

Ikea Ingatorp Table

Billy Bookcase with Glass Doors–Ikea

Brass Desk Lamp from Target (also available in black)

Black and White Herringbone Rug–Rugs USA

I’m looking forward to getting started decorating this space. Because I’ll be spending lots of time in my office, I’m making sure it is the perfect blend of style and function.

Design Chat: Office Organization & Decorating Ideas

January 19, 2016

Hello friends. Sorry for the lack of blog posts the last few days. I’ve been attending the Atlanta Gift and Home Furnishings show for the last week and just couldn’t find time to sit at the computer and finish up the blog post I had planned for the week. The show is over, I’ve caught up on some rest and I’m ready to jump back in the saddle again.

Today I’m bringing you the first Design Chat post of the year and I’m addressing a comment left by Liz about decorating her office space. In addition to decorating ideas, Liz wanted tips on organizing her workspace without sacrificing style. I know many of you are dealing with office space issues too, so here’s some design advice and decorating inspiration that I hope will help.

Decorating an office space, whether in the home or out, can be challenging. You’re trying to strike a balance between functional and organized with inspirational and pretty. When it comes to organization in your office here are the things you want to address:

A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE–disorganization happens when you don’t have an easy and accessible place to store every day items. Add style by using decorative containers to hold office supplies. And when shopping for containers, don’t just shop the office supply area, look for unique containers in the kitchen and bath department, at craft stores and even in home decor stores.

tip: go vertical where possible to maximize every inch of your office space

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(if anyone knows the source for this glass vase trio please let me know)

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DECORATE WITH FURNITURE THAT WORKS IN MULTIPLE WAYS–a divided bookcase is one of the best pieces of furniture you can use in a home office. Each cubby can hold different items and items can be organized in baskets, boxes, jars or other containers adding to the decor of your space.

tip: keep smaller objects organized in baskets and bins and use larger items for display and visual impact

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tip: painted file cabinets (an easy DIY) can be used in place of a side table or console table while offering you loads of storage space

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USE EVERY AVAILABLE INCH OF SPACE–when you look around your office space, keep your eyes open for unexpected areas where you can incorporate storage and organization. Hang wire shelving or cork boards on the inside of closet doors and place lidded baskets or a small file cabinets under your desk.

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CREATE ORGANIZATION THAT’S MOBILE–many times a home office has limited space so getting creative with how and where you store supplies is necessary. Rolling carts can be used to hold desk accessories and offices supplies, and can be pulled out when needed and stored in a closet when not in use. Magazine files, baskets and bowls can hold items on the cart and make it easy to move those items to your desk surface when you’re working.

tip: rolling carts are idea for wireless printers and other office machinery

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CREATE COHESION WITH COLOR–there are lots of ways you can organize papers, files and supplies but using a color system not only adds to the style of your office but can help you create a storage system that’s easy to manage.

Identify a specific color for different categories of products like receipts, office tools, paper or computer/camera accessories.

tip: pick a color theme that energizes and makes you happy so you’ll feel good when you’re working in your office

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PUT A LABEL ON IT— labels will make finding things in your office easy and make putting things back a breeze. Use a label maker or print labels on sticker paper so that the style, font and color is consistent throughout your office. Consistency=order and visual beauty.

tip: label holders with handles work great on magazine files, cabinet doors, filing cabinets and baskets

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MAKE YOUR SPACE PRETTY & INSPIRATIONAL: include decorative elements that are pretty, inspirational and remind you of your goals and wishes. Decorative clipboards are my go-to office accessory and not only serve as wall decor but are functional when I need a writing surface outside my office.

tip: make your own decorative clipboards using craft supplies or shop decorative clipboards here.

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Now that you have some tools to help you get organized, let’s take a look at some of my favorite office spaces around the web…

Office Space Inspiration:

This compact office space does not lace style or personality. The gold accents create a theme and even the extra side chair become a stylish way to store books.

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I’ve shown this image on the blog before and it continues to be one of my all-time favorite office spaces. The cabinet along with the shelving provide major storage and display space, and the baskets and boxes add the stylish organization every office needs.

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This office space has a defined style that oozes creativity. I love the idea of using wallpaper (or even giftwrap) to define and personalize your office.

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So are you ready to decorate and organize your office space in style? If so, you can shop some of my favorite office accessories below…

Shop my favorite office accessories:

glass display box $19-99-$34.99/ fjalla file box $3.99 / white clipboard $9.99 / acrylic tape dispenser $9.99 /hanging storage file box $16.99 / industrial ladder shelf $129 / kvarnvik storage boxes $16.99 set / gold rim stainless steel scissors $16.99 / fjalla magazine file $4.99-2-pack / multi-colored binder $5.99

chevron file folders $11.99 / pilar pencil cup $12.95 / antique brass accordion file storage $44.99 / adhesive book plates $3.99 / 3 shelf metal utility cart $36.30 / metal cabinet label holders—awesome prices

Once you get the key components of your office organization in place, you can go about making it pretty so you’ll love going to work.

Happy Decorating!

A Few of My Favorite Things

February 17, 2015

Hello there my friends!

Over the weekend I took at look at my top blog post and discovered that the post where I share things I love or inspire me are really popular. So here’s the latest installment of My Favorite Things!

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