Home Office Tour: Design Is In The Details

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