Working from a dedicated home office still feels like a dream come true, and after years of admiring beautifully designed spaces on Pinterest, it was such fun to personalize this room.
The Inspiration: I’ve worked from home for the better part of the last decade, and since the vast majority of that time was spent at a small writing desk, I learned to master the art of personalizing small spaces to maximize productivity. I find that the desire for clean lines and streamlined design elements is still inherent in my leanings, despite now having more space to work with. While designing this office, I knew I wanted to leverage a soothing but bold color palette, blend both masculine and feminine elements, incorporate a wall of storage and bookshelves, and float a large desk as the focal point.
The Materials: Budget was a strong consideration, and since a chunk was invested in The Desk (which I 100% consider an heirloom piece – hopefully my sons agree!), I was determined to find great deals on other elements of the room. If you’re interested in a budget-friendly desk option with a similar aesthetic, I was thiiiiiiiiiis close to purchasing an unfinished wood table from Home Depot – it has beautiful leg detailing and is a great size.
I absolutely love the desk chair: it’s actually a dining chair on wheels found on Facebook Marketplace, but Target has a similar slipcovered version. The Ikea Havsta wall units give the built-in aesthetic I envisioned but at a fraction of the price. While there are beautiful furniture options from higher-end brands, this combination of cabinets and shelving is exactly what I was looking for, impressed me with its quality and was well-worth the time to build! For window treatments, I gravitate to natural linen curtains and found this high-quality and budget-friendly set from West Elm – the midnight trim detailing compliments the navy walls beautifully!
Do you work from home? Perhaps you can relate to working in a multi-use space like I did for many years. Or maybe the work-from-home surge of 2020 motivated you to transform an area of your home into a dedicated office corner. Regardless of the size or permanence of past work spaces, I look back with fond memories of what was created there, and I can’t wait to see what life will be breathed in this new space.
