There is no reason why your home office has to be dull, cluttered and utilitarian. Adding some lovely wall colour, comfy and stylish furniture and a little whimsy can turn a dull workspace into an inviting one. Who wouldn't want to work in this cosy and cheerful home office? This cottage or coastal style décor is both charming and inviting. The beautiful yellow walls are energizing without being too vivid. Sunshine-inspired walls can ward off fatigue and eye strain as long as the yellow is soft and muted. Yellow also reflects natural light more so than white.
The blue accent colour (Benjamin Moore van courtland blue) and the soft yellow walls (lemon sorbet) that have been painted overtop of charming bead board, all lend themselves to a cottage/coastal style décor. The warm white trim is fresh and helps keep the room light and breezy. The soft blue area rug, reminiscent of water, is a clever touch. Blue and yellow flowers add a touch of the outside to this office. A few nautical accents finish the look.
If your walls have seen better days, the bead board is a great way of camouflaging the imperfections and is fairly affordable and less labour intensive than paintable wallpaper. I recommend nailing the bead board to the wall rather than gluing it so it can be removed in future if desired. If your designated office space has dated panelling, as may be the case in a basement office, paint it your favourite colour after priming it with a good primer. The grooves in old panelling will add character to the finished look.
I love that the furniture is not a matching set. It helps the decorating budget when you can mix and match furnishings in any room of the home. Three different chairs in similar upholstery, the colour of which is representative of sand, help tie the pieces together. The dramatic desk is no doubt costly but an affordable alternative is to purchase a ready-to-assemble desk in a style in keeping with the room or find an old desk that has seen better days and paint it in a distressed finish.
Finding inspiration
It makes sense to find inspiration from your home-based business. Perhaps the owner of our feature office is a driftwood artist. If you're in a food-related business, catering perhaps, then you might gain inspiration from Parisian kitchen designs. A photographer might collect vintage cameras while a travel agent might lean toward globes and maps as inspiration.
Look for inspiration from the things you love. A floor-to-ceiling photo display of your travels or your family, for instance.
There are other updates that can add panache to your home office. Consider replacing the office door with a French door with clear or frosted windowpanes to visually open up the room. Hide open storage and/or electronics (such as a printer) behind a decorative screen to keep the space feeling organized and neat. Use mirrors to help reflect light and to visually expand a small space.
Crafty ideas like making a bookshelf out of books (as I covered in a past column) or halving a globe to use as a lampshade are great projects for a one-of-a-kind space.
Task lighting is important but don't forget decorative and ambient lighting. Adorn plain lampshades with beaded trim and decorative finials to create an impressive, polished look.
I recommend structured window treatments such as Roman shades or shutters, which will give an open, uncluttered look to your home office.
If your square footage is lacking, then go vertical for storage. There are tons of options out there in bookshelves and storage that are affordable and stylish. Try to keep the storage units uniform in colour and style. These larger pieces can appear disjointed if they have varying finishes and styles. If your space is small, then lighter finishes are a better choice to keep these larger pieces from overpowering the space.
Almost everyone has a home office these days and we tend to place it last on the decorating list. Whether or not your home office is business-related, it can be stylish and comfortable if you put thought into the process and treat yourself.
connieoliver@shaw.ca
