What makes an office inspiring to work in, full of focus and a dream to spend time in? In this post I’m going to breakdown the though the considerations I made when designing our office that might help you, too!
Start fresh
Ducks and golf gear and beer. Oh my! The wallpaper in our office upon moving in was pretty rad but not quite our style. Sometimes when faced with a workspace so out of your focus, trying to imagine it in a new way can be tricky. So, start fresh! We took down the wallpaper, did a skim coat and had a completely blank canvas to work with to make a plan. Maybe you don’t have wallpaper woes, but can clean and purge to start fresh. To get a closer look at the wallpaper, check out my Instagram. Yikes!
before
Choose a Color Suited for Concentrating
Blues and greens are colors that promote restfulness and calm. Think about being in the middle of an open field with green grass and blue sky. Pretty calming, right? Well, it turns out green also improves efficiency and focus. Green is also one of the easiest colors on the eyes. I was sold on green – but what shade?
In this room we decided to go with a moody shade of green. We are using Sherwin Williams Roycroft Bottle Green (SW 2847). It is DEEP and GREEN and it’s going to be oh-so-fabulous. Here’s an Instagram reel I made to reveal the color!
Determine Your Must Haves
Every time I design a room I really hone in on my must haves. Ya know, the things that I absolutely cannot live without as well as the things that will make us happy! This room’s big “must have” was incorporating the existing wood shelving and flooring. I absolutely did not want to paint it and needed to find ways to incorporate the existing colors into the design. While the floor and the bookshelves are not the shade I would choose if I was picking a stain, I’m going to make them look fabulous.
Make Function and Fashion Be Friends
Just because a space needs to be functional doesn’t mean it needs to be u-g-l-y. Decide all of the ways you want to use your workspace and start there. In this room, we knew we wanted it to function as an office but also a guest room, yoga room and a space for relaxing. We decided we’d buy a sleeper sofa that would function as a bed for when we have guests and double as a couch for when we want to kick back and relax. After scouring the internet and perusing in-stores, we found one that fit into the narrow doorway but was also big enough that it had a queen mattress. It has a low profile but high comfort and it’s the “Monika Sleeper Sofa” from City Mattress. We’re thrilled with the choice and can’t wait to have guests!
(Not sponsored, but if you are reading this City Mattress, lets talk 😉 )
Add Some Inspiration and Character
Find where you can add a little pizzazz to make your office speak to you and inspire you while you work. If you’ve been following along for a while you know that I like to save furniture from the landfill. This garbage picked piece has been long awaiting a revival and the new office will be just the place for it to call home. Follow along on Instagram while I flip it and bring it back to life!
Make a Moodboard
I don’t know about you but I am a visual learner and thinker. I like to see everything together before I make a final decision. To make a mood board, I pull together photos and examples of the styles and colors (sometimes even actual items) to get a better idea for what the space will look like. It allows me to swap things out and make concrete decisions so I’m not wasting any time or money when it’s time to pull everything together. The plans always slightly vary in the end, but here’s the general vibe I’m going for.
I hope you’ll follow along on Instagram @haus2home while we pull this space together! Questions? Just ask! 🙂
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