One Room Challenge (Fall 2021): Week 3, The Office

Week 1 | Week 2

Welcome back! Last week I took you on a deep dive of the bedroom portion of my One Room Challenge (ORC) and toured you through my moodboards, color palette, and some of my product selections. This week I'll be taking you through the same type of tour but I'll be focused on my home office, because I decided [of course] to do more than one room during this 8-week challenge. And if you're not familiar with the ORC, it's an interior design transformation challenge (media sponsored by Better Homes & Gardens!) that gives you 8 weeks to completely transform a space. I'm lucky enough to be a Featured Designer this Fall, and if you're familiar with my work you know that I was also a Featured Designer last year where I tackled an insane amount of rooms which you can read about in my Final Reveal post from Spring 2020.

Pictured: Before, the tragedy of my home office. #messy

If you read my Week 1 Intro post, you may recall that I shared the current state of my home office which was a MESS. Here's what happened, my home office has been on my to-do list for a couple of years but always gets kicked to the bottom of the list based on client priorities. I kind-of started this summer by buying the 2 cabinets seen here, and then I was going to change the desk and continue slowly but surely finishing the office. But now, the ORC forces me to make it a priority and get it done! And honestly, I'm ecstatic because I HATED the state of my office since I stripped the walls bare and getting things organized the way I wanted it was taking a lot of time that I didn't have.

Design Tip: Vertical storage can give you more floor space, allowing you the opportunity to add more of what you want.

My primary office goals are to have ample storage, a lot of tabletop space for client work, and more lighting which means that I have to get rid of my ceiling fan because I need to maximize overhead lighting to work best in the space. A bonus goal is to add in a bar for water, wine and snacks. Nothing fancy, just something to curb the many trips I take per day to my pantry for bottles of water when I'm actually in the office.

My design has gone through quite a few redesigns (at least 10) but my most significant aha moment was for tabletop space, and that was to nix the traditional desk idea and opt for a dining table to be used as a desk instead. This allowed me to maximize the tabletop space that I desperately needed and then some. The table you ask (scroll down!)? The Reese from Lulu & Georgia that I paired it with their Islay cabinet. The Islay gives me vertical storage which frees up floor space, especially the floor space I need for my new huge desk, and I love how this cabinet gives you both straight lines and curves. And [drumroll please] I'm also using the new Alaari wallpaper by Malene Barnett through her collaboration with Lulu and Georgia! The small swatch in my moodboard below does it NO justice but the wallpaper installation happens next week and I promise to share close ups and details via social media during install.

My area rug was a bit of love at first sight, it's from Loloi's Wynter collection. I love the oversized repeat (which simply means that it's a big pattern) mixed with light and dark colors, and I had to do a big pattern because the wallpaper is a small pattern. Here's the key to mixing patterns, they have to be of different scales. If you do two big patterns for 2 big areas (walls and floors) it will be overbearing in the room.

Design Tip: Just because you need a desk doesn't mean that you should be only shopping for a "desk". Just like if you're shopping for a sofa, it doesn't mean that you should only be searching for a sofa, you could also use a daybed as a sofa. The idea is that you are opening up your options and making clever design decisions.

For lighting, I opted for 2 (maybe 3) types. A ceiling fixture with multiple lights to ensure that the room is well lit, a pair of picture lights (you'll see why at the final reveal!), and possibly a marble table lamp that I'm considering adding. If you follow me on social media, you already know that I'm ripping out the existing carpet and adding wood floors and I'll be giving details on that in next weeks post. Last but not least, art. So far I've curated a few vintage masks from Chairish that I'm loving and an art piece from Minted called Strong Women that I had to have. I still have to sort out roman shades and a thousand other details so stay tuned! And you can shop some of my office looks via the links below!

SHOP THE LOOK:

Lulu & Georgia Desk/Dining Table and Cabinet | Loloi Area Rug | Malene Barnett x Lulu & Georgia Alaari Wallpaper | Hudson Valley Lighting's Fleming Chandelier | Hudson Valley Lighting's Berkshire Picture Light | Minted's Strong Women

Thanks for reading! And don't forget to check out the blog posts of the other 19 ORC Featured Designers below for inspiration and their behind the scenes!

Albie Knows| At Home with Savvy | Eclectic Twist| Erika Ward Interiors

From House to Home| G. Lebron Interiors | Goldalamode | Home Made by Carmona| Impeccable Nest

Jeweled Interiors| Joyful Designs Studio| Joy Street Design | Our Fifth House| Peony & Honey

Pinch Plate Party | Rebecca Propes | Reem’s Design | Saudah Saleem Interiors | Whitney J Decor

Media BH&G | TM ORC