Home Office Makeover Anyone?
My husband just found out that he will be working from home until Labor Day. This is the third time going back to the office has been postponed and I suspect it won’t be the last. To be clear, this is a good thing. The more people that stay home, the better we will be. Plus, he is a lot less cranky if he doesn’t have to deal with a commute.
When he told me that, I realized I haven’t posted anything about a home office. That was a slap-my-forehead moment for sure. Once I recovered from my dereliction of duty, I decided to put together something pretty for you to enjoy. If we are going to be working from home – and likely distance learning – for the foreseeable future, then it might be time to think about overhauling that home office. We can certainly help you as can our wonderful interior design partners!
As I have advised before, find one thing that inspires you and use it as your jumping off point. We just got in Radish Moon textiles, so I started my inspiration search there. It didn’t take long before I found this wonderful organic vine-y fabric. The design spoke to me and, besides, I thought it was time to show you we can do colors other than blue.
First, I love a dark walled room. In my house the main living spaces are a pale gray, but every room that shoots off it has dark walls. My husband’s office is black, my son’s room is a dark brown, my daughter’s room is teal, and ours is navy blue (what else?!). It’s my go to when I want to create drama. An office is a power room where all the big decisions are made so I wanted to go dark. To do that I took the aubergine color from the berries in the fabric and made it the wall color. This dark purple from Benjamin Moore did the trick. Everything else will simply pop!
My beautiful fabric will be billowy curtains – or a roman shade depending on the room. It’s so good that I wanted to make a big impact with it. The sofa will be a taupe performance fabric while the desk chair will get slipped with this sea foamy linen. The desk, that will be flanked by two of the etageres, is angular and metal so we softened it with a fluffy wool rug. I threw in the lamp and artwork to add a more fluid feel. And, the wood elements in the coffee table and the frames balance the metal beautifully.
Finally, no office would be complete without office supplies. Penny Post turns your average sticky note, paperclip, and tape dispenser up to eleven. A room like this requires nothing less. Here are a just a few things every office needs to get the job done!
Desk, $4,730; Table Lamp, $695; 8×10 Numa Wool Rug, $2,384; Coffee Table, $3,350; Etagere, $2,398 each; Radish Moon Fabric, call for pricing; Susan Hable Framed Art, call for pricing; Cisco Home Parson Chair, $1,068; Cisco Home Yvonne 90” Sofa, $3,985; Tulu Textiles Pillow, $205
Appointed 2020/21 Year Task Planner, $38; Moglea Wall Clock, $98; Monthly Notepad, $15; Set of 12 Blackwing pencils, $26; Kaweco Classic Sport Rollerball Pen, $24; Stationery Etched Clips, $8; Brass Tape Dispenser, $80; Sticky Tabs, $5.50; WTF Sticky Notes, $5; Nameplate, $30
If you’re in need of a home office makeover and would like professional help, then email us information on your project and your style so we can pair you with the right designer. Here’s to more productivity!!
- About the boutique
Red Barn Mercantile opened its doors in September 2007 with a single vision in mind: providing old and new to offer our customers signature whole-room designs at great prices.
We’re more than a furniture boutique and provide more personalized service than a big box retailer. We work hard to bring you the highest quality furniture and gifts, the most unique conversation starters, wall hangings and accent pieces, whether they come from off-the-beaten-track flea markets, or the latest designers.
1117 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.838.0355
