Ever since we completed our guest room makeover, I’ve been more motivated than ever to finish more rooms in our home. We are definitely members of the 95% club – we have a bad habit of completing about 95% of a room in a reasonable amount of time and taking months (or years) to finish that pesky last five percent. Now that our guest bathroom project is almost complete (all that’s left to do is get a new toilet installed, and we’re waiting a bit for that), I’ve been going back and forth about which room to complete next. Although I was initially set on doing the bedroom or living room next, I realized that the office is SO close to being done, we might as well finish up the last few loose ends so we can check it off the list!
When we bought our house, the room we decided to designate as our office was definitely the most…unique room in the house. It was clear that it had previously been a kid’s room – and that kid loved race cars. The carpet was bright emerald green and the top of the wall featured a hand-checkerboard pattern and race car number stickers. Needless to say, it was a fantastic kid’s room, but not exactly the vibe we were going for when it came to our first home office.
The office when we moved in (May 2020)
Looking back, the office is probably the first room in our home where I really let my creative juices flow. While we painted most other rooms in the house in neutral colors, I knew right away that I wanted to use a bolder color in the office. After painting four samples on the walls, we landed on Submarine Gray by Behr, a beautiful navy/green/grey color. Three years later, I’m still just as obsessed with it!
Over the course of our first year in our home, we painted the office, installed wall-to-wall shelves, hired an electrician to install an overhead light, purchased a new area rug, and replaced the floors. We kept the desk from our condo but purchased a new desk chair and used the old one as an accent chair in the corner. I’ve filled out the shelves with decor over the years, but other than that, this space has remained the same for the most part.
The office after installing shelves, painting, and replacing floors (May 2022)
The Inspiration
Because we decided on a paint color for this room early on, I’ve been saving moody office inspiration for years at this point. Although my design plan has shifted a bit from the first one I made almost three years ago, a few elements have remained constant. I’m most drawn to offices that feature deep blues and greens, unique lighting, and rich accent colors, and all of my inspiration photos reflect that. I also drew a lot of shelf styling inspiration from these photos! I love open shelving in an office because it’s a fun way to add in some personal touches and make the room feel more unique. I initially wanted to get a light wood desk to contrast with our walnut shelves, but after looking through my inspiration folder I realized that I actually prefer desks with a darker wood tone.
Photo: Lauren Haskett Fine Design
This office has so many elements I’m envisioning as part of our office design – deep blue walls, a statement light fixture, a large but simple desk, and a rug that ties it all together. The color of this office is really similar to the one we chose for ours, and I love how the dark, rich tone of the desk compliments the inky blue walls.
Photo: Kate Marker Interiors
If we had the space, I’d love to have two chairs facing the desk in our office – but since our office is the smallest room in the house, I’ll settle for a statement light like the gorgeous one featured in this design. I’ve been leaning toward doing blinds or roman shades in our office, but this office makes a strong case for curtains. I love how they’re just a shade or two off from the walls – it adds so much depth and feels like such a special detail.
Photo: Oho Interiors
I stumbled upon this design from one of my favorite designers, Oho Interiors, a few weeks ago, and it inspired me to add more color to the office. I adore the saturated colors in the rug and how they contrast with the dark walls. I’ve also noticed that most of the office designs I’m drawn to feature shelves. The styling on these shelves is exactly the vibe I’m going for with our office shelves – relaxed but cohesive.
Photo: Park and Oak Design
I love everything about this office design – the inky blue built-ins, the ceiling wall treatment, the stunning chandelier, and the beautiful cognac accent chairs. The variety of textures and colors fill the room with personality! Every detail feels intentional and makes the design feel layered and complete. The brass picture lights have me thinking I might need to add some above our wall-to-wall shelves – I love the character they add to the space.
Photo: Amber Interiors
This design from my favorite interior designer, Amber Lewis of Amber Interiors, is probably my favorite office design ever. I love every element, from the aged brass pulls on the desk to the woven texture of the chair to the contrast of the linen curtains against the deep green walls. The muted artwork and pretty tree in a vintage pot make the room feel complete, and the entire space somehow manages to feel both cozy and airy, something I swear only Amber can do.
The Design Plan
Considering that the office is 95% done, this might be the easiest mood board I’ve ever put together! I actually created a mood board for this room about two and a half years ago, shortly after we moved in – but as my style has changed over the years, I felt like I had outgrown the initial design. My original design included a lighter, more feminine rug; a cognac chair; and a light wood desk, but I ended up swapping each of those elements out for richer colors. I’m really excited about how those simple swaps changed the feel of the design! It feels like a much more refined and mature version of what the office has looked like for the last couple of years.
The final design for our office is a pretty accurate reflection of what it looks like now with just a few tweaks. The rug featured in the design arrived earlier this week and it’s now my favorite rug I’ve ever owned. We picked up a new, bigger desk that I found on Facebook Marketplace last month, so now all that’s really left is those final details – my favorite part! Some brass accents and vintage prints will complement the walnut shelves perfectly, and a vase of dried florals will add a little something extra to the desk. The rug and dark leather accent chair will pull it all together!
We just have a few more touch-ups and this room will be done – it’s amazing the difference a few small tweaks can make. I can’t wait to share the finished space with you all soon!
