Last year, I spent a lot of time with one lovely client over the course of many Designed in a Day sessions.
She had a long list of projects to address, but rather then tackle them all at once via our full-service design option, we decided that tackling projects one at a time over the course of several day sessions would best meet her needs. This allowed us to hyper focus on each project, and allowed her to then execute the project on her own over time.
The process was SO enjoyable, and as I've been shifting more and more to day sessions over full-service, this particular client was a great example of how a would-be full-service project can be accomplished very successfully via day sessions instead.
The Home Office Space Before
The first project we looked at together was her home office design.
She and her husband had recently switched home offices, and she was looking to make this space more her. The space itself was beautiful architecturally: tall vaulted ceilings with exposed beams and wood paneling, gorgeous bay windows that look out onto a pond, and a fireplace with built-in bookshelves on either side.
BEFORE
Aside from style discovery conversations, the first thing I always talk through with clients is how they intend to use the space.
My client envisioned herself curled up on a comfortable seat reading and writing. She wanted a space that allowed her to take in the gorgeous view. Additionally, this would be where she would take calls and hop on zoom meetings for work.
My client's main style inspiration for this office space was a framed velvet Elvis piece. We wanted to pull the blues, reds, and golds found in this piece, and create a space in which he made sense.
The Office Furniture Layout
The footprint of the office is not large, and the large bay windows create a uniquely shaped room, so we had to get a little creative with our layout.
The original layout (below) was a perfectly logical layout, however, it didn't lend itself to the way my client hoped to use the space.
I felt this layout didn't take advantage of the two best features of this room: the view, and the fireplace. There was no comfortable seating near the fireplace, and when you'd sit at the desk, your back would be to the fire—not the best way to enjoy it.
Additionally, when you'd sit in the two lounge chairs, your back would be to the view, and you'd be too far from the fireplace to enjoy the warmth. Thus, we needed a change!
I decided to create a small seating area in the fireplace area using a small settee, accent chair, rug, and coffee table. I positioned the new desk in the bay window facing the pond, and moved her console to the wall beside the desk for easy access to work supplies.
Over the sofa, I chose a larger scale mirror, and finally, we gave the velvet Elvis piece a place of honor above the mantle.
In this new layout, we took advantage of both the view and the fireplace: whether sitting at the desk or on the sofa, my client will be able to comfortably take in the view. Additionally, there is now comfortable cozy seating beside the fireplace. Plus, as an added bonus, her background on her zoom meetings will be the very stylish seating area.
Pulling Together the Pieces of the Home Office Design
Style wise, we wanted lots of color, specifically focused around blues and reds. We also wanted to pull that velvet element into the furniture, and chose two funky pieces in both blue and a nice burnt red.
For the desk, we chose a stylish matte black piece with brass accents, and tied in that black element again in the bold floral area rug. This rug is SO fun, and really ties the whole color palette together.
The blue glass chandelier will be a focal point in the very high ceilings, and that piece also ties in with the large scale mirror, which has similar round glass details in the frame.
Originally, we chose to paint the walls white (Sherwin Williams Greek Villia), but we are currently considering adding additional warmth and texture with this gorgeous wallpaper. If you've been around our blog for a bit, you might recognize from our Ada House on the Hill dining room:
I'm excited to eventually have this space photographed so you can see how fun and funky it turned out! In the meantime, my client let me know she has been happily enjoying her new view and taking advantage of the fireplace, which, makes me one very happy designer.
Stay tuned!
Work with Lauren Figueroa Interior Design
LFID is a full-service interior design firm serving West and Southeast Michigan. We work with clients across West and Southeast Michigan (Detroit metro, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Holland) and anywhere in between, and we pride ourselves on creating bespoke, people-centered spaces—because after all, people are what this life is all about!