Working from home is truly a privilege! No business attire, morning commute or awkward conversations in the elevator or at the water cooler. But working from home successfully requires a space that inspires, motivates and invites your attention.
Tiffany is an attorney that moved from the District of Columbia to Atlanta about a year ago. A Michigan native, she has slowly made her way down South as she progressed in her career. Tiffany recently purchased a new craftsman-style home in Camp Creek, a Southwest suburb of Atlanta, and was in the process of decorating each room to her liking when contacting BLB.
The entrance of the house had Tiffany completely stumped. She wanted to convert the entryway and formal living room into a home office that was comfortable and stylish, but also still served as an inviting foyer and good first impression for guests entering her home. After initially chatting via email, I stopped by her house over Labor Day weekend to meet Tiffany and take a peek at the space:
The room was an empty blank canvas with grey walls, white trim and dark hardwood floors. We had a clean slate to work from, but the space needed to be defined and have a functional layout that wouldn’t distract you from the rest of the house. Tiffany already had the focal point picked out – a walnut and brass hairpin-legged desk she purchased from a furniture designer on Etsy. It was beautifully hand-crafted and a perfect splash of mid-century modern in the move-in-ready space.
Did you know that “hairpin legs” were invented in 1941 by a Vienna-native and Nazi concentration camp survivor, Henry P. Glass? As materials were scarce during World War II, designs using minimal materials were in demand. Hairpin legs, shaped just like the famous hair accessory, required a small amount of steel and made furniture both sturdy and stylish. Amazing! And I’d say this desk is absolutely both!
We would reposition the desk from the corner to the center of the room, but needed to add some height and better frame the space. We decided shelving was needed to display photos, artwork and books on each side of the room. I found some beautiful brass étagères from Joss & Main that would provide just the elegant and functional look we were going for.
Next, the desk needed a chair and rug underneath it.
Because of the dark floors, I wanted to find something that would contrast with it well and make the room pop. We searched through several black and white options and settled on a herringbone rug from rugsusa.com. We chose a 5’x8' size as a larger rug would swallow the transparent desk and take up too much of the space into the foyer instead of specifically defining the work area. We also considered adding smaller chairs in front of the desk on the rug, but it would be unnecessary and not functional since Tiffany didn’t have clients over as a part of her job.
The chair was a much easier decision. I’d been in love with the Pacific Blue Elliott Wingback Chair from World Market for quite some time! When Tiffany told me she wanted a pop of color, after we found the Michael Tompsett world canvas on Target.com, I thought this color chair and the brass nail heads would be the perfect match – and it was!
Going back to the transparency of the desk and shelving, we had an immediate need for storage. There was no junk drawer to hide office supplies in or an adequate surface for a printer. Though we had a stylish file cabinet in mind on our shopping list, Tiffany found a gorgeous black and brass three-drawer chest in At Home and turquoise upholstered storage bench that would fit perfectly on the remaining walls and not crowd the room.
For the windows, we wanted to add some pizzazz, but not too much since there was already so much color and texture in the room. We found a gold and brassy drape option from Amazon that was thick in quality, reasonable in price and complimented all of the metallic accents of the space well. Though there was adequate natural light in the front of the house, we decided to upgrade the lighting to brass as well. We found a beautiful flushmount glass globe from West Elm and dramatic sputnik chandelier from Amazon that would compliment the mid-century modern desk and give the room the wow-factor Tiffany was looking for.
Tiffany was such a great client because she fearlessly absorbed my vision and had no problem ordering items online and hunting in stores on her own. When back on the east coast a few weeks later, I arrived to arrange the gallery wall and stage the remainder of the office. Though the larger wall behind the desk made a big statement, I felt like the adjacent wall at eye-level from the front door needed some attention as well. Tiffany picked out some prints from her possession and ordered new gold art from Etsy that reflected her life. As a Detroit-native, Michigan State grad, practicing lawyer and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., she put together a perfect collection of images that I DIYed and arranged on the wall in various frames.
This room was truly a blank canvas! We literally started from scratch with the desk, purchased all new furniture and décor for each inch of the space within a modest budget and filled in the gaps with meaningful pieces that told Tiffany’s story and made the DET>DMV>ATL office unique.
Take a look….
I’ve been designing a lot of home offices lately and they each have been at the entrance of the house. Just like the others, Tiffany now has a sophisticated and personalized room that welcomes guests into her home, but even better, a comfortable and functional space that makes her job feel less and less like work each day. I’m looking forward to returning to Atlanta to help Tiffany finish her master bedroom this spring!
For more of #ProjectBoldandGold, check out the hashtag on Instagram and view additional photos in my Portfolio.
On to the next project….
Be Blessed,
ACG
Design Deets:
Hairpin Desk – Vintage Steel and Wood shop on Etsy
Chair – World Market
Rug – Rugs USA
Etagère Bookshelves –Wayfair
Light Fixtures – West Elm, Amazon
Lamp – Ross Dress for Less
Bench – Home Goods
Pillows – Home Goods, Ross Dress for Less
Drapery – Amazon
Curtain Rods – Amazon
Chest Drawer – At Home
World Canvas – Target
Mirror – Marshalls
Gallery Wall Frames and Artwork – Etsy
Gold Frame – Target
Clock – Ross Dress for Less
Book Ends – Home Goods
Desk Décor – Home Goods
Shelf Décor – Ross Dress for Less, Home Goods, Marshalls, TJ Maxx
Professional Photography: QutureMedia
