The Home Office

Dear Christine,

I am a huge fan of your blog. I think you need to have your own TV show… you’re too good and funny not to!

I need your help! I have family coming in for Turkey Day and I have a study that has been empty since we moved in LAST YEAR because I don’t know how to design it- and FEAR of regretting how I do it has frozen me. I’ll be mortified if it’s empty still when they come over- they know we moved in a year ago!

I wanted to incorporate bookshelves somehow- maybe put accent lighting at the top of them so it’s pretty at night :) (I like the storage and I like the cozy feel they give a room). We have 9' ceilings which helps the space look larger. I need a desk in the room for our laptop and a place to put a printer. Obviously I’d have to attach the printer via USB port to the computer, so they have to be near each other. I like the look of a floating desk in the study (as opposed to up against the wall) but this poses the dilemma- where to put the printer? Trying to hide the laptop power supply and lamp cord is already a challenge- but a bulky printer on the desk would just look hideous and all of those cords… tough to hide. How do you make a study look good- and FUNCTIONAL at the same time? I’d like to have a place in the room for a cozy chair to sit in (so that if my hubby’s at the desk, I can sit in the chair and hang out while he works). The struggle is making this space functional for its purpose as an office, but also making it pleasing to the eye since it sits right off of our foyer and is one of the first rooms you see when you come in. Generally speaking, I like transitional spaces- classic charm and clean modern lines, cozy. I pretty much love everything you post ;).

Here’s the BIG challenge! Enter: digital piano. It doesn’t have to go in the study- I just don’t know where else on the first floor to put it and I play it semi-often. The study isn’t big, so if it doesn’t fit there, oh well I guess. Here are its dimensions: (W x D x H) 52.05" x 11.26" x 5.31"

And, as a final note- we haven’t done our formal dining room yet either- which sits directly across from the study. So, should I have the paint colors in those rooms match? I have a lot of tans through the home- mostly warm tone tans. I have a bronze/olivey green tone as an accent wall in a sun room off of the kitchen… other than that- no other colors. I’m having trouble finding colors that would go well with that bronzey green.

THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Emily

Well- let me first say that it takes me months to get to all of the e-mail requests I get. With Thanksgiving being tomorrow- you might have this all taken care of- but I will give you a few pointers anyway.

1. Your floorplan showed optional openings and optional bay windows. Without actual photos- I don't know if you have those or not- so I can't give you specific locations. However- what I would do- is do a wall of book storage- that would be behind your floating desk- with deeper storage as it nears the floor to help house your printer and other larger items.
2. Look for a desk with an open knee hole- and yet still having banks of drawers on the sides for storage. These styles of desks are my favorite- as you can still get great style- and functionality. So many of the nicest looking desks have absolutely no redeeming value as far as function goes. All fluff with no stuff. The desks at the top of the post are from Decorize and The Hugh's Collection.
3. As far as cord hiding goes- go to Lowes- there are tons of options that will hep you discreetly hide your cords. Area rugs can also be helpful.
4. Without photos I cannot begin to give you paint advice. :) But I will say to consider wallpaper. In rooms like offices there tends to be little pattern- and the walls can be the perfect place to add some.
5. If you didn't get the room finished prior to your company coming- I wouldn't worry so much about it- have an air of confidence that says, " My room is going to be perfect- I will not be rushed by arbitrary dates on a calendar."

Photos from Elle Decor and Metropolitan Home

Do you believe in BOLD Sofas?

Today's post is a continuation of this post. In the comment section- Sheena answered my questions and then sent more pictures. Now I am ready to help her arrange her furniture.

This sofa is from Anthropologie. I have mixed feelings about bold sofas. The practical side of me says, get a good quality neutral sofa that you can decorate around and keep for a long time. But there is another side of me that says- the lucky person whose husband let them get this sofa has a really fabulous living room! (My DH would NEVER go for this.) What do you think? You can't have a boring chair with that sofa- what do you think of this bamboo look? I love this chair- and it is beautiful from the back side. (from Decorize). One principle that I haven't addressed a lot is rhythm. Part of rhythm is repetition. In this case- I am referring to repetition of color. The kitchen is open to this room, and I already put shades of black, green and pink in there. I want to bring these colors into this room as well. Have you ever been in a home and found a stark change of color pallet as you go from room to room? There is a balance between not having your home all the same- and also having enough similarities that you maintain a beautiful rhythm as you go from room to room.

I selected this coffee table for you- it is from Wisteria. I like the fun feel it brings to the room, while it also provides some storage.
Opposite the large windows- I found for you a large bookcase. (from Patina) This will give your room great balance. Can you tell that from the floorplan? It has a terrific hand painted background to it. A look that can be duplicated among the artistically talented ones out there. On your windows I would do a solid color, but then add a boarder of the fabric that you use in the kitchen. This will add some continuity and really help your two rooms go together.

Notice on the floorplan that the sofa is not squished against the wall. It is brought out about 18 inches.

Don't forget your lighting. (at least 5 sources)- and don't forget live plants.

Have a great weekend!

XOXO

Christine

Tamlynn's Kitchen Remodel

Hi Christine!

I hope you are doing well, your blog is still very fun and informative. I am dreaming here, but if I could rip out everything in my kitchen and start over, I would still be at a loss where it comes to layout. My main problem is that I would like to keep a small eating area in the kitchen. We do have a dining table in the family room/great room, but we do our school work there, so it is not available for breakfast and lunch. So disregarding plumbing, gas, electric, etc. and just keeping existing walls, what do you think would be the most convenient kitchen layout in this space?
Thank you,
Tamlynn

Hi Tamlynn,
Your floorplan was too light for me to read exactly- but I got the measurements and the basic idea- I have two plans for you. #1 is above. In this plan I would add a nook- built right in- matching your cabinetry material- not missing a beat in the flow. It is only large enough for a 36 x 36 table- but the floorplan doesn't sacrifice too much counter and storage space.
Notice in this picture above the shelf above the windows. You have several windows in your area- I would have a shelf like the one above. It adds some continuity to the flow of the area. Compare that with the picture below with no shelf. I like the shelf.

Below is an idea for your built-in. With such a narrow room- this will seat more people than you could at a table. If you have small children- they can just pile in. :)

I wanted to show you the picture below for the ceiling- I love how the horizontal slats of the bead board help that long narrow room feel less long and narrow.

I would have your kitchen be white- like those in these pictures- whenever the space is as narrow as yours- I feel it makes for a much nicer feel than a wood stain. More open- less claustrophobic.

Overall- you don't have a lot of storage- One idea is to use extra wall space to hang things like your pots and pans. You have to have decent looking pots and pans- but the look could be really cool- and not take up valuable cabinet space.

Notice in the picture below more hanging storage- this time of utensils.

A different look below with hanging pan storage.

To increase your cabinet and counter space- I have a couple other ideas for you- floorplan #2 is at the very top of the post. Here I put a little bar along your wall- similar to what you find at Chipotle- it doesn't take up a lot of space- and with your dimensions you should be able to fit three barstools. It's perfect to have the kids eat a bowl of cereal- or have a snack. It is not very "family conversation" friendly- but hey- look how much more cabinet space you have. :)

Well Tamlynn, I hope I gave you some ideas- good luck with the remodel! Anyone else have ideas for Tamlynn? Her room is a challenging 8' x 19' with three doors and two windows!

Kris' Dining/Living Room

Today's post is a continuation of yesterday's.

These were Kris' Questions:
Do you have any recommendations for a buffet/sideboard that would go with our dining room table? Go with something that doesn't match it. Mix a painted piece of furniture in. With that long solid, wall, with no windows or doors, I would use a tall piece of furniture. It is super helpful to break up that wall. The piece below is from Decorize and is 104 inches in length. If you take one thing away from the post- take that- your room will work much better with a tall piece of furniture there.

Should we center the dining room table on the short wall (the one with the windows) or move it off-center to allow more space between the table and future buffet? It looks to me like you can center it between the two windows and still have a 36 inch space between the table and buffet. With that the case- I would go ahead and center it.

Do you have any recommendations for a chandelier? With a long table like you have, get an oblong chandelier, like the one from Currey and Company, at the top of the post. I would add shades, like those in the chandelier below, also from Currey and Company.

Do you think we should use a rug under the dining room table and in the seating area or just one or the other?

For the answer to this question- the first place I look is at the size of the room. You should be able to have your chairs move in and out on the rug, and not have guests sitting with the front feet of the chair on the rug, and the back feet off. You want to be able to do this, and still not have your rug be wall to wall. You would add a minimum of four feet to the width and length of the table. In your case that would be a 7.5 x 13' rug in the dining area. Your room is big enough that I would do both rugs. The rugs I selected for you are from Sisalcarpet.com. They have a subtle pattern, and a lot of great texture. The top photo shows the pattern; the one below shows the color.

Thanks for writing in, your room is going to look amazing!

- Christine

Form and Function

Christine,
I saw your design blog and wanted to enlist your help. I have a space in my entry way that I want to decorate. I'm also limited on space in my house so I was hoping to make it functional as well. When you walk in my front door you see our stairway that curves around and the white wall below it. The first picture shows the wall from the front door. In the 2nd picture I've turned around showing you the front door with the stairs so you can get a sense of the space. I was planning to put some kind of table with plant/decorations on the wall below the stairs it but what I really need is a place for coats/boots etc. I have six kids and the house has no coat closet. We live in Utah so we use coats or jackets a big part of the year. I thought maybe I could put a wardrobe there but that seems so boring and I have no idea where to find one. The wall is 5' wide and 63" high from it's lowest point going up to the 2nd story. I want the entry way to be inviting but I also need the space to be usable. Do you have any ideas? Thanks for being so generous with your time,
Michelle

Hi Michelle,

Let me start by saying that that your entry has a lot of potential- but it is untapped potentential. The wall with the entrty door is very symetrical. Remove the picture- and go symetrical on your wall decor- with two matching mirrors. The one above from Uttermost is 30 x 60. This would also be a fantastic location for two generously sized sconces.

I found a storage chest from Decorize that had a lot of "functionality" for you. But with more style than an armoire. This is the first look that people get of your house- this is your focal point. Also- armoires are usually more like 80 inches in height. This piece could give each child a spot for mittens and hats, as well as an "inbox" for paperwork. The small door could house a stray coat or pair of boots.

Your walls are really putting me to sleep. I selected some wallpaper for you from York. This deep bluish gray would be beautiful.

For your rug, consider a "runner" size. It appears that you have the length for it, and whereas the entry is not deep, it is also not small, and the little rug is out of scale for the room. The rug above is from Momeni.

It will be gorgeous!