New Selections for Nancy

This post is in response to the previous post- for Nancy's office, in which the selections were centered around a fabric that Nancy didn't want for a chair that doesn't fit.  ;-)  I selected a different chair- this one from Overstock.  I know it is nothing like the papsan.  I'm not big on the papsan chair anyway- too much like a college apartment for me.  This one is only 33 inches deep- which means that it will fit.  Even cocked on an angle it should be alright. 

Now- I love gray and gold together.  A bold gold rug like this one from homedecorator.com would be great.

Repeat the gold in some art work.  The piece above is from Z Gallerie- and comes with a second coordinating piece.

These drapes are West Elm- accent them with a gold tie back.

Solidify the overall feel a little more with a couple of throw pillows on your chairs- the pillow above is from Crate and Barrel.

I still hear kids talking so I'd better leave the computer and get back to work. 

XOXO

Christine

Nancy's Office

Hi Christine,

After 30+ years of having all of our bedrooms filled with children and their stuff, we are empty nesters. Now we are able to have a few luxuries, like turning one of the bedrooms into an office. I am attaching a floor plan of the room, along with some pictures of what I have in mind so far. I thought you and your readers might be able to give me ideas for the lighting, a rug and fabrics to tie it all together.

Our room is approximately 10 x 13' and has a window seat and a wall of closets. Right now there are two craigslist desks I bought that we have been using while I figure out what I want to do for 'real.' I have found that I hate being in the room so I use my computer in the family room instead. I want to make it a place that feels good!

I want the main wall to have a world map mural. The wall is 13' wide and 8' high and you face it as you walk into the room. This is the map I like best: It's about 10' wide and 6' high so there would be a lot of wall showing around it. There is one available that almost fills the wall, but it is the standard blue world map instead of earth tones. I don't think it would look as nice.

I just purchased a rectangular table:  I'd like it to be placed in the middle of the room, perpendicular to the  wall with the mural. I am trying to talk my husband into these chairs: I promised him I could make a comfortable chair pad. He said he would try, but he is used to 'real' office chairs but that wouldn't fit my decor as well!

I'd like two papasan chairs  for the wall on the left side of the mural. That's what you would see as you are walking down the hall toward the room.

So there you have it. There's a ceiling fan in the middle of the room, above the table. I can change that out for another type of light fixture, and I also need lighting for the papasan chairs (a table and a lamp, or track lighting on the ceiling, or a floor lamp or all of the above). And maybe track lighting for the mural. A lot of track lighting! I need fabric ideas for the window. I can make my own window treatments, but I would be perfectly happy with ready-mades if I can find what I want. I also have a window seat bench pad and pillows that I could recover to coordinate. The most boring part of the room is the wall of closets opposite the mural. There are three sliding closet doors. Ideally, I would take the doors off but I haven't figured out a way to make banker boxes and binders beautiful, at least in my price range. I could hang curtains to replace the closet doors and that would add another fabric. The floor is bamboo, which I don't think will look very good with the table, but hopefully the right rug will take care of that. And lots of plants.

So the burning question is -- can this all be pulled off? I know you won't hesitate to tell me what won't look good!

Thanks!
Nancy

Hi Nancy,

I am going to agree with your husband that the chair does not look comfortable- and I don't know that a cushion will really solve that.  The nice thing about a place like World Market- is you can always try it out and return it.  I do love the style- it reminds me of Sundance catalog- which I think has a terrific look to it.  I would actually be more likely to use it as a dining chair than an office chair- but maybe that's because I spend long hours in my office chair and eat very quickly. 

I love the large map on the wall- It would be great if you could get your hands on some weathered looking boards that would make a cool frame.

The papassan chair is a bit wild- but it could be a fun element to the room.  Know that it won't really work if that is your only pattern and color.  If you are going with colorful pattern- go all the way.  Sometimes people get one bold pattern- and stop- like that's as far out on the pattern limb they could go- but that is where the design fails. 

Add some pattern and color in your window treatments.

Add a more subtle pattern as well as texture and color in your rug.  (this jute rug is from Overstock)

Pump up the texture even more with three seagrass pendants hung over the table.  I like the idea of two rows of track lights- oil rubbed bronze- on opposite walls.  I don't think papasan chairs lend themselves to floor lamps or table lamps.  I'd keep the lighting on the ceiling over them.  Add floor lights on timers behind your plants.

Ask yourself if you have enough storage- I don't really see any storage solutions. 

These are from West Elm:

The chair cushions are an additional place for a pop of color.  This fabric is also from Robert Allen:

It might be too late- and I hate saying things when it might be too late- but I would suggest a darker wood table with your other selections.  I don't know that I like the table with the papassan chair- there seems to be too large a disconnect there.  If it is too late, and all of those purchases are made- and cannot be returned- pretend like I said it would look great.  ;-) 

It's like if a friend has already left the house and asks how her clothes look.  They look perfect.  If you are in the store dressing room making selections- you tell the truth.  That's how I roll.  Sometimes, on this blog- I don't know if you are in the dressing room or have already left the house... 

Can you look at the pictures in this post and see what I mean? 

I do like you thinking outside the box- using a dining table for your desk. 

I would go ahead and install keyboard pull-outs to make the arrangement cleaner and more comfortable.  If you have smaller CPU's - I wold mount them under the table to keep a clean look, and make it user friendly.

Be sure to take some before and after pictures!  (and send them to me of course)  Hopefully you will finish your office faster than my personal office is coming.  My wallpaper is still in a box on the floor.  ;-)  I'm a little too busy decorating other homes. 

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

Wallpaper Wednesday For the Wallpaper Wimps

I found this in Country Living and loved it! I love the wallpaper- love the organization- love the color- love it! Any other fans out there? Ready to re-do a closet into an office?

Cool New Source

Today I wanted to show you a super cool- and surprisingly affordable source called "Design Public." They have a contemporary/ modern style- that is transitional enough to fit into many interiors. They have everything from large wall art...

to nursery bedding...

cool lateral files (I have a hard time finding cool office furnishings)...

and fabulous lighting... you know how I like my butterflies :) Anyway- check it out! It has a little something for everyone!