HI friends! I'm back to share more before photos and decorating ideas for our studio house. If you haven't been following along, so far I've shared the entryway, kitchen and living room. The office is a very important space, because it's where all the computer work and internal meetings will take place. In our current space (my home) the dining room has doubled as our office by day. I'm glad we had that transitional phase, because I feel like I had time to really figure out what we need and what from an office.
The image above is via Lonny. I love the general look and feel of it. It's busy, but still relaxed and filled with inspiration!
A big table is key. When we first moved into my house we created a desk for Trey in a spare bedroom. He used that desk for about six months, and then realized that he felt isolated in that room and has been working with us in the dining room ever since. Since writing blog content is so hands on we are constantly coming and going all day, but the big table has become the center of our working environment. We love a shared computer space. If someone needs to concentrate they might leave the room for an hour or two, but our shared table has been a great way to stay in synch with each other. Since we had such a positive experience building my dining room table we're planning to create a DIY table in the new office. I would love to find chairs that are both comfortable and beautiful!
When we started shopping for a home to move our business into, we liked the idea of having an office with one big table that was centrally located on the main floor of the house.
This room is located just behind the living room (here's the view into the living room) and beside the dining room. You can see here there is a door in the corner that opens out to the wrap around front porch.
The bay windows in this room are my favorite feature. I think they will look so pretty and fresh filled with plants!
The first order of business in this room is paint! You can see here there is a shadow of a once-upon-a-time border that was removed. The beige walls are also damaged in many places.
This room has another metal cord cover going from the light switch to the light fixture (which is presently missing). Luckily our contractor is an excellent electrician soon that will be INSIDE of the wall where it belongs. :)
Speaking of light fixtures… what do you think about this?
(via a pair & a spare) I love it. I want something casual, but that actually is a good light source since it's a workspace. First and foremost, it needs to be functional. We're very open to suggestions!
(via Imports From Marrakesh) An inspiration wall is another huge priority. I want something changeable and simple since we work on so many different projects throughout the year.
(via The Design Files)You know how you get something stuck in your head? Well, since before we even started shopping I've always envisioned a wood wall in the office. I don't know why, but it's stuck in my head. And so I'm considering making it happen in this room. I think it adds so much!
First of all, you're probably wondering where that door came from. So are we. It's just, kind of, there. It doesn't fit in this room. We can't figure it out. We're considering using it for some sort of DIY project though. What would you do with a lonely spare door?
This wall came with built in bookcases. I'm thinking it would be cool to expand this to the other side of the doorway, so it's one giant wall of books that wraps around the doorway. Right now it feels a little unbalanced to me. Plus, you already know we're obsessed with giant bookcases!
(both images via The Design Files) Bookshelves are my favorite. Have any of you designed an office space before? I'd love to hear your tips. This is a first for us! xo. Elsie
ps. For more obsessive daily studio inspiration, follow me on Pinterest.
Credits // Author and Photography: Elsie Larson, Inspiration images are linked throughout.
Lovely office space! So, on the door, I once painted the eiffel tower on a door in art class (using a projector) and then drew a pretty hilarious portrait of myself gazing into the distance on a balcony in Paris, long before I ever actually had been there… ha. it’s still at my house at home, and now my mom has decided to use it for something practical by installing it onto the wall at the entryway and putting vintage knobs on it to turn it into a coat hanger. so there’s that! 😉
Kristin at callhomedear.com
here’s an idea for that spare door – why not make it into a corner bookshelf?
http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/diy/how-to/h/-/15635465/how-to-make-shelves-using-an-old-door/
I once had a bed that my dad made out of an old huge church door- maybe try a small scale version for Miss Penelope Bloom!
Make a desk out of the door! Put a pane of glass over it and place on top of two filing cabinets and voila! My boss did that with one of her old doors and it works great!
For the inspiration wall i would use magnetic paint. You can paint over that with any colour you want and have a colourful magnetic wall as a base for all your pictures, fabrics and other inspiring stuff. And it will still be easy to change whenever you want to.
Make the door into an inspiration board…Tada!
I love the yellow pendant lamp! And I would definitely make the door into some kind of cool table or bench… 🙂 Such an awesome space you have!!
My thought for your design wall is using homosote (I think that’s the name, but I’m not sure). It’s a sort of partically material that you can get in large sheets at hardware stores. My college had it on the art studio walls painted white so we could stick inspiration up there or things we were working on when we needed to step back and take another look from a different perspective. They used large screws to attach it to the walls. If you get sick of it, you can always take it down and you’ll just have a few screw holes to spackle.
I would paint the door with magnetic paint and turn it into an inspiration board. It’s a great size and it could easily be moved around from room to room and used as a board for displaying menus or photos for parties when needed!
Love you ideas…. looking forward to the actualization 🙂
Manali
secretsofmissdaydreamer.blogspot.in
Use the door to hang Emma’s DIY wedding dress on display!! Do something cool with the door to make the dress truly pop. It would be great for that dress to be displayed somewhere and be admired everyday. That day was such a huge part of all of your lives and it’s a labor of love for everyone to enjoy 🙂
Just a suggestion…
chatclinkrepeat.blogspot.com
Use the door to hang Emma’s DIY wedding dress on display!! Do something cool with the door to make the dress truly pop. It would be great for that dress to be displayed somewhere and be admired everyday. That day was such a huge part of all of your lives and it’s a labor of love for everyone to enjoy 🙂
Just a suggestion…
Great idea!
Turn that door into a table! Especially if it is a solid wood door! My husband and I found a solid wood door on the street and he turned it into an amazing kitchen table!
Hey there:) I think a Bookcase on both sides of the door would look awesome:)
it would make it tie in better.
I a obsessed with LIGHT fixtures:) here is a couple links to awesome ones that I think might work for the space. the Yellow is fantastic!!:) very simple bright and functional:) here is just a couple options if you feel like branching out:)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/90244364/mini-kitchen-colander-pendant-light?ref=favs_view_18
https://www.etsy.com/listing/155801950/suspension-oiseau-bambou-et-orange-fluo?ref=favs_view_16
https://www.etsy.com/listing/152171300/hanging-pendant-light-birch-tree-and?ref=shop_home_active
Hope that helps:)Cant wait to see the end result!!
I would turn that door into a coffee table or a patio table, maybe with a piece of glass or plexi glass over it! It would also maybe be cool to add pieces of cork into a wood wall maybe strips or something ? And use the cork boards as inspiration boards ! I really like Mollie’s idea above too with the metal inspo boards!
Can’t wait to see the end results!
I absolutely love the fact that you are turning a house into your studio. It sounds so cozy and fun! I thought I’d leave a suggestion for that lonely door…use it for your table!! Or part of your table by adding extensions on either end. I did that with an old salvaged door and it turned out great. I absolutely love it! Here’s a link to it in case you are curious!
http://midwestnutmeg.blogspot.com/2012/07/door-to-table-to-art.html
Why not combine the wood wall with your inspiration wall and use cork flooring on the wall? You could stick push pins to it, it’s self healing, would give a little bit of sound proofing for anyone outside of the room needing quiet, and would look really cool!
Hi there ABM girls! I’ve been reading your blog for a few years and just love the way it (and your business) has transformed and continues to change in such exciting ways!
Concerning the rogue door–what about some eye candy for your wraparound? You could turn it into a porch swing or hanging outdoor worktable (great for working outside in weather-permitting months) and then paint it some sassy color to make that space really pop! Here are a couple pins you might like:
Swing- http://www.pinterest.com/pin/13933080070095035/
Hanging table- http://www.pinterest.com/pin/5699937002339950/
Good luck as you continue the studio design process!
a blank slate — so many possibilities! so eager to see what’s to come!
xx