Sunday, January 18, 2009

Home Office Inspirations

Now this is my idea of a home office.  It's especially great for those hectic days when you need to sign the cheques for all your servants and look at your decorating magazines.  Some folks have such a hard, hard life!
Photo:  Shoot Factory

Sadly,  I suspect that your home office doesn't look like this.  I know mine doesn't.  Regular folks have offices that look more like the room below (or not, but at least this is the realm of possibility!)  With a simple Parsons table (say, from Ikea), you're off to the races.  This wee office has lots of storage and the open-backed bookcase serves as a room divider while still letting the light through.  I think this idea is brilliant, since offices are often stolen spaces in other rooms and privacy is king.

I really like this Martha Stewart office wall idea (below). This is a novel twist on the plain vanilla office chalkboard!  With a lot of painter's tape and patience (and Valium), this amazing wall can be yours very inexpensively!  I just love Martha.

This is a picture-perfect office for me (below) - all white and nothing out of place.  But sadly, this just isn't my reality.  I would need a lot of bins and baskets and drawers to keep this serene space looking stylishly uncluttered, but I still love it.  See, I really do have some modern genes.
Photo:  Living Etc.

In this handsome office (below), I don't love the furniture, but I like the arrangement - with a big side table for staging and sitting stuff.  I'm finding that a large side table is vital in a home office for transitional papers - the more surfaces, the happier I am.  But what I loved most about this room was the artfully-arranged vintage photography collection, whose framing and style belie the modernity of the room.  The photo collection takes this room from generic to chic-unique!
Photo:  Living Etc.

This office (below) is the cat's pyjamas in my book, in terms of ingenuity.  You don't need a ton of space - just one long wall to install a big slab o' desk!  This idea is pure genius, and it looks utterly amazing in front of a big graceful window.  Practical and simple, and elegantly executed!  And the glossy spring green makes my heart go ka-thump!
Photo: Living Etc.

I like the wee office below, as it appears to be tucked in behind a headboard or other room divider.  You don't need a ton of space if you have a laptop!  It looks like the owner used a small table and flanked it with two simple storage units to yield more surface area.  My favorite thing in the room is actually the clear Plexiglas file holders (to the left of monitor) - does anyone know where to source these?  I also like the big shallow bowl for newly-arrived mail.

This office (below) is super-clever if you're building from scratch - as in kitchen design, a long, galley style office is a great use of space.  I would do all closed cabinets on the bottom (except for the kneehole of course) and all open on top for display and photos. 
Photo:  Source Unknown (House & Garden?)

Next is a typical home office which I've included because it makes great use of space (an extra table for the printer always helps unload your desk) and I really liked the little shelf next to the bigger shelf.  Corkboards are also de rigeur for your magazine clippings and postcards!
Photo:  Cottage Living

Modern shelves never cease to please.  I think home offices make great display areas for family photos and an ever-changing collection of eclectic art.  Give yourself lots of shelves and surfaces for your art collection and your photos.
Photo: Source Unknown

This is a dining room (below), but I just adored the shelves and think this would work equally well in a home office.  Heck, there's no sense having one shelf when you can have six.  Stack 'em to the ceiling and show off your collection of thingamajigs. 
Photo: Apartment Therapy (Anastassios Mentis apartment) 

12 comments:

  1. Lots of great ideas here. I have seen a house that I am dying to build and it actually has a galley-style study! It is almost identical to my house at the moment, except slightly larger living area, bigger laundry (yes please) and it has this study. My sister wants to build the same house. Only problem with building from scratch is I simply couldn't afford to build while also covering my mortgage here or rent at the same time. Oh well!

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  2. Each one offers something unique. I love the ones that have windows and the desk is conveniently situated right below one. All that natural light would be tremendous. The only offices I've ever worked in outside the home were in closets and windowless. Needless to say, I did wish to remain.

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  3. ...I didn't wish to remain that is.

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  4. I'm in love with the arched windows - so elegant. I don't know how much work I'd get done, I'd be too busy admiring them! :)

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  5. Great post. The windows in the first few pics are beautiful. Love the line about signing the servant's checks.

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  6. Oh my...the first two pictures are just about the most beautiful home office pictures I have ever seen. Those windows are magnificent! This room has to be in Paris, I can't imagine it would be anywhere else!

    I also like the galley style kitchen with the green walls.

    My current house REALLY lacks a home office - and I would love to have one. Actually, if I were to pull out all the stops, I would have a art studio/office right off the kitchen, north facing. A girl can dream, can't she?

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  7. well, no, my office sure doesn't look like any of these, I wish...! but I am trying, now I will need to give my desk a lick of paint, then some more order... ;-)
    very nice pictures, thanks for the great post.

    Solange

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  8. A fantastic and eclectic variety of h-o design. Sadly (and once again) I've been forced to declutter my own h-o. Another hour in the trences should do it! I plan to reward myself with a shiny new desktop, but not until the dirty work is done. ;-0 Who wants to put new hardware in a room where the desk can't even be found!

    How's life? Clara is coming to visit me in April and we are going on a road trip (to Vanc I think). Thoughts of it are getting me through our very cold winter! xxoo

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  9. If I had that top office, I'd get so much work done, I might just rule the world. LOL!

    Tons of great inspiritaion in this post! I love the Martha wall, too! It's motivating me to push a little harder on the interior of the new house and whip it into shape. Thanks for the motivation!

    xo Isa

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  10. I definitely need to revamp my home office.
    Right now I work at my little desk in our kitchen when I work at home. It is way too cramped and piled with note, kids' work, bills, etc...
    I'm thinking of taking over half of our garden room and making it into my new more spacious office.
    Your images are great inspiration.

    xo
    Brooke

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  11. I really need to give my home office a real make-over. It will not look at the first room - I can only dream of that. But the other photos you show give me a lot of inspirations. Thank you!
    xo
    Poppins

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