Stylish Essentials for your Home Office

If you are like many people working and going to school from home due to the pandemic, you know how important it is to have a dedicated workspace. Whether your home office is a room in your house or a corner in a room, having a space that is organized, cleaned, and aesthetically pleasing is important as it can positively affect your productivity. For those needing to elevate their home office, we have put together a few stylish pieces for you that will help energize your workspace.

We are loving this rust-colored chair. Paired with the brass inset desk and brass accessories, it’s understated elegance. If you are like me and love a good planner, then you will like this wipeable week at a glance wall planner. It’s attractive and can be used year after year.

Let’s talk about this stylish seagrass desk. Not only does it offer hidden storage, but it also swivels out to provide additional surface space. Everything can be tucked back in after use and looks pretty and fresh with the blush pink office chair and round marble lamp.

Click on images below to be taken to the website for purchasing.

Click on images below to be taken to the website for purchasing.

This modular wall unit is another great desk for those who are tight on space. The wall panel helps to distinguish the work station from the rest of the space. Functional and big on style, its a winner in our book.

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Click on images below to be taken to the website for purchasing.

Click on images below to be taken to the website for purchasing.

We are enjoying seeing furniture manufacturers include more pieces with rounded lines like the middle desk above with integrated storage. Another example of how pieces can be both attractive and highly useful.

For those who suffer from back pain for sitting down too long, you may want to try a standing desk. Crate and Barrel has come out with an attractive one that allows you to switch from a seated position to standing. We love how it looks paired with this cognac leather office chair and the modern mobile lamp.

We hope you found this post helpful. Please note that the items are not shown to scale. We wish you good health and well-being as we go through this new year.

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Client Glam-Pham

It has been a while since we shared any of our projects. Thought I would share today some work we recently completed for our client Glam-Pham.

Client Glam-Pham was in the process of building a new home in Houston, Texas and reached out to us. She needed help with putting together a design for her master bedroom and office, as well as paint color suggestions for the entire house.  She wanted a soft glam aesthetic for both rooms. Our color palette consisted of soft blues, grays, and ivories. We mixed in a few metallics, along with luxurious textiles and a couple chandies of course! Here is what we came up with.

Master Bedroom

soft glam bedroom design

Master Bedroom and Bath Wall Color Suggestions


Office

Office Paint Color Suggestions

We can't wait to see progress pics and promise to share. In the mean time, we are really excited to be working on a design for her living room. It is going to be fabulous! A navy sofa may make its way into the room. Here is the color pallete we will be working with.

navy and blush color pallete

We will keep you posted. 

Have a great weekend!

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If you are building a home, let us help you. We can help pick out finishes, as well as put together a design that you can implement once you move in. Drop us a line here to start the conversation.

Nguyen Office Part I

The hubby and I have talked for sometime about swapping our daughter’s room and the office. Her room is a finished out attic space. Even though it is decent in size, the ceiling height is low and you literally have to hunch down to get into her closet.

This past week he took some time off and offered to work on swapping the rooms. My husband being a man of action doesn’t spend a lot of time on planning, so I did not have much time to think about what I wanted to do to in the space. 

The room needed a new coat of paint and new baseboards. With just one small window, the room doesn’t have a lot of natural light. Our office furniture is white, so I wanted a bold color in the space for contrast. At first I was thinking of painting an accent wall emerald green but decided on black.

After going through my swatches, I narrowed it down to Black Satin, Baby Seal Black, and Nightfall (all Benjamin Moore colors).

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BM Black Satin

Kiki's List

Kiki's List

BM Baby Seal Black

Chezerbey

Chezerbey

BM Nightfall

Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy

In the end, Benjamin Moore Nightfall was the winner. It is a dark graphite with blue undertones and was the lightest out of the three. I went with a an eggshell finish in hopes that it would reflect some light but it ended up being shinier than I hoped. If I could do it again I would go with matte.

This is a hard room to photograph. The dark wall looks darker in person.

This is a hard room to photograph. The dark wall looks darker in person.

I am not going to lie. I was bit worried the black would absorb too much light and make the room look like a crack den but it actually makes the room feel cozy and allows the other colors in the room to pop. It also made the room appear wider as black visually recesses. The room is still a work in progress. I want to bring some natural elements, maybe in the way of a throw rug. Above the desk we plan to install a white floating shelf and black cork board the length of the desk. I also plan to bring in some more lighting among other accessories.

Once the room is finished I'll take better pics to share. Hope you guys have a great week!


9 Best Plug-In Sconces

I recently added some brass sconces to my second baby’s nursery design, and I can’t wait to get them up on her wall.  They will go on the same wall as the crib, flanking the artwork to be hung over the bed, and I think they'll add so much to that side of the room. 

Because I didn’t want to add one more thing to our growing nursery to do list (you’re welcome, Jon:) ), I opted for some a plug-in option.  In this case, the cord is clear and won’t be very visible on the white board and batten that we have on the lower half of the room.  After a few wall anchors and screws, they will be up and running!

Image via Sissy+Marley

Image via Sissy+Marley

But if for some reason they don't work out in the nursery, they can easily be moved to another room in the house—the office, the guest room, etc.  That’s another great thing about a plug-in option as opposed to a hardwired, they are much more movable down the road if you want to change things up.

Image via Lonny

Image via Lonny

I’ve long been a fan of sconces and think they always look so charming in a nursery or bedroom.  They offer a variant level of lighting in the room, aside from ceiling and table lamps, and they adorn the wall like pretty little earrings finishing off a beautiful outfit.

The kind I wanted to purchase from Pottery Barn is unfortunately now sold out (I was lucky enough to find a pair on eBay).  But if you have the desire to add some "earrings" to one of your rooms, here is a round-up of some more great options.  They are all in various styles and finishes to help you find just the look you’d want.

best plug in sconces 3a design studio

one // two // three // four // five // six and seven // eight // nine

I kept things pretty reasonable in the price category, with ranges from $45-170.  Not too bad for adding such a statement to a room!  

Feminine Office E-design

The e-design I am sharing with you today is a special one because it is for one of my besties!

Meet Carmen of Label Me Artsy, a fashionista living in Hawaii.  Recently, she and her husband purchased a new home and asked if I could help design an office for her. She requested an inspiring space that is both feminine and vibrant. 

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Immediately, I thought of this print that I love by Leigh Viner as inspiration for the room. It is very feminine and has a gorgeous color palette.

Surveillance by Leigh Viner

Surveillance by Leigh Viner

The overall look for the office was a bit tropical glam with emerald greens and blush pinks. Have a look.

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It was a lot of fun working on this project. Even with the distance, Carmen in Hawaii and me in Florida, through our e-design service we were able to design a beautiful office that Carmen loves.

If you need help designing a room or just need help selecting a few pieces to finish off the look of a room, drop us a line. We work with all different project sizes and are currently working on an Ask My Designer service for those small design dilemmas.

Happy hump-day!


Let's Take a Tour-Grow Marketing Offices in SF

The latest edition of Rue Magazine detailed the inside look of the offices at Grow Marketing in San Francisco.  As soon as I turned the virtual page, I thought to myself, "I want to work here!"

Cassie Hughes and Gabrey Means used to be rivals, each working for fashion giants Gap Inc. and Levi's.  After meeting and chatting over a bottle of wine, they decided they should start a new business venture, together.  What formed was Grow Marketing, now residing on Pacific Avenue in historic Jackson Square in San Francisco.

The pair set out to create an agency of their own and "foster an environment that felt supportive, yet aspirational."  After looking at the interiors of their offices, I think they succeeded in doing just that!  Let's take a tour. 

Exposed brick, crisp white walls and beautiful moldings are the backdrop for this stunning office.  Gabrey and Cassie worked with designer Josef Medellin to transform the building, originally built in 1907.

grow marketing office1 via rue mag

Of course, the bright yellow furniture can't be forgotten either.

grow marketing offices2 via rue mag

I'd gladly take a meeting in this adorable conference room.

grow marketing offices3 via rue mag
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Relaxed brainstorming areas are filled with leopard print upholstery and a vintage suitcase functioning as a coffee table. My mind is already traveling to great places just looking at it.

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More white and historic moldings...and flowers.  I can't forget the flowers.

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Seriously, isn't this place so chic? Hard to believe it used to be a watering hole and brothel at one time, huh?

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I love the open floor plan and the juxtaposition of the industrial stairs with the glamorous chandeliers and furnishings.

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More cheerful office furniture...and those oversized mirrors?  Amazing.

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A workplace dreams are made of...

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I sincerely apologize if you're reading this at your generic cubicle, but I can assure you you're not the only one longing for an office like this.  Job well done, Means, Hughes and Medellin. Job well done.

grow marketing offices11 via rue mag

TGIF friends!