How to Add Style and Function to Your Home Office
Learn how to make your home office look more “home” than “office.”
Not so long ago, when someone wanted a home office, it was envisioned to be in dark wood tones with traditional styling. It was masculine in feeling – heavy and sturdy – and in a separate room of its own.
Nowadays, many of us work from home from time to time. When people want a home office now, they want a more modern functionality. The home office is often in the center of the home; close enough to keep an eye on the kids, to listen for the dryer to buzz, or to stir the pot on the stove. Multi-tasking and computers have changed the way we work and live.
And the style has changed, too. In many homes, it’s lighter and more streamlined, to blend with the style of the home. Sometimes people ask for help figuring out how to harmonize a new home office space with the rest of the home. We put together the tips below—so house harmony can be easier for everyone to enjoy.
Collaboration with Wendy Interiors Inc. Photo by Peter Braune.
Give your home office some style
• Similar colors: The paint throughout the rooms is a soothing light blue. The cabinetry in the kitchen, living area, bathroom, laundry and office are all the same color and similar style. The furniture coordinates as well. No matter where you are in the home, you feel like you’re part of a larger whole space.
• Style jives: The lines are simple and clean—from the furniture and lighting to the built-ins, the style in all the rooms is similar enough to feel calm and coordinated. The crown molding wrapping around the home office draws the eye up and around the space and adds a touch of character.
• Strategic accents: The smooth-looking woodsy brown floors and the liquid glass sailboat in the office offer a soft contrast to the built-in desk units. The strong vertical and horizontal lines of the desk and cabinets are emphasized by the long door and drawer pulls—distinctive details in a simple palate.
Make your home office work for you
What if you don’t have the opportunity to re-design your entire living space at the same time?
• Work with what you have—where possible, harmonize colors and styles within your existing furniture and spaces.
• Add built-ins where you need them—they use your space to maximum efficiency, and can blend easily into multiple rooms in the home.
• Start one room at a time. Pick a room, budget for your upgrade and recruit the right service providers for the project. Get this room to be what you want the rest to become—and repeat one room at a time.
Above all, your space should work for you. If you’re working from home, your home office should reflect your specific needs and personal taste. With style and function, the home office no longer needs to be isolated; if it’s truly customized to your family’s needs, it may just become the most used room in your home.
