Changes at Home- A New Office

At our house, summertime is usually when we tackle projects at home & get the majority of things done because my husband is a teacher & is off.  When we redid our house when we first moved in, we pretty much got everything done the first summer and then kind of stopped after that.  This summer, we really didn't do much except decide what we wanted to to do with a few spaces.  yay for us.

And we did this:





Having our second little guy on the move pretty much put a stop to projects unless there's a babysitter around.  Our house has 5 bedrooms but two of them on our on lower level.  We've been using one as a guest room and the other as my husband's workout room/ our storage room.  The business is growing quickly & at this point I'm trying to avoid moving out of my house into an office (a number of reasons: schedule, expense, working in my SWEATS and I feel like I'd never see my family} SO...  we rearranged our storage (which is mostly clients' odds & ends /  furniture) and got a storage unit ,and my husband has been working out with friends out of the house daily anyway, so we stored the bench press & big weights and now have a freed up room for an additional office. yay!!


{Windsor Smith's office in House Beautiful...  Love those white board charts!!}

Anyway, unfortunately, the room has had a drop ceiling (arrggggg) so we tore it down in about 20 minutes a couple of weeks ago while the kids were napping.  It also has weird walls.  Like really weird.  I really don't know what the previous owners were thinking here...  It was some sort of painted peg board??  All over the drywall panelling??  So, we have a lot of unfun stuff to do before the pretty part.   We're tearing that down & exposing the drywall/ painting and adding in a normal ceiling.  The carpet in there is perfeectly clean/ new but I'm thinking of addding in more wall to wall seagrass.  My husband & I are worthless at drywalling, so our contractors are coming in to save the day.

I looove my current home office except it's open off of our family room so there are times when I (or my assistant- Meghan!) need to escape to quiet, so I'm excited about adding this new "quiet" space. I think it will be Meghan's office and I'll store the lamptop there & work in there half the time, but I'll probably continue working out projects on the large work table in the main office.  { I also bug Meghan all day long so she might get more work done this way ;) ;)


Suzanne Kasler's studio---- looooooove!!

Anyway, it's a very teeny space so I've been playing with floorplans & furnishings.  Another thing I'm just getting into is its mood.  Offices I tend to love are bright & large & open & airy feeling. 

{Thomas O'Brien's house.  I want this.  Really.}


This one will be more cramped cozy.


So I really want to figure out the mood here, because that open & airy thing just isn't happening.  I'm thinking of going a tad warmer & maybe a little vintage libraryish...


{Obviously still large but it has a cozier vibe}

I'll keep you posted and will be sure to post before & afters.  eeeeek can't wait!

xoxo, Lauren

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

24 comments:

Erica M. said...

Beautiful inspirations. My husband and I are in the middle of doing our office as well. Unfortunately its the smallest room in the house so options are limited.

Good luck, can't wait to see the finished product!

Acquired Objects said...

Keep an eye on my blog this week since I'll be posting my new studio out of our 18th century carriage barn. There is nothing like a home office and space. I can't wait to see what you do with your space since you have great taste! Have a good week!

Barbara Jordan Dettweiler said...

I'm loving that vintage library look - the green window treatments look like your beautiful style. :) I'm excited to see what you come up with!

http://bjdhausdesign.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Hope you're having a good summer Lauren. I recently removed a guest bedroom and turned it in to a quiet work space. What a world of difference from working in the dining room next to the family room! I can close the door to work and noise from Luke and his friends and I know everything is neatly organized in there. And my assistant of course loves it!! Yes working in sweats...sounds like my life!

Erin @ The Impatient Gardener said...

I absolutely hate my office (at work). I'm pretty sure they'd give me free rein to do what I want in here (provided I stick to a very small budget or pay for it myself) but I can't figure out what to do. I think offices are some of the most difficult spaces to decorate because function HAS to come first, but at the same time they are maybe the most important place to decorate because I have no doubt that people are more productive in spaces they love. Your inspiration photos are all lovely.

Barbara Bussey {The Treasured Home} said...

I love the Thomas O'Brien space! That kind of openess is har to find in most home offices! Glad to hear you're keeping family the priority. Twenty years from now, you'll be glad you did. Heck, tomorrrow you'll be glad you did!

Anonymous said...

Love all of these spaces! Suzanne's is so gorgeous with all those neatly organized baskets. So much inspiration here for our office too.
xo E + J

My Notting Hill said...

Sounds like a great idea to move your office into the space. Thanks for the email - renovation here is proceeding. Heating ducts done, first part of plumbing, hole for stairs, etc. I'm off to Seattle this week so I'll be excited to see what my husband gets finished this week! Maybe the new stairs will be attached...

AnneHH said...

So excited to see your new space and hooray for making it happen. But, good for you to have spent the time with Dave and the boys this summer! That family time is so important, I think, over the summer since all of our lives are so busy the rest of the year.
Can't wait to see your progress on the new office! Lots of photos please!!
xox, Anne

Tina@thriftingwithcake.blogspot.com said...

LOVE all of those offices and LOVE that you mostly hung with your littles this summer instead of tackling projects!! :-)

The enchanted home said...

First that picture of your little ones driving off in the sunset in their mini jeep is too precious for words. I would blow that up and frame it! Reminds me of my little "tots on wheels" and how they loved their little Power wheels jeep!
I love your office inspriation, to me, the smaller spaces somehow feel even cozier and more intimate than some of the bigger places. I look forward to seeing what you do!
Stop by, doing an amazing giveaway!

under spanish moss said...

So much inspiration for your home office here. We can't wait to see how you decide to design your space. Happy Monday!
Angela and Renee

Ann from On Sutton Place said...

My office/sewing room is my daughter's old bedroom...pink walls and all. I'd love to transform it into a space that's mine. I can't wait to see what you do...thanks for the inspiration! Have a good week.

Loretta Fontaine (EcoHappy Blog) said...

Lauren- How great to get a new space out of your house! I can't wait to see your before and afters.

I adore Suzanne Kasler's office!

Loretta

Erin Southwell said...

Girl, I feel you as I am in the middle of taking out drop-ceilings in our new beach cottage. Seriously, WHAT were people thinking with drop ceilings!?!? Why were they ever invented? I also just tore glued on linoleum out of our entry to uncover heart pine floors from the turn of the century. Oh my goodness. But so much work! I think my little guy is exactly Justin's age. I remember when you left me a sweet comment on my blog to help me get Wynn to stay asleep. Anyway! I'm just in love with your blog and I am learning a lot from reading your stuff. Thank you so much!

Erin Southwell said...

Oh, and LOVE the image of Windsor Smith's office. Absolutely love her work.

Amy @ Five Kinds of Happy said...

Awesome - can't wait to see the end result and see what you come up with! Something beautiful and inspiring I bet. :)

Holly Irwin Fine Art said...

Thanks for this inspiration, Lauren! I'm in the process of creating an office out of a spare bedroom.......love Suzanne's office but then I love all of her interiors. Good luck and can't wait to see your results!

Starr said...

Oh, to have an office! We have an enclosed sun porch that could work in the spring and fall, but otherwise, my desk is in the family room. Surrounded by toys.

We, too, have dropped ceilings everywhere. I'm convinced it's because a previous owner was short and wanted to feel taller. we're afraid to see what's up there once the ceilings are torn down. Personally, I'm hoping that there's a treasure, or at least a treasure map.

EDYTA & CO. INTERIOR DESIGN said...

That's awesome! I am redoing my office as well. So fun! Can't wait to see the results :)))
xo Edyta

Anonymous said...

Love the white offices....but my office couldn't take it...smiles.

Star Spangled Mamas said...

Cannot wait to see your before and after pics! I am sure it is going to be fabulous! I love the Windsor Smith's office. Also, love the pic of your two boys- Precious!!!!

traci zeller designs said...

Welcome to the Two Kids Running Around club!! Little boys are *always* on the go!! I don't want to move my office out of my house for all of those same reasons ... so I've been editing and reorganizing. Can't wait to see what you do! xoxo!!

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