One of Katie's and my favorite pastimes is looking through catalogs and magazine tear sheets to get inspiration. Lately, we came across some great home office looks that got us both inspired to get to work on our Willow House photography ... and our own houses! Since I recently started taking an online class, I'd been wanting to set up a home office, and a few inspirational tears finally gave me the push I needed to do it. With a little creativity and a couple of simple pieces of furniture, I was able to transform my guest bedroom into a happy new office space on a low budget.
I wanted utilize the already purple walls to keep the room bright and fun, but the challenge was to keep it from looking like a teenage girl's room. To accomplish this, I kept the furniture and drapes clean and light so they wouldn't be overbearing. I also added aluminum accents with the desk legs, folder rack, frames and desk lamp (I was able to snag most of these from Ikea to stay on budget). I allowed the drapes to flow a little onto the floor for a slightly formal look.
One of my favorite trends is mixing textures, and I like to incorporate it when I can. I balanced the metal accents with a woven chair, wood frames and plant to create a nice contrast of organic and industrial. Since this is a space where I need to do a lot of creative thinking, I wanted to add a little "happy" to the wall. On a recent trip to Paper Source, Katie and I were practically drooling over some of the patterns we found. I picked three different patterned prints that had similar colors and grouped them together to create instant (and cost-efficient) wall art. Simple frames keep the arrangement from looking too busy, and they don't distract from the patterns. This trick would also look great with a set of three same-sized frames lined up on a wall. You could also use fabric instead of paper to add a little more texture to the look.
One of my favorite new toys in this office is a new Willow House product that's coming out in January 2011 in our Spring/Summer catalog. One of the best perks of this job is getting to "test drive" all the fun new products before they hit the catalog! While you're waiting for this product, check out some of the organizers we already have available (and that we all use in our offices at home and at work): the French Wire Tiered Stand, Nautilus Vases and Ingleside Luminaries.
Katie's also planning a home office makeover ... so you might just get a sneak peek at her new room soon!
I wanted utilize the already purple walls to keep the room bright and fun, but the challenge was to keep it from looking like a teenage girl's room. To accomplish this, I kept the furniture and drapes clean and light so they wouldn't be overbearing. I also added aluminum accents with the desk legs, folder rack, frames and desk lamp (I was able to snag most of these from Ikea to stay on budget). I allowed the drapes to flow a little onto the floor for a slightly formal look.
One of my favorite trends is mixing textures, and I like to incorporate it when I can. I balanced the metal accents with a woven chair, wood frames and plant to create a nice contrast of organic and industrial. Since this is a space where I need to do a lot of creative thinking, I wanted to add a little "happy" to the wall. On a recent trip to Paper Source, Katie and I were practically drooling over some of the patterns we found. I picked three different patterned prints that had similar colors and grouped them together to create instant (and cost-efficient) wall art. Simple frames keep the arrangement from looking too busy, and they don't distract from the patterns. This trick would also look great with a set of three same-sized frames lined up on a wall. You could also use fabric instead of paper to add a little more texture to the look.
One of my favorite new toys in this office is a new Willow House product that's coming out in January 2011 in our Spring/Summer catalog. One of the best perks of this job is getting to "test drive" all the fun new products before they hit the catalog! While you're waiting for this product, check out some of the organizers we already have available (and that we all use in our offices at home and at work): the French Wire Tiered Stand, Nautilus Vases and Ingleside Luminaries.
Katie's also planning a home office makeover ... so you might just get a sneak peek at her new room soon!