A Home Office That Doubles as a Guest Room

Welcome to Day One of my 31 Days of Design Series (if you missed the introduction to the series please click here).  Today, I would like to share a Home Office that we recently designed for a client that also doubles as a guest room...

This room was designed through my Affordable Online Design Service. 

Our client wanted to use this space as a stylish home office, but she also wanted it to pull double duty as a cozy guest room. The space had a lot of doors and windows which made incorporating both a bed and a desk a little tricky, but we came up with a solution...

We incorporated a fold out Murphy bed. When the bed is closed, it looks neat, tidy, and pretty. Especially with a nice piece of art and a set of candle lanterns on top. When the bed is open, it features gorgeous bedding and luxurious sheets to welcome guests. Below are two true to scale floor plan illustrations that we created to show how the bed fits into the space when it's closed and when it's open...

We also gave her the option of not including the bed and just using this space as an office. Here is a look at a true to scale floor plan of the space with a bookcase instead of the Murphy bed...

I gave her two options for a new wall color, Naval or Dovetail both by Sherwin Williams. Our clients home is a brand new build that has a ton of thick, custom moldings and gorgeous pine floors that would really pop against a rich wall color. 

I created a cozy reading nook with a comfortable arm chair, a rush ottoman, a floor lamp and a character rich teak end table. The chair was available in many upholstery options, I selected this pretty blue stripe fabric.

To ground the furniture arrangement, soften the design and give the room a sense of symmetry, I place a pretty, round rug in the center of the space 

To keep the windows light and bright, I selected breezy, white, off the shelf drapery panels with a stunning color block detail at the bottom. 

I gave our client a gorgeous desk that has a lot of character. It features an amazing Belgian Oak finish that will look stunning with her pine floors.  I selected an upholstered desk chair from Ballard Designs in a pretty white fabric for a crisp, clean look. 

Over the desk, I placed a pair of large scale art prints. I knew my client would appreciate the coastal nod these prints lend to the space and I loved the blue and gray color palette. We also gave her cool desk lamp and a few small accessories to dress up the top of the desk, without taking up too much work space. 

This space features a floor to ceiling custom built in shelving unit in the corner next to the closet. We selected a series of baskets from Ballard Designs to use in these shelves to store office supplies as well as guest necessities. Chalk tags from Etsy allow my client to label each basket in a very attractive way. 

To finish off the design, we placed this beautiful chandelier in the center of the space to create a wonderful focal point. 

Below are the sources for the products shown in this design. 

Come back tomorrow for Day 2 of my 31 Days of Design Series. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Online Design Services are now available. Please click here for details.

Product Sources: 

Murphy Bed Desk End Table Chandelier Floor Lamp Rug Art Desk Chair Arm Chair Bedding Art Ottoman Chalk Tags

Bedroom Makeover~Before/After

I know I've said this before, but I mean it every time…this is one of my favorite room transformations.   When Erik and Sara called upon me to help with their guest bedroom, their main complaint about the space was that it felt "unfinished".  Individually, they had great pieces (an upholstered headboard, a beautiful duvet, a rich brown leather chair and a dresser with sentimental value), but they weren't happy with the way these items looked together. 

Here's a quick look at the room (and dresser) "Before"… 

(Before)

After a brief consultation, I got to work creating a custom design plan for their space using their existing pieces as the basis of the design.  

Here was my inspiration board…

{Please click here for more info on my affordable online design service}

Color, pattern, texture and carefully chosen accessories were used bring their existing pieces (the bed, duvet, dresser and leather chair) together in one cohesive, finished, custom design.   The plan included a dresser makeover project, new window treatments, additional bedding layers, custom paint color selection, new hardware and fun accessories.

Here is a tour of the space "after"...

These beautiful candle holders and clear lamp base were already owned by the client, tucked away in a closet.  The translucent quality of these pieces made them perfect for the nightstand in front of the window.  Together they create a non-view blocking table top vignette.

Speaking of the nightstand…it was built by Sara's father to coordinate with the dresser that received a makeover.  The top drawers of the dresser were removed to make room for storage baskets followed by a crisp white paint job, subtle distressing along the edges, and new hardware.  Instead of purchasing a nightstand with a similar look, her Dad offered to build her one.   

How lucky are you when your Dad can whip up a gorgeous piece of furniture at a moments notice?  Pretty lucky!

I tied their brown leather club chair into the design by incorporating dark roman shades layered under drapery panels and dark storage baskets inside the furniture.    

I recommended dark bronze window hardware and dresser drawer pulls to coordinate with the existing door hardware used throughout their home...

All of these rich brown accents provide amazing contrast to crisp white furniture, drapery and bedding. 

Pops of muted yellow found in guest towels, family photos, pillows and lampshade are fun and unexpected. 

The new custom paint color selection provided drama.  The amazing moldings in this room are now highlighted by this fabulously rich will color.

This project a great example of how a room can still feel light and bright despite using a dark wall color.

Thank you, Erik and Sara for giving me the opportunity to create a design plan for your guest room.   Your home is exceptionally beautiful and it's been a pleasure working with you.  I hope your guests enjoy their cozy new digs.

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