Designer Home Offices – Inside her Thousand Oaks, California, home office, Nicole Hollis installed a magnetic wall to display family photos, as well as artwork by Yoshitomo Nara.
8 top designers reveal how to create the perfect home office For these global design talents, a functional and stylish home office is business as usual
Designer Home Offices
As more and more people switch to working from their residence, they recognize the importance of the home office and design the interior accordingly. Whether in a quiet nook or living in a wing of its own, this space must both inspire creativity and maintain a level of activity. “If you’re designing a home office for a client, you need to find out what they need, so you can get to the heart of what makes them happy,” says Markham Roberts, who conducts research on wealth. in New York. a country home as well as a carriage house converted into a studio nearby. Here, design experts share what it takes to execute the perfect plan based on a few key elements.
Ideas For Creating The Ultimate Home Office
Of course, most offices focus on the desk, whether it’s a classic design like the Eero Saarinen Tulip table or the Jean Prouvé Trapèze table or a spectacular display like the limited edition Zaha Hadid one used by Francis Sultana. “I wanted something with her in this room somehow for sentimental reasons, because she was a good friend,” says Sultana. “It was the best choice in terms of proportions and design. I was looking for a large desk but I didn’t want it to feel too heavy in the room.”
To liven up a writer’s office in New York, designer Katie Ridder placed a desk in a bold shade of robin’s egg blue next to a row of lively cabinets with raspberry lacquer. “We like all the rooms to flow into each other, so these colors are picked up in the surrounding areas,” explains Ridder. “There is no rule that says an office has to be brown wood. It can be very functional and still decorated. “
“There is no rule that says an office has to be brown wood. It can be very active and dressy” Katie Ridder
Designer Katie Ridder used bold colors, light lacquer, and an antique chandelier to create an inspiring workspace for a writer in New York. Photo: ERIC PIASECKI
A Graphic Designer’s Home Office Redesign
In addition, the correct placement of the furniture is essential for the success of a room. “Nobody likes to be cornered, and facing a wall isn’t great either,” says Reinaldo Leandro, one half of Ashe Leandro’s New York design team, which has created amazing spaces, from compost Nantucket to Caracas hotel. For artist Rashid Johnson’s home office, the duo designed around George Nakashima’s iconic desk. “In that particular position, it is placed completely open to the width of the room, receiving natural light from the back but open to the space and facing the door to welcome thoughts, ideas or loads – visit “
Seating is also an integral part of an office interior. While the styles of Eames and George Nelson desk chairs are very successful, James Huniford, whose book James Huniford: At Home (The Monacelli Press) is out in November, chooses ones that make an impact. “I like chairs that are sculpted in form and shape,” says the designer. “They have to be practical, not too big or too heavy.”
James Huniford is moving towards seating that is both practical and elegant, like this Barrow chair from the designer’s own collection. Photo: MATTHEW WILLIAMS
One of the elements that can give relief to a home office is the institutional style of lighting. “Natural light in a work environment is so important. It’s connected to your productivity and your well-being,” says Leandro. “The closer you get to that natural light source, the healthier your mind will be. “
Small Office Makeover On A Budget
Repurposing an underutilized space as a home office can often mean that natural light is a luxury, so it depends on the right choice of table and floor lamps or fixtures above a room to illuminate. “A table lamp that looks good from any angle is a great way to introduce a sculptural element,” says Richard Petit of The Archers, who are known for mixing under-appreciated design treasures from the past decades. “The Franco Albini and Franca Helg AS1C table lamp can either light up an entire room or cast a soft glow depending on the situation.”
According to San Francisco-based designer Nicole Hollis, a unique chandelier not only creates a dramatic visual moment but also opens up the available desk space. “Offices naturally accumulate junk even for the most organized person,” says the designer, whose book NicoleHollis: Curated Interiors (Rizzoli) is out October 6.
Markham Roberts’ home office includes a now-defunct chintz wall covering from Clarence House that the designer had saved for decades. Photo: MIGUEL FLORES-VIANNA
The necessities of doing business, such as paperwork and electronics, often make a home office unattractive, but repurposing high-quality materials can preserve their beauty. Lacquer, brass, or bone trays and boxes can be a great catch, and Roberts turned several wicker stools into a drop area for papers, avoiding an ugly recycling bin. “Things can add character to a space and still be functional,” says the designer, whose second book, Markham Roberts: Notes on Decoration (Vendome), is out this month.
Take A Look Inside A Light Filled Spare Room Home Office
Shelves can also provide storage but also offer a place to display a collection or inject personality – something that is especially important in today’s video conferencing culture. “Art, hobbies, and memorabilia can be selected and displayed in very personal ways,” said Petit, who submitted Sterling Ruby’s 2014 work SP294 to introduce a splash of color into her -inside which is the opposite. “A wall of sound-absorbing books can do the same job. “
“A table lamp that looks good from any angle is a great way to add a sculptural element” Richard Petit
Inside her Thousand Oaks, California, home office, Nicole Hollis installed a magnetic wall to display family photos, as well as artwork by Yoshitomo Nara. Photo: DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN
Anyone who’s scanned a colleague’s shelves during a Zoom call knows that it’s these life accounts that mark this workplace as an extension of the home. “Our project client in Russian Hill, a tech operator who often works with video conferencing, wanted a space that was cheerful and inspiring,” says Hollis. “We found a bold skull graphic rug by Eddy Bogaert for Marc Phillips who adds the real edge.”
Luxury Home Office Design
“My desk is ‘me’ – from my notebooks (I always use the same orange ones from Hermès) to my pens, pencil holder, the odd box, trays, and even a sculpture,” says Sultana. “The more things on it, the more personality.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our Fall 2020 issue under the heading “Office Hours.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Cover: Inside a Thousand Oaks, California, home office, Nicole Hollis installed a magnetic wall to display family photos, as well as artwork by Yoshitomo Nara. Who says home offices have to be all work and no play? Check out how these four women turned their workouts into an organized, fun, and feminine retirement.
Who says home offices have to be all work and no play? Whether you find yourself working in a traditional office or at home, it’s nice to have an organized place to call your own and get some work done. With the right color palette, organization and furniture, you can transform your home’s basement into a space that reflects both your lifestyle and personality. Four women, each with challenging and different lifestyles, gave us an inside look at how they make the most of their at-home workouts.
The Psychology Behind Graphic Designer Office Interior
When she’s not on set or spending time with her two young children, actress Alexandra Breckenridge has the perfect place to recharge: her home office in Atlanta. The star of NBC’s “This Is Us” and Netflix’s “Virgin River” pursues hobbies like quilting and photography, so her interior designer (and mother-in-law) Rebecca Cartwright made sure the office as versatile as Alexandra.
“She wanted a tall desk—42 inches high—for easy cutting and sewing,” says Rebecca. “The work table had to be stylish as the office is off the dining room at the front of the home. ” The chic black-and-white desk was made by Aronson Woodworks, a small custom furniture shop in Iowa and Rebecca’s favorite. With Alexandra’s own black-and-white photographs as the room’s art, this simple color palette keeps the room cohesive.
Rebecca enjoyed incorporating Alexandra’s collections and books as part of the project, reflecting a trend she saw for home offices with personal style. “The women we work with travel,” says the designer. “They’ve been exposed to good, global design, so they want a sophisticated office that reflects their personalities as well as their values.”
Alexandra’s mother-in-law and interior designer Rebecca Cartwright commissioned this full-grain office table from Aronson Woodworks as the centerpiece of the room, designing the table so that it could double as a sewing table as well desk. Vintage black-and-white Hollywood photos taken by Alexandra decorate the walls. Image: Jessica Ashley
Tour This Amazing Fashion Blogger’s Transitional Home Office
“She asked for a day bed where she could sit with her young children in the room,”