Home Office

What do you do with a formal dining room that’s been masquerading as a makeshift home office? Well, naturally, turn it into an official workspace for the work-from-home executive or entrepreneur. The before – dark, heavy, and claustrophobic – becomes light, airy, and spacious after Studio H finished with it.

What were the new space must-haves? A better workstation, desk and accent chairs, lighting, storage, and a relaxing place to lounge with the dogs. Don’t forget overall brightening up the space, a cohesive design, and an atmosphere that inspires productivity. Tall order!

First, we replaced the boring paint with a retro, art deco-inspired wallcovering which energizes the room by itself. It became the perfect backdrop.
The desk: every room has a challenge, and this was it. After scouring our vendor database, the only solution was to design from scratch. We partnered with our preferred Triangle-area vendor, using only local materials. Goodbye, dated and traditional; hello, modern, sustainably-sourced custom workstation.

Natural distressing on the red oak slab top and chunky legs give an updated feel, without being too farmhouse. Even though it’s bigger, it doesn’t feel oversized (accurate furniture scale is crucial).

Now, how to reduce the clutter? The client struggled with places for putting files, papers, and business items out of sight, yet still accessible. We answered that with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling custom built-ins, complete with a window seat and cushion to curl up with her dogs. No potential storage space was ignored – underneath became two soft-close drawers. And the requested reading corner is now her favorite place for morning coffee and journaling.

The ornate, early-2000s bronze chandelier had to go (functionally and stylistically). Sticking with our modern-retro vibe, we replaced it with a Sputnik-inspired fixture. Other lighting included task lamps on the desktop and next to the accent chair.

In the end, her office is the envy of neighbors and coworkers. Wouldn’t your small business run better in a space like this? We believe so!