Back to the Office...

We moved into our house about four years ago and the office was that room that we just tossed some 'good enough' furniture into and left out really designing it for later.  About a year and half ago I started to get the itch to want to design something more our style, however, other projects seemed to come up and trump the office in importance.  Now that most of those other projects have been completed, we are back to the office and ready to create a space we will use more often.  When we first started this journey a year and half ago, I created a mood board for the room and did a quick post about my ideas- you can find that post here.  In this first mood board, I wanted a light airy feel with a touch of beach.  I used weathered, drift wood for the desk and matching storage units and neutrals for any accents.  This time around my design plan is similar but does have some changes.

When designing the office this time around I started with researching desks that were in our price range and selecting that large piece first.  I felt like the room was going to really go one way or the other depending on the desk.  I loved this cream/white one from Ballard Design.  It has a very classic feel to it and tons of great storage.

source: ballard design

Our second option was this more weathered wood look from Home Decorators.  It has a stand alone desk with coordinating pieces to select from.

source: home decorators

I was so torn between these two designs.  I loved them both.  So it ultimately came down to what worked best in the room, price, and overall design.  The Ballard desk was more expensive so if that was my choice I would have to cut other ideas to stay within my budget.  I decided to measure out the room and see which would fit better.  It is not a large room and one wall is taken up with a fireplace and two windows, so I needed to keep that in mind.  After measuring out the Ballard desk (which I think was really my first choice), I saw that it was going to truly take up the entire room.  I didn't want to walk in the office and feel overwhelmed with such a large desk unit.  So we ultimately went with the weathered wood collection from Home Decorators.  I think with this choice we will be able to add more design touches such as crown molding, wall paneling, wallpaper, and other decorative items.  After settling on a desk type, I decided to create another mood board to give my husband an overall idea of what I am going for. 

This mood board has more of a grown up feel to it.  I am still with the neutral color scheme and weathered wood like my original plan.  However, in this board I added touches of brass, grasscloth wallpaper, and leather, rather than that beachy feel- a bit more manly for the hubby.  Now remember a mood board serves as a fun inspirational guide, like an pinterest board.  Stay tuned for how this room all comes together!