Office Nook – Before, Progress & Plans

I’m so happy to learn I’m not the only one left in blogland that still loves design planning and progress posts.  Thank you all so much for your feedback on the current state of affairs in my home office.  I’m super excited to continue sharing real time updates on the blog!  And I hope to have an “after” to share real soon.  Today I’m switching gears a bit and sharing a little progress and planning update in the hubs home office nook.  Since I’ll be using the downstairs “formal living room” as my office space and he also works from home we needed to create a dedicated work space for him as well.  We’re not the married type that can work side by side.  We need our separate spaces.  😉

Pointless Landing Spot turned Office Nook

When we toured this house with our realtor we both looked at this “landing spot” at the top of the stairs with our head sort of cocked to one side.  We were both kind of like, hmmmmm, what could we do with this little spot?

While not a huge space, it definitely had potential.  The door leads to the top front porch of our home.  And while there is no real privacy here, this area stays pretty quiet during the day while our kids are in school.  I knew this little spot could be the perfect office nook for my husband with a little planning.  It already had great natural lighting and beautiful hardwood floors.

The Power of Built-in Bookcases

As soon as we settled on this spot for his home office space, I immediately decided that the best way to maximize this little nook would be to add built-in floor-to-ceiling bookcases to frame the door.  Architectural elements add depth and dimension, and I knew in this small area taking bookcases to the ceiling would make the space feel and look larger.  Over this past weekend (as many of you saw on my Instagram story) my contractor came and got started on this little project.  While it still needs to be finished (caulked and painted and moulding adding to the top), I’m already so in love with the result!

You may also notice the wall color changed.  I went with Sherwin Williams Shoji White, a soft white with a light grey undertone.  The wall color change brightened the space up quite a bit!

The bookcases really gave this space a much more defined purpose.   Now this area feels more like a destination than a pass-through.  They take up a mere 12 inches of floor space along the back wall, yet make an enormous visual impact.

Design Plans

We’re utilizing a number of items we brought with us from the hubs office in our last house (take a tour of his office in our Kentucky home here).  His desk, office chair and even the velvet curtain panels we brought with us will all work beautifully in this space.  Love it when that happens!

The design plan I put together is a play on neutrals with loads of texture and pattern.  This space is going to have a decidedly masculine feel with a nod to his mid-century loving style.

(rug, desk lamp, vase, candlesticks)

1. I’m planning to convert the recessed light in this nook to a pendant.  I think that will be just one more design element that will help to make this spot feel more like a room than an afterthought.  The lantern pendant currently hanging in my office will move up here.
2. Hubs wants a large chalkboard on the wall to jot down notes.  I recently picked up a large framed one at Hobby Lobby for next to nothing!
3. The rug adds a nice dose of pattern in here while the solid velvet curtain panels (similar) will bring some texture and add in a “study” vibe.  Is it just me, or does velvet feel studious or library-esque to you all too?  I plan to hang the panels high and wide so as not to block any natural light.  This will also help to make the space look and feel even larger.
4. Then I’ll have some fun styling the bookcases with vintage books and a few sculptural elements and call her, or should I say him, done!

So that’s the plan folks!  I’m so glad to see some real progress happening here.  It’s exciting to finally see this spot living up to its full potential!