In the 12 years since I've been a blogger, my office situation has changed many times. There was a time when Chanel and I gathered at an IKEA desk in the basement of Adam and I's first house. Then we moved to our current house and converted a guest room into an office for four. When the team moved into our first full-fledged office, we took the guest room back. We moved that office a year later, only to renovate a 100-year-old bungalow that will forever be dear to me. Over the years, I've taken a lot of home office ideas and actual office ideas that have influenced my ever-evolving approach to designing these workspaces.
Everything changed last year, and like many other creative teams, we're now in a new season of working from home again. For the most part, I'm loving this situation, but I'm looking forward to the day when we can get together as a team for brainstorming lunches and travel together again.
That said, working from home is my reality for the time being, so when I recently embarked on a renovation, I knew I needed to make sure I had a place I would “want to come to work” every day.
Not wanting to give up another guest room, we decided to transform a small alcove in our kitchen into our dream workspace. So we gathered all of our best home office ideas into one Pinterest board and got to work. Scroll through the before and after photos and answers to common questions about this space on Instagram…
What part of your home is this?
First off, I haven't shown you many (maybe none?) photos of this space over the years because it's never been my favorite part of our home. When we built our house 10 years ago, we had an awkward little space off the kitchen that never quite knew what to do with it: a home office, an art area for the kids, a closet for things we didn't know what else to do with it, etc. In my experience, if a space doesn't have a clear purpose, it often doesn't get much attention in the design department, and that was certainly the case here.
Here's a photo of my team working in this space a few years ago when a few of us worked from my house. As you can see, intern Kelly worked in a “crawl office” tucked under the stairs, and Chanel worked at an inconspicuous built-in desk with white drawers underneath. Although you can't see it, there was also a heavy white cabinet built into the top that always made me feel claustrophobic sitting at that desk. This space never felt inefficient, and it was always tidy.
How did you make your new desk?
When planning the renovation, we knew this room would need a complete overhaul if it was going to be a future home office. We toyed with plans to incorporate all of the built-in cabinetry, but eventually realized we would have to remove them all. It was a tough decision, as built-in cabinetry wasn't cheap, but we knew simple was better, especially in such a small space. With a plan to gut all the built-ins, I designed a simple wood-paneled desk, and framer James Downing built two floating pieces and attached them to the wall. He used simple oak that he sealed with Bullseye matte shellac. Below are some detailed photos taken during the construction phase…
What are your tips for comfort and ergonomics when working from home?
If you spend a lot of time in front of a computer like me, comfort is important. However, I prefer a more homey feel to my furniture and decided not to use an ergonomic office chair. Here are some comfort-first ideas for your home office that I incorporated into this space.
Monitor for computer work. I bought a large monitor and stowed it under the stairs of my desk. It's not visible when you're in the space, but when I do a lot of computer work, I can turn my chair towards my desk and work more comfortably without hunching over my laptop. External webcam for video calls. I attached a webcam to my monitor. I never did Zoom calls as often as I do now, so this was a game changer. By directing my gaze to the top of the monitor during video calls, my posture is much better than when I was looking down at my laptop. Chair that makes me sit upright. I love the clean, Scandinavian lines of this wooden chair I bought at Target. It may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of “office chair,” but the shape of the chair helps me sit upright without slouching. Add a padded cushion. That said, sitting on a wooden chair for hours can hurt my butt, so I put a padded cushion under the bottom of my chair. This also serves to support your body by a few inches and put your hands in a much more ergonomically correct position when typing. (When you type, your arms should be perpendicular to the floor, from your elbows to your wrists; if your arms are pointing up, you probably need to sit a little higher.)
How do you hide power cords on your desk?
With such a simple desk, I knew it was important to carefully plan my cord solutions to prevent cluttered tech from ruining my zen vibe.
As he was putting the desk together, I asked the framer to drill a 2-inch diameter hole in the center of the back of each of the two pieces of wood. I added cord keeper “caps” to neatly store my computer and cell phone chargers, and there are power outlets underneath each hole – little details that make everything look more streamlined.
What kind of wall decor do you recommend for your home office?
For this space, I dreamed of a piece that would bring the outdoors inside and blend seamlessly with the trees outside my window. I fell in love with this eucalyptus print by photographer Kara Rosenlund (I love all of her work), but the large size I needed would cost nearly $2,000 framed. Hmm, I was out of budget.
So I did a quick search for eucalyptus prints on Etsy and found this dreamy print by artist Emma Lucas (arrtopia). I paid $10 for the downloadable file and had it sent to Simply Framed. For a total of $354, I got a beautifully framed print that I am completely obsessed with. This is my favorite new hack for making affordable art and one that I will be using again and again. 🙂
I fell in love with this faux sheepskin stool from Dear Keaton but wasn't sure where to put it. As it turns out, it's become very functional here. I toss my purse on it when I walk into a room, and my kids pull it up and sit next to me and draw while I work. I love how much this stool adds a touch of luxury to this room.
I work in an office instead of at home…how can I make my desk look prettier?
Keep it simple, intentional, and personal.
I used to have a lot of clutter on my desk, but I've found that I'm much happier with less clutter on it. That said, what you choose should be special and meaningful. I love the sculptural look of this bronze task lamp, and I also love the curved lines of this oversized white ceramic vase, which is perfect for displaying lots of branches.
Leaning an inspiration pinboard against a window might seem counterintuitive, since it blocks a bit of the view outside. But in practice, I love how it brings a bit of coziness and structure to the backdrop of my space. I often change what's on this board to match the season and my mood. It could be anything: family photos, magazine clippings, recipes, quotes. Even practical items like a notepad and pen can spark joy. My “Malibu” notepad reminds me of my favorite places even when I'm not there. And you all know I'm obsessed with this pen. The smooth, fine flow of ink is so satisfying.
This candle is one of my favorites: Black Rose by FVITH.
I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my home office. I really enjoy working in this space because I believe that the environment has the power to inspire creativity and calm. If you have any questions about the home office, post them below and I'll do my best to answer them.