HOME OFFICE LOOKS TO LOVE
These 10 carefully conceived home office setups have distinct yet delightfully different personalities.
These 10 carefully conceived home office setups have distinct yet delightfully different personalities.
Working from home is the new normal.
Whether you have plans to set up shop in a styled-up office or need to carve out a corner of a room to call your own, these designer ideas for your desktop, practical ideas to keep things neat and tidy and slick solutions for even the smallest office spaces will keep you motivated to keep up the good work.
CORNER OFFICE.
How to transform a formerly nondescript corner into something seriously impressive? Paint or paper the background in a dramatic color or print. This tiny space oozes urban smarts and designer appeal.
Design Notes
• Simplicity is key to the success of this small yet sorted desktop empire. Simple wooden shelves are suspended on black brackets, while the shiny stone top is a sophisticated and elegant touch.
• Playful tchotchkes and flashes of metal are the undeniable marks of a creative mind at work.
Tip : If you’re going to be spending hours at your desk, make sure you invest in the best chair you can afford. While good looks are great, you want something that will support your spine while you’re burning the midnight oil.
YOUNG AT HEART.
This ultra-cool pad could suit the needs of everyone from teen to guitar-toting Dad. The utilitarian plywood wall detail is a pragmatic, no-frills choice that ticks the on-trend box, while dramatic black details are so simple yet so strong.
Design Notes
• This home office embraces practical must-haves (you can never go wrong with cubular shelving) and marries them with trendy touches like hexagonal cork tiles for real-life Pinterest moments.
• The wall-mounted rack is an efficient solution to avoid clutter, while the three treasured guitars become an eye-catching design feature of their own.
Tip
: The animal-hide rug and Scandi chair are a retro-inspired yet thoroughly modern duo.
CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC.
Charcoal gray walls and a glass-fronted cabinet lined with collectibles and memorabilia are a striking focal point in this smart office space that perfectly embraces both classic and contemporary style.
Design Notes
• The glass tabletop and no-nonsense trestle legs help this home office embrace modernity, while the patchwork Persian rug and hand-carved chair pay homage to the past.
• Exotic collectibles sprinkled around the room are a fascinating decorative detail and invite conversation.
Tip : By placing the desk on a rug of its own and away from the wall, an immediate sense of drama and gravitas is created.
CREATIVELY CURATED.
Cape Town stylist Shelley Street combines her love for a monochromatic color palette and found natural objects in her work-from-home studio. Form and function are perfect partners in this space that can double as a shoot location at any time.
Design Notes
• Floating shelves are ideal for those who love to play with their favorite pieces and discoveries—no need for nails! Simply lean prints against the wall, and group finds together as you please.
• The simple palette is the perfect canvas for seasonal changes. A textured rug in the winter or blossoms in the spring are just two easy ways to change the mood in a flash.
Tip : Here a chunky table with hand-turned legs is given a lick of black paint and teamed with an Eames office chair—it’s a playful and charming combination.
ALL LINED UP.
Two tables of the same height are lined up to form an impressive desktop in this eclectic creative studio. The large room is dotted with furniture and décor items that command attention, from the oversized table lamp to comfy leather chairs.
Design Notes
• Creative resources are easily available in this contemporary library wall, where books and design magazines are stacked in artful piles to form an essential part of the narrative.
• A sense of order and organization is clear thanks to the customized shelving wall and visual cues like the shutters that mirror the multiple linear details in the space.
Tip : The dark paint detail of the wall of shelves helps pull this office look together, creating a sense of intimacy and calm.
GALLERY SHOW.
A lifelong collection of much loved art exhibition posters is elevated to gallery status in this retro-fabulous home office and studio.
Design Notes
• A bulletin board crammed with tourist-stand and museum-shop postcards becomes an art installation all its own.
• The steel-legged and glass-topped desk is a functional choice that embraces this modern aesthetic perfectly.
Tip : Continuity is key when showcasing a collection. Here cohesiveness is created by framing each and every poster in the simplest wood surround.
WORK POD.
This compact sleep-work-play unit has a place for everything and everything in its place. A bracket system with units that slide up and down to form seating or act as storage is at the heart of the design mastery here.
Design Notes
• The laptop bureau has a folding front that acts as a perfect countertop (or a spot to enjoy a between-deadlines sandwich).
• Tiny homes are here to stay and their success comes down to careful (and hardworking) design and aesthetic considerations. The same philosophies of less-is-more can be applied to working from home in an apartment too.
Tip : A good cabinetmaker can easily build a unit with a foldaway or slide-out countertop that can be pulled or folded out when needed.
SPACE MAKER.
This tiny corner has been transformed into a hardworking work-from-home zone with enough space for a laptop, stationery, filing and reference essentials. A simple wall-mounted unit provides ample storage space, while the metallic touches along with the hand-woven chair and sheepskin cover bring in just the right amount of laidback luxury.
Design Notes
• The simple palette of all-white and wood is a cohesive and uncomplicated choice and a perfect solution for a small space. Painted the same crisp white as the wall, the desk unit melts into the background perfectly.
• Keep clutter at bay in your work-from-home zone by accessorizing with coordinating containers for paperwork and other essentials.
• The shelving unit works hard but is anything but corporate. Look for furniture pieces (like bedside tables to slot under desktops) to use in your at-home headquarters.
Tip : A glass top elevates the little table into an elegant piece. The touch of sophistication means that it could live as comfortably in the corner of a bedroom or a sunny spot of a living room too.
WORK SMARTS.
More and more we’re embracing that a high functioning home office doesn’t need to be huge. All that’s needed is an area you can call your own, space to think and sometimes a chance to shut out the world for a while (thank you, noise-canceling earphones!)
Design Notes
• A corner of a bedroom or living room can easily be converted into a discreet spot for work—and one that doesn’t have to interfere with your preferred aesthetic. The sleek desk doesn’t skimp on storage but together with the chair ensures high design standards are met.
• Here the monochrome palette and the addition of plants as living accessories complete the tasteful, utterly livable picture.
Tip
: The Anglepoise lamp is a striking and timeless focal point for this stylish corner workspace.
WORK + PLAY.
A contemporary shared office space evokes a private gentlemen’s club atmosphere—with none of the snobbery and all of the style cred. Raw timber floorboards, a graphic Persian rug in unconventional brights and a gallery wall featuring a mix of classical and more modern landscapes together tell the tale of their owners, who make their own interior rules.
Design Notes
• Love the look? Use vintage finds like wooden tennis rackets to emulate a tongue-in-cheek sports club atmosphere.
• Plywood shelves were used to build the no-nonsense shelves in this private library-like space. An antique Cape refectory table was stripped of its traditional glossy varnish and given a matte finish instead—bringing it straight into the 21st century.
Tip
: When marrying old décor details with new, do it with bravery. The secret to the success of this room is the tonguein-cheek old school narrative propped up with details like the worn desk chairs, a vintage globe and a vase full of billiard balls.