Jan 25, 2019

INTERIORS

#MYHOMERESTYLING | HOME OFFICE BEFORE & AFTER

Ok guys it’s been quite a long time since I told you I was going to restyle my home office…but things in the last months of the year went crazy both with the blog and with the studio projects. In Italy there is this proverb: “the shoemaker always wears worn-out shoes” . That’s exactly what happens here: I am designing somebody’s else houses, or helping people finding inspiration for their own houses, and never find time for mine. Also, we have some plans for a big project in the future -I am not revealing anything until some things are getting clearer- so our current home restyling just went in the background.

BUT you know that I work from home, this means that the room I am showing you today is the one where I spend most of my time. If I am not traveling, meeting clients, going somewhere, this is the place where I work. Sometimes we work in two (with Elena helping me on interior projects) and it absolutely needed a total restyling.

I think that working in a comfortable space which can inspire you happiness is crucial for everybody, especially if you are a freelance and you work from home!

Home Office Remodel | Requirements

In this post last year I was writing about 5 things that could not be missed in my new home office. I recap my requirements in this list:

a brighter space, because the room is long and narrow and with just one glazed door
a bigger desk, where to work in two if needed and some new space where to store magazines, papers, business cards, badges, stuff from my job
a big wall where to create moodboards
a comfortable but beautiful new chair
some bright pink (the same as ITALIANBARK pink dog’s logo!)

Home Office Remodel | Moodboard

Since the room where I work is not that big nor bright, and also there is inside a big closet where we store additional stuff (like coats, shoes, linens, etc), I wanted to underline the corner where I work with new color and light.

I always wanted a space to inspire happiness and joy, I just can’t imagine working in a dark and not comfortable place. So the moodboard reflects how I am and something about the blog too: before becoming my own job, this website was born as my small happy island where to escape from a daily routine I didn’t love. That’s the mood of the project too!

Home Office Remodel before and after

After

So here the before and after pictures. Do you like the new look? I am telling something more now about the choices!

home office restyling / 1. a brigher space

I made the space much brighter by removing the old office desk and choosing a lighter solution for the storage. I also left the wall over the desk almost empty, so now I can watch outside through the glass, and I used instead of that wall the right side for some wall storage. I just hang a magazine holder in leather and a print by The Poster Club.

To add brightness but also some depth, I chose two shades of beiges, one light and one darker, by painting the wall in a two -toned effect with the darker below. Beiges are the Tonal Yellows of Chreon by Lechler.

home office restyling / 2. a bigger desk and more storage space

I used then all the space I pulled for a long desk (2 meters), always by IKEA, in white. Now there is plenty of space, for two laptops, printer, stationery, even if I prefer leaving this space quite empty to keep the table tidy.

For the storage, I opted for the SVALNAS series by IKEA because I love its natural finish in bamboo and its structure is very light and airy. I also purchased a tall chest of drawers, in white, always by IKEA.

home office restyling / 3. a big moodboard

One thing I absolutely wanted to add in my home office was a big board where to create moodboards. I need them for projects, but also for creating blogposts and trend reports after fairs and visits. The board is made of plywood, just nailed of the wall, even if the first idea was to cover with cork from floor to ceiling. It actually did not work so then I opted for this!

home office restyling / 4. a comfortable but beautiful new chair

It’s not that easy to find an office chair which is also nice looking. I opted then for an iconic chair, the 209 chair by Thonet, in the traditional oak finish and cane work seat. To make it more confortable, I covered it with a faux-fur blanket in white.

home office restyling / 5. some bright pink

Since the beginnings, the logo of ITALIANBARK has been in pink, so it sounded obvious to me do add some pink in my studio as well. actually it is not an easy hue of pink as for example a dusty millennial one, but it is a really bright mid pink. I thought that painting walls in this color could have been “too much” (also considering that I spend a lot of time here!) so I thought about painting just the higher area of walls plus the ceiling. The effect is quite cool!

The pink is Bright Red 39001 of Chreon by Lechler.