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My Home Office Reveal

I’m super excited to share my home office makeover/reveal with you today! I feel like I’ve been teasing this post for months.

For anyone just catching up, we moved to a new house last summer. It’s around 15 years old, and while the previous owners had kept it up beautifully, it wasn’t decorated to my style. Like most of us who decorated our homes 10-15 years ago, they had used a lot of warm neutrals in the tuscan style that was so popular at the time. We’ve been there, done that, so we set out to put our own stamp on it and update the decor with lighter colors and cool neutrals. I’ll be sharing all of the rooms we’ve completed over the next few weeks, but today I’m going to start with my home office.

The first time we walked through this house during an Open House last April, we were delighted by all the natural light and the spaciousness of the rooms, and the office is no exception.

My home office in our last house was a nice space, but it was located right off the foyer and had a way of being the catch-all for coats and shoes and papers and things that didn’t have a home. And of course when anyone came in the door, I was sitting right there. It could be quite distracting, although I did love that room and felt fortunate to have my own dedicated office space.

This office, however, is located in a back corner of the house with doors I can close for privacy. It has windows on three of the walls so it gets a lot of sunlight throughout the day, and it’s not in a location that tends to collect clutter. It is truly mine, all mine!

My vision for this room was to make it a functional and pretty space to work with a touch of glam… in other words, an office befitting a fashion blogger!

But let’s start back at the beginning. Here’s what my office looked like when we moved in.

My Home Office: Before

As you can see, it’s a great space, but the paint was brown and kind of dreary, and the carpet had permanent discolorations indentations from the previous owner’s desk.

The first thing we did was have it painted Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray to flow with the rest of the house, and that alone was an improvement. It brightened up the space, at least, but it also made the carpet look even more old and dirty than it did before. Plus we wanted to place my desk differently in the room, leaving nothing to disguise the area of the carpet that was stained, so I went ahead and placed an order for new wall to wall carpet along with the other areas of the house we were having done.

As my vision for the room started to come together, however, I realized it was never going to have the sophisticated look I was going for with wall to wall carpet so I decided at the last minute to change my order to wood floors. I called the flooring store just in time for them to halt the order with only a small restocking fee.

This is the only picture I have of that in-between time, but you can see how the paint brightened up the space, and also that I would need to find something to replace that white ladder bookcase between the windows.

I am so, so, so glad I made that last minute decision to upgrade from carpet to wood floors. This room wouldn’t be the nearly as elegant as it is today with the beige pin dot carpet I had originally selected.

Here’s what the room looked like after the new floors went in. I was super happy with how close they were able to match the wood to the foyer floor.

My office still had a very un-fancy ceiling light fixture that I didn’t care for, and there were no curtains or wall hangings, but this was still a vast improvement.

The next thing I did was order this etagere for the wall between the windows, so I could display all my favorite fashionable things.

The white ladder shelf from the picture above had been the perfect fit for a corner in my old office, but this spot between the windows definitely needed something larger, and I prefer the gold and glass to the white for this space. We also covered up that hole wall with a plain outlet cover.

Over the next few months, we swapped out the functional ceiling light fixture for one that is more glam, styled my etagere, hung curtains, and purchased a chair and a small table for the corner where I sit to do my Facebook Lives.

I’ve been working with Magda at ReImagine Interiors during this whole process, and she helped me pull it all together. I would still be stuck on picking out curtains if I was left to my own devices, but she was able to take my vision and make it a reality.

It took a while for everything we ordered to come in, and then we had to hang everything and get it situated just so, but I’m finally ready to for the big reveal!!!

My Home Office: After

FYI, the wide lens Alison used to shoot these pictures makes the room look even bigger than it really is. I mean, it’s a nice sized room, but it looks massive in these shots!

The ceiling light may be my favorite part of my office, but I didn’t like it when I first saw it. Originally Magda suggested it for the foyer, but I knew Paul wouldn’t care for it, and I wasn’t sure I did either so we chose something else for that space.

Then when I got around to wanting to replace the ceiling light in my office, I remembered this one and just knew it was the perfect thing. I was a little nervous until it came in, wondering if it would be too much for my plain Jane style, but I absolutely love it in here.

When the sunburst mirror behind the desk came in, it was more silver than I realized, so Paul used gold spray paint on it so it works in better with all the gold accents in the room.

Styling the etagere took some trial and error (and ultimately the eye of my designer) but I love how it turned out. I’ve tweaked it here and there as I’ve added new things, but I think it’s all set for a while!

It feels a little show-offy and sometimes that makes me uncomfortable, but these are my favorite designer pieces along with some other little pretties I added to fill in the space. Most of the extra fillers are from Home Goods.

We also added an occasional chair and a small table to the corner where I do my Facebook Lives. It took some work to find an affordable chair that worked in the space, but when I saw this grey cheetah print parsons chair at Overstock.com, I knew it was the one!

I got the little occasional table and my curtains through ReImagine Interiors. I love how the curtains warm up the space without blocking the sunlight, and the table is the perfect little glam addition to the space.

My desk is from our old house, and I bought it off of a friend when she moved out of our neighborhood so I have no idea how old it is. Originally I had planned to replace it with something lighter and more feminine — like this one at Ballard Designs in the antique ivory — but now that everything else is in place, the desk doesn’t bother me so much anymore. I actually think the room is so light that the wood desk helps anchor the space, plus it’s very functional, so it’s staying put for now.

I purchased a few fun gold accessories to dress up the traditional desk… the gold paper organizer holds my receipts and post office receipts. I got it at Home Goods, and the name plate reads: BE THE BOSS. I also added a Kate Spade gold dot pencil cup for my pens and scissors and a pretty gold perforated wastebasket. Trash cans can be glam too!

The white shelf unit is also from my old office. Often the area in front gets stacked with clothing and other items I need to return, so my plan is to get rid of the photo albums and add a few more of those foldable storage cubes so I can put my returns inside until my assistant comes to help me box them up and get them to the post office. In fact, I just ordered the cubes! It will be nice to get that taken care of.

The magazine rack beside the bookcase and the print above are both recent additions to jazz up the space, and I tucked my paper shredder back in that corner, but it really doesn’t do much for the decor. Oh, well, it is an office after all!

The other thing we did, which you may not notice at first glance but helped update the space, is swap out the brassy gold door hardware for matte black doorknobs and hinges. We’ve actually done this throughout the house, and I love it! We ordered a few at a time from Amazon until we got them all done.

My curtain rods are also matte black, but I wish they had larger finials. We had to keep them minimal because of how close they are to the corners.

All in all, I totally love this space. It’s light and airy and modern and pretty, with a touch of glam — exactly what I envisioned. I work full time from home, and there are many days when I’m in here from 5AM to 5PM with barely a break for lunch. I can’t imagine a more lovely place to work!

area rug // ceiling light // cheetah accent chair // gold etagere bookcase // sunburst mirror // gold dot pencil cup // gold paper sorter (Home Goods) // magazine rack // perforated wastebasket // curtains and occasional table via ReImagine Interiors // my desk (old) // fashion print

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116 Responses

  1. I can see why you love the space. The light fixture and the shelf behind your desk make this room for me. It’s so pretty and calming. 

  2. What a gorgeous room! Changing the paint, floors and light fixtures makes such a dramatic impact and difference. Love the natural light from all the windows and being able to shut the door to get away from work (and any messes!) is nice. Have a great Saturday!

  3. The office looks great.,,I love it. I agree that where you work needs to be pleasant and pleasing to the senses,  so happy for you…great job. Enjoy!

  4. Oh wow! Your office is amazing. I recently moved out of state and just started updating the rooms. I’ll be working from home for a while and my office is going to be a small corner in the living room. I’ve been searching for a desk that is functional, glam, small and blends well with the living room decor. You’ve given me some great ideas 😀

  5. Love it!  A little jealous of all the room & light. I bet you really enjoy spending lots of time in your office.  Is that the picture I recommended?  So cute & very reasonably priced.
    Can’t wait to see what you’ve done with the rest of your house!

  6. Room is gorgeous!  I’m sure you enjoy it.  Could you tell me the dimensions of the room and the size of the rug?  My family room is 20 x 20 and I’m changing from carpet to hardwood.  I’m wondering what size rug I would need.

    1. I’m not sure the dimensions of my room, but Jessica is right — my designer always recommended the biggest rug the room could hold. It’s painful to cover up all that gorgeous new hardwood, but it definitely makes the room look bigger to have a bigger rug.

  7. FABULOUS!  Your new office is beautiful and suits you to a tee.  It is also another example of how we can mix high dollar items with more economical items, and how it works!  I know that you are so happy to finally have your office done.  I’m glad we finally got to see it.  Have a great weekend!

  8. The whole space looks gorgeous! Love the light fixture — really ties the whole thing together— you are definitely showing the value of a designer 🙂

  9. Such a pretty office!  It’s amazing how lighter colors open up a space isn’t it?  I love that etegere,  so pretty and just the right amount of glam!  I also really love that ivory desk, but I can see how it wouldn’t be very practical if you had lots of papers to file.  

  10. Love!! It’s classy and elegant with an element of fun, just like your fashion sense. And it’s awesome that you have links to all the spectacular things you got to make this room so fabulous. I can not wait to see the rest!
    I am excited that you will be doing some more posts like this. Fashion is my first love, but I am a big homebody and like to create cozy spaces to spend time in at home.
    Also, in regard to what I am still shopping for; I am hoping to find great sales on outerwear (boots, coats, even heavy sweaters)

  11. What a beautiful update!  I love how bright and airy the room is now!
     I agree with your initial thought about the desk. It does seem a little dark and heavy for the space but the one you linked would be perfect!

  12. WOW Jo-Lynne! That turned out beautiful and I know you must love working in there. You are right about that wide angel lens. Seeing your before and Allison’s after really show the difference and now it’s no wonder homes on the real estate sites look so huge until you go in. LOL. That desk is a great piece! Not that you asked,😉 and you may have already contemplated this, but I’d get me some Annie Sloan chalk paint in a dark blue (or gray) and paint it. I think that would be GORGEOUS!!! Happy weekend. XO

    1. Yes Lisa Richardson- inahree that the Annie Sloan chalk paint would work great and a dark blue would blend so nicely with the other colors in the room and the gold accents. 

  13. Your office is beautiful!  Great decision to go with the wood floors.  And I love the chair.  I have a tiny area that holds my crafts, desk computer and treadmill and I have been needing to organize and spruce it up.  You’ve given me some great inspiration!

  14. Hello from your English fan! Thank you so much for your friendly and wise words –  we too have just moved into our new St Albans home in Hertfordshire and I just love seeing how you have shaped your new home to give me inspiration!
    A very happy and healthy new year to you 
    Best wishes 
    Jane
    Ps naturally I just live your so stylish clothes advice – I always say it’s not fashion but style that counts xx

  15. Your office looks beautiful. What a great space to work in every day.  I am doing some updates to my home as well from the warm Tuscan colors to lighter and brighter.  I was trying to find the wall hanging necklace organizer that you previously featured and couldn’t find it. Do you by chance have the link for it?

  16. Fabulous! I love the whole look! I would love to work in such a beautiful space. Gives me the idea to reimagine my work office — declutter and organize. I think I would be more productive in a more streamlined environment.

  17. Really love it – especially, how you decorated the gold shelf. I think it is wise that you kept the desk. While you want the room to be enjoyable, the desk needs to be practical (not just pretty and trendy). The room is large enough to hold it. I love the wood floors!

  18. Jo-Lynne, your home coming along beautifully! I’ve been enjoying seeing the transformation. Please keep sharing!

  19. Hi Jolaine…  Voila!!!  Your room looks so inviting, classy and professional, like the woman you are!  I enjoyed reading the entire pot and as a real estate agent in San Diego my mind kept wandering to the doors and their fresh, black matte hardware.  I’m prepping a listing for a 20yr old home that has been lovingly maintained as yours and has been updated with those details –  makes me know I want that mentioned in my remarks!!!  You’ve done a great job and using a designer is the only way to go sometimes!  We all have our strong-suits and when you find someone who can envision your style (even before you’ve labeled (?) it yourself…). Well, that’s what professionals are for, fashion consultants, for example!!! 

  20. Question: Are you only relying on the overhead light for lighting? Or will you be adding possibly a desk light and a light by the chair?

  21. Good morning Jo-lynne
    Your office is absolutely beautiful! I love everything about it! Good job! We are currently in the process of painting our entry, dining, living room and hallway. Because it’s a three spilt level we have a architect helping us design which areas with which color of paint excetera.. so it will be interesting, because we’ve lived here sixteen years and have multiple colors LOL and finishes! Time for a change. 😊 have a wonderful weekend!! Again thank you for all you do. Cindy xo

  22. Your office is perfect! It’s a roomy, light filled space where you can shut the door to distractions. I love the gold & glass etagere. It, along with the other gold touches, lends an air of class and elegance.  Your rug, curtains and cheetah dot chair are a perfect soft compliment. You’ve created the perfect space to work.  Thank you for opening the doors of your home to us! I find this time of the year when I’m not buying any new winter clothes, decor inspiration is perfect. 

  23. It’s wild how the walls looked more tan (online anyway) with the old carpet, but now that it’s all done, they do look like a pretty soft gray. I remodeled my office last year too and it’s been such a lovely sanctuary in here! For years we had kids in all the extra rooms and I’d work out in the living room and it was horrible! The constant distractions made me crazy. So when our oldest moved out, as sad as it was (!!), getting my own space AND then making it pretty has been a huge blessing and sanity saver. 🙂

    Kelly

  24. You’ve done a beautiful job with your office. A very soothing, elegant space to work in. Love all of the color choices too. I could easily spend the day in your office if it were mine!!

  25. Happy Saturday! I’m getting ready to take my puppies for their next round of vaccines today. 🐶🐶
    This was a fun change from the daily fashion posts. I’m so happy for you and your new stylish office. It’s soooo important for us to feel comfortable in the places where we spend a lot of time. This is why I redid my master bedroom last year and updated things a bit. I spent a little more $$$ on bedding than I had originally planned but it’s so worth it…..we spend a good portion of our lives in bed sleeping right?! 😉 

    1. Absolutely! My bedroom is part of Phase Two. 🙂 Although I did just order some curtains for it that I think are going to work out, so at least that will help it seem more homey.

  26. What an inspiring and beautiful space! It’s important to feel comfortable and happy in a place where you spend so much of your life. I’m happy for you. Enjoy!

  27. Oh my gosh! You’ve given me so many good ideas!! You know I already copy-catted your paint color, lol! My new office needs a ton of work–In our old house, I had a walk-in closet with shelves for tons of storage, and now I have a traditional bedroom closet that could be retro-fitted with shelving, but I don’t really see that happening. 
    My favorite piece is your shelving unit from IKEA with the storage baskets…brilliant! And I love the magazine rack! I’m a magazine freak! 

    Enjoy your new office! It’s perfect for you–feminine, but not too over the top girly. 

  28. So glad you’re still enjoying working with Magda! Your post makes me want to hire her again, but we have to figure out which of our 3 proposed projects will be next. 

    Funny… I just purchase the same etegere as an early holiday gift for myself around Thanksgiving. It’s in my LR and it’s my new favorite. I’m still working one styling it, but almost done. You did a great job. 

    What chandelier did you end up with in the foyer? 

    Love what you’ve done with the space. 

  29. Love how your office space turned out! Very glamorous yet functional. I have an corner office space that I am trying to change up, declutter and make more useful. Thanks for the inspiration!

  30. Your office looks amazing and totally fits your personality! It inspires me to finish decorating my office. Thanks so much for sharing.

  31. Oh, it’s so pretty, and it seems so “you”! Love that light fixture and the other touches of gold. Just right!

  32. Wow – so beautiful and peaceful!

    I think you could do larger finials at the outer ends of the rods and leave the smaller ones in the corners, if you want.

  33. Your office is simply stunning! What a blessing to have such a lovely place to work. I am really enjoying your How  to Wear posts this week. They have been such a good reminder of how I can remix and make new outfits right from items in my closet. I agree, not many people are shopping for ‘new’ stuff right now. I am enjoying posts about organizing and getting things in order from the other fashion bloggers I follow. I’m curious- where do you find your fashion inspiration? How do you figure out what the ‘in’ things are going to be? Do you read any fashion magazines, and do they factor in to what you feature? Sorry for all the questions- I was just curious! 

    1. I actually get a lot of inspiration from other fashion blogs. I used to read fashion magazines, but they are usually too out there. I do like to check out InStyle with each change of season to see their take on the big trends. I also google when writing posts, and I love Pinterest for style inspo.

  34. Your office is just lovely! I love the etagere you chose. It’s perfect for your glam theme. I think your desk is so beautiful- you shouldn’t get rid of it! It’s a gorgeous piece & to me it says “Woman Boss!” 😉 You’ve done a great job!

  35. Beautiful! In love with your light fixture above the desk. And the sign on your desk is true…you DO leave a little sparkle! Thanks for sharing.

  36. How beautiful! I’m jealous of those windows and all that light!! The ceiling light fixture is stunning–I can never picture in my mind how something unusual like that would look until it’s actually installed. It’s truly wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing your ideas with us, and enjoy that office!

  37. You did a wonderful job.. the new space looks great and if you’re going to be in there for long days you may as well enjoy it:). I saw a sign the other day before this post and it said “glam office” and for some reason I thought of you lol
    Have a great weekend 

  38. Wow! Your office is stunning! I love the ceiling light and mirror together, along with the elegant metal pieces. So light and airy! I also like the way the subtle grey prints give the appearance of texture. Personally, I would keep the desk. It anchors all the lightness and glam (think: I’m doing a serious job in glamorous surroundings”). It also looks like it holds so much more than the lighter desk would, enabling you to function well and keep the room neat. Maybe it’s like putting together an outfit: think of the occasion, choose basic pieces, repeat color and pattern along with some pops of color, accessorize. Well done!

    1. Yes, it is very functional. I think if I do ever replace it, I need to find something similar. It’s a little beat up, but it’s solid and I’m “at home” here, if that makes sense. I like that it is where I grew my business. 🙂

  39. Lovely job. Well done. IMHO keep the desk, it anchors the room and repeats the wood floor. You could also replace the outer finials as the corner ones are hidden by drapes. 

  40. Thank you for sharing your office with us JoLynne. It’s absolutely gorgeous! I was thinking the exact thing you wrote. It’s light and airy, and glamorous at the same time.  I love everything about this room! 

  41. It turned out beautiful! I love everything about it. You and your decorator picked out great items 🙂 so fun to see the transition. Thank you!

  42. It’s fun to see how everyone is loving this room reveal post.  I love it, too!  I look forward to future reveals.  As always, I enjoy how you share the process of decision making.  When I see you on FaceBook Live, I see your sweet, slightly introverted personality shining through.  It must be hard sometimes, to put yourself out there like you do.  But we love you!  You always leave us looking forward to the next post.

  43. Your office is gorgeous! Your taste is impeccable! What a beautiful place to work! You’ve motivated me to update my home office.  So happy for you.

  44. Love the remodel and the change made by changing the wall paint and putting in the wood floors. Love your vision and how it came to life. We’re thinking about changes to our home of 15 years and it gets overwhelming thinking about what we want to do!

  45. Jo-Lynne – You did a great job with this room! It is so elegant, functional and such an airy space full of natural light! What a wonderful place to work! Have a blessed Saturday!

  46. What a lovely office!  Can’t wait to see the rest of the house!  Curious where you go for inspiration for home decor- blogs, websites, etc?  Maybe an idea for a future post.  

    1. I dunno… I don’t really look at home decor much. When I bought this house, I did start to pay more attention and subscribed to a few home blogs, but so many are farmhouse, and that isn’t me, so I guess I just ended up gravitating to what I like. Magda definitely influenced some of my decisions, just by putting options in front of me that I never would have found on my own.

      1. That makes sense!  I have been looking online and haven’t found much in the line of blogs that really speak to me.  Our home is 11 years old and we are getting ready to do some updating, new furniture, etc.  I have never worked with a designer, and I can see where that would help a lot.

        Anyway, I love your fashion posts, but am glad you are sharing your home makeover with us as well.  

  47. Oh my! This is just lovely and so pretty. I am in awe of this room and I can’t wait to see your other rooms when you finish them too. Your new office should be in a magazine!! 

  48. Just reading this now – what a great space! My husband works from home and his office is right as you come in the foyer, so I know he can relate to all the problems you had in your old home office! I love the natural light, it is what drew me to our new house as well. Looking forward to all the other room reveals! 🙂

  49. So pretty! My favorites..the wood floors, the rug and wall color. Do you use a full length mirror? Being an office, is there a closet? Would your shredder fit under your desk? So anxious to see the rest of the house! I’ve been shopping very little but do have a daughter’s 31st birthday this month so am scouring sites. If you see any cute Valentine’s sweaters, tees, sweatshirts, jewelry, etc. out there, please share.

  50. Hi Jo Lynne

    I love how your house is progressing! Your office has inspired me to possibly change the position of my desk from facing the wall to facing out. I was wondering if you would be willing to share how the cords from your computer are hidden and not hanging over the back of the desk.

    Thanks so much!

    Best,
    Pam

  51. Your home office is beautiful. Are you happy with your gold etagere bookcase now that you have had it for a while? I need something similar and hesitate to order furniture on line. Thanks!!

  52. Hi! I love your office and am seriously
    Considering the same rug for my living room. How has your rug held up during the last year? Is is a thick rug or thin? My husband is worried about catching his foot on the rug edge if it’s thin. Also would you say it’s easy to spot clean?  Thanks so much. I love your blog and your style! Cindy

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