When we were looking for a house, one with a large space that we could turn into the Chris Loves Julia office for us and our employees was a must have. This house had a large room off of the entry (bonus!) with a door (double bonus!!) that the previous owners used as their den or main-level TV room. It also had a normal home office space that we deemed the girls’ office when we moved in (since we already had an office in the former den). It was one of those nice-to-have spaces at the time, right on the main level of the house, with a wide open doorway, so we could peek in or pop in and help when needed. It was the perfect spot for all of the papers that come with kids and they did their homework in there, too. But it also has become a spot for creating! We keep the cabinets stocked with art supplies and paper and crafty things. But at the end of last school year, when all school went virtual, I realized we hit the lottery with not only this extra space, but also being able to dedicate it to the girls for use.

This school year, our girls are going back to school next week 4 days a week and will have virtual learning on Fridays. But we know that can change at any time so we are taking the opportunity to makeover their office into a space that inspires a little more!

Here’s how it looks now:

Very typical of maybe what you’d expect as a home’s office–lots of dark woodwork and storage. I know a lot of you are in the same boat; trying to create a space for your kids to learn at home this year. So before I show you our plans, I thought it would be fun to share a few home office (kid or otherwise!) spaces that inspired me!

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I love ALL of these for different reasons and I included all of them for different reasons. Not everyone has a dedicated space, and maybe you just need a corner or a wall. Built-ins are great, but a stand alone table or desk is also charming!

In our space, I’m going to be mostly working with what we have but adding a few special things to bring it up to the style we’re going for in the rest of our home–modern cottage. So we’ll be keeping all the cabinetry and millwork and painting it the same color as the trim in the rest of the house–Accessible Beige. And here’s the direction for the rest of the space:

My DREAM wallpaper above the woodwork on the walls with a fun plaid rug for the floor. We’re going to move the green couch that is currently in our office into this space (because it just goes so well!) and I want to hang an oversized pin board in between the two sconces above it for all of their many, many pieces of art. I got them each some of those paper drawers to serve as an inbox/outbox of sorts, too.  I’m so excited to see it come together! Our goal is to have it done (or mostly done) by September 8th which is when our district will be reassessing schooling in general–so lots to do!

Wallpaper
Pinboard
Pennant
Sconce
Wall Clock
Paint Color: Accessible Beige by Sherwin Williams
Sofa
Rug
Table Lamp
Office Chair
Paper Drawers
Wall Hook
Plaid Pillow
Patterned Pillow