Planning My Office

If you read this post then you'll already know that in our new house, we've got the opportunity I never thought we'd have to build a home office. And not just a small cubbyhole in the corner of a bedroom, but an actual whole room. I can't tell you how excited I am. The trouble is, as a designer it can be so difficult to make a final decision on your own home. For client projects, I'm so much more decisive! I think most interior designers will say the same thing.

In 2022, we were really just taking it all in, figuring out how we live and function in our new home and exploring ideas for designs, and I shared some of my initial office ideas here. Yesterday, 16th Jan 2023 marked our kick-off day for the renovation works to begin and so now is the time I've got to start making final decisions.

As we're having a full electrical re-wire at the house, the lighting and electrical plans need to be decided for each room. Our electrician started yesterday, (this was the kick-off! We can't do much else until this has been done) and he has already completed the living room re-wire, (so quick right?) which means the office will need to be decided imminently, eeeeeesh! Lighting is so important to set the tone throughout your home, but with an office, it's a highly functional space and task lighting is imperative, so over the next few days I'll be cracking down on the final furniture layout and electrical/lighting layout.

The only trouble is, I've changed my mind.. again! I'm now leaning towards a lighter office with a light-coloured tongue and groove panelling, mixed metals, linen roman blinds and warm textures with earthy neutrals. Perhaps it's because I'm looking ahead to Spring which is one of my favourite seasons. I'm desperate for those springtime days when the skies are blue, the air is fresh, the house feels clean, the spring flowers are blooming and we can think about mowing the lawn for the first time in 2023. My mood is so affected by my interiors and I'm just thinking I'd like it to be nice and fresh.

There are some things I know I'll need for certain that will depend on the placement of furniture and therefore placement of lighting and electrical.

I'll need either joinery or a cabinet to hold samples, files, and other organisational things
Space for a printer to be hidden away, documents to be held securely, and a separate seating area
I'll need enough sockets to cater for all the electrical items I may need In one go so I can avoid extension leads
Task lighting
Aesthetic lighting

Now I just need to figure out where my desk will go, and where the rest of the furniture will go!

So, before I sign off on my final design, I thought I'd show you some progress from the last post as to what design direction I think I'm headed. I'd love to know your thoughts so come and chat to me in my DMS.