I must confess, I’ve been struggling with how to tackle my home office. This is the only room in the house where I have no idea where to start. I think it might have something to do with the fact that this will be my first office space all to myself. (Greg and I shared an office when we lived in our apartment.) While I’m in this stage of the design process, I have to keep in mind that my office is directly off the dining room, living area and kitchen. It’s also directly in the line of sight when you come in the front door. (Check out the floor plan to see what I’m talking about.) Because of this, it’s important that the office appears as an extension of those areas. Then on the other hand, I want it to feel different enough that I can feel like I’m “going to work” when I walk into the office.

To refresh your memory, here is what the dining-room-turned-home-office looked like on the day we closed on the house:

Since then, we have removed the light fixture, window treatment and chair rail. We also painted the walls Slate by Restoration Hardware and the trim bright white. Here is what the space looks like today:

Don’t fret. I didn’t break the cardinal rule of photography and use a flash. The super-bright, harsh light is from the oh-so-annoying temporary light bulb. It’s the first thing to go out of the door when we start working on this space. Another thing to keep in mind is the hardwood floors are yet to be stained. We’re waiting until all of the gritty work is over before we have that done.

Okay. So this is my plan of action for figuring out which direction to go in: I am going to put together a collection of dream office spaces. Then I will decipher what exactly about that space makes my heart go pitter patter. From that point, I will hopefully be able to put together a plan for my very own home office. Sound good? Then let’s get started!

Let’s daydream for a minute… no adjoining rooms, no budget, no architecture restrictions. Blank canvas.

Isn’t that molding to die for?! I love the wall color and the contrast of the bright white trim. I also love how the “bones” of the room are clearly traditional. But with the clean and mid century modern elements, it gives the space a really modern eclectic feel.

Color, storage and practicality are the three things I adore about this space. The color combination isn’t just happy. It’s inspirational and chic. It’s “happy chic” as Jonathan Adler would say. Love him. Who doesn’t, right?!

I pulled this photo because I really like the idea of an inspiration board. It will also be a fun DIY project to take on! Since this space is going to be where I do all of my creating and whatnot, it’s important to me that I have inspiration right at my fingertips. And since I like everything to be nice and organized, the idea of having a designated ultra special board to contain the inspirations makes me ultra happy.

This one has a lot of bold colors, too. I love it! I also really like how the backdrop of the space is black and white. This really helps bring out the colors in the accessories. I adore the restored antique lighting. Painting the light fixtures white really brings a modern flair to the room and draws your attention to the splashes of color.

I’m the kind of person that can’t even concentrate unless the work space is clean and organized. When everything is in its place, I feel like I’m free to put all my thoughts in place as well. Obviously, for that to happen, I need some major storage space. Aside from 7HL, I occasionally do graphic design and photography work, as well. So storage is an absolute must.

Now that I have these six to-die-for home office inspiration photos to pull from, I feel just a tad giddy. I’m organized, and I feel like I know the direction I want to take. Until next time we visit this space, I’ll be busy narrowing down what elements I want to bring into my home office.

Inspiration photos found here, here, here, here and here.