This “Unflattering” Home Office Got a Dramatic Color-Drenched Makeover
ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER
HOME TYPE: House
PROJECT TYPE: Office & Dens
STYLE: Parisian, Traditional, Vintage
SKILL LEVEL: DIY
RENTAL FRIENDLY: Yes
Although there are recommendations from real estate agents and interior designers, there really are no wrong answers when it comes to picking a paint color for a home office. You could go with a bright white, which would make seeing your task at hand easiest; you could go with a trendy green; or you could go with something darker, cozy, and cocooning.
Homeowner Alice Kuaban (@odd_essence) chose the dark side when redesigning her husband’s home office.
It’s color-drenching — with a twist.
Alice describes the color of the room before as “a weird green [that wasn’t] very flattering,” so choosing a new paint was key to making over the space.
“Because some of the rooms in my home are painted a charcoal gray [Sherwin-Williams’ Iron Ore], I wasn’t afraid to use a dark color,” she says. “What I did differently this time, though, was paint the ceiling a deep chocolate brown [Sherwin-Williams’ Otter], which contrasted quite nicely with the charcoal gray.”
This was the first time Alice painted her ceiling a slightly different color than the walls. “I often color-drench a room the same color or use wallpaper on the ceiling,” she says. “But painting the ceiling a contrasting yet complementary color was a first for me, and something I will be doing again.”
New floors, trim, and dramatic drapery bring back traditional charm.
Before painting, Alice’s husband helped install decorative molding on the walls to match the historic feel of the large windows and high ceiling.
Because the ceilings were so high, he also helped hang the curtain rods in the room. “The room’s ceilings are about 125 inches high, and I needed curtains that won’t dwarf the space,” Alice explains. “Because curtains are expensive, and I wasn’t going to do custom drapes, I turned to IKEA, but here’s the kicker: The longest IKEA drapes in the U.S. are 98 inches long, but the IKEAs in Europe have curtains that go as long as 108 inches. On a family trip to Europe (with three kids), Alice managed to fill up a suitcase with IKEA curtains that were just the perfect length for the room.
Alice also says replacing the flooring made one of the biggest differences in the space, and it took $2600 of the $6,000 project total. “The carpet had to go, and that’s where we started,” Alice says. She still might add a big chandelier for even more grandeur, but after the walls and flooring, Alice moved on to the layout.
Secondhand furniture and decor saved money.
“Creating the layout was the most challenging part,” she says. Although she loved the natural light in the space, the windows made furniture placement a little difficult. She went with a layout where the desk touches the right wall of the room, and there’s a seating area to the left. The ample seating allows the whole family to spend time in the office.
To give her space an eclectic, collected feel, Alice sourced decor and furniture from secondhand sites. “I found most [of] the antiques on Facebook Marketplace and Etsy, and also shopped my home,” she explains. And this saved major money, too. “My red sofa, which came with its original upholstery, was $50 — no joke,” Alice says.
Alice says she loves everything about how the moody office turned out. Her best room reno advice? “Take your time, don’t rush it, get the space planning right, and have fun decorating; it’s your home (not a museum),” she says. “Design the space to please you and your family and no one else.”
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
Further Reading
We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Ashley — Here Are the Best to Suit Your Style and Space
I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It’s a Game-Changer!)
