Room of the Day: A His-and-Hers Office They Both Want to Use

While it was supposed to be an office for two homeowners, the space bummed out one of them out so much that her side became a dumping ground she never used for work. “My client was very into decor and home design but needed help getting started and putting it all together,” says interior designer Jamie Atterholt. To help her find her style, the designer took in the rest of the transitional home’s decor while asking her client what kinds of colors and styles made her happy. The answer was nature-inspired items and cheerful shades of green. The design was full of challenges, including doing a big clean-out, organizing, working around a very large corner desk on his side and sticking to a tight budget (about $1,200, not including design fees).

Photos by Jamie Atterholt

Room at a Glance
What happens here: A couple uses this as a shared home office, and the woman wanted space for doing crafts and wrapping gifts.
Location: Outside San Francisco
Size: 130 square feet (12 square meters)

BEFORE: One aspect that was nonnegotiable was the corner desk seen here (left). “He loved it, and while it takes up a lot of space, it is a really well-made Scandinavian piece,” Atterholt says. However, she had permission to tackle everything else in the room, from wall colors to carpeting to window treatments.

Starting the project involved a lot of cleaning out and getting organized, as the desk had become a place where her client dumped things she didn’t want to deal with. “I really went through everything with her, asking if she’d used certain items in the past six months, tossing things and finding better places to store others,” the designer says. New photo boxes hold beloved photos and mementos, so that the client can keep a cleared desk for when she needs to wrap gifts.


AFTER: Also helping keep things clear is the bubble floor lamp. The designer knew she needed something to occupy the vertical space, so she sought out a lamp with lots of height. It doubles as desk lighting without taking up any surface space.

The lamp also helps brighten the space, along with new wall paint in a silvery light gray. But the biggest impact is on the floor, via a bright rug that incorporates the client’s favorite greens and a vivid pattern.

Paint: Silver Drop, Behr Premium Plus


A fabric-wrapped tray can hold supplies like ribbons, tape and scissors. It’s easy to move everything to the filing cabinet when the client needs the whole desk for wrapping.

Tray: HomeGoods


“My client was ready to go a more contemporary route, but she loves transitional touches, like the tufted chair,” Atterholt says. To stick to the budget, the designer did a lot of big-box-store shopping, but says you need to check for quality carefully. “One way I could tell that this was a good chair was the high quality of the tufting and the fabric,” she says. “You really need to check out these kinds of items in person.” Check out desks for chips and scratches, and open and close the drawers to make sure they work well.

However, because of experience, one online spot where she knew she’d find a good-quality rug was RugsUSA. “They are always having sales, and the tufting on this rug is really nice,” Atterholt says. She found the rug, usually priced at about $600, in the sale section for less than $300.

“Artwork can be one of the most expensive items in a room, so in this case I steered my client toward World Market,” she says. “They have an interesting selection, and it’s always changing.” The homeowner picked a vibrant mixed-media triptych that incorporates a bird motif and bright colors.

Rug: Keno ACR208 Green Rug, RugsUSA; desk, triptych: Cost Plus World Market; floor lamp: Pier 1 Imports


Atterholt made a few minor changes to the male client’s zone, like swapping the black drawer hardware for chrome and adding a table lamp for more light.

Lamp: HomeGoods


With help from the designer, his desk now is more organized. Atterholt took advantage of the slots to neaten things up.

“I would usually recommend a Roman shade in a room like this, especially with the desk blocking the window, but my client loved the luxurious look of floor-length drapes and really wanted them in here,” she says. While the corner desk is nonnegotiable now, the female homeowner may be holding out hope that someday her husband will give it up.

More: Get Organized: Are You a Piler or a Filer?

URL: Room of the Day: A His-and-Hers Office They Both Want to Use http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-25627.html