i have a very similar issue! our home office is right off our main living area, separated by french doors, so it's visible. our main living area is going to be very neutral, and the office is jewel toned with navy blue walls. i'm hoping that a blue a few shades lighter than navy on the ceiling in the open living area will be enough connection to the navy walls in the office.

those inspiration pics don't scream girly to me at all though so you might be worried for nothing.

i think if you keep the wall color semi-neutral and just bring in your girly colors and patterns as accents it won't "stick out" at all.

a bowl of fresh or nice silk pink flowers isn't out of place anywhere as far as i'm concerned! :)

i went looking for a specific pic on houzz and coudlnt' find it, but this one is a good illustration of neutrals with feminine accents.

and i can't imagine that would be a sore thumb if your home is fairly neutral.

I would do it with color...as long as some of the same colors in the LR carry into your office, it will be fine....then you can add whatever girlie colors you want on top. So, for example, if the LR is espresso wood and beige, keep that going in your office but add your pink and whatever else on top. If the LR is the robin's egg blue, take that as one of the colors into your office and use florals and other prints that have the blue in it plus the other colors you want.

I agree. You can add a touch of pink or raspberry (delicious IMO) with chocolate and robin's egg blue. Using the accents in the room with pillows, etc, you can always change it down the road a lot easier if that space ever becomes something besides your office or you change your mind about the colors.

Agree with what the others have recommended. I also think you can add feminine touches with fabric - velvet on your office chair, a skirted office chair, a cashmere throw, silk pillows with pretty accents, etc. These can be in your house color palette, or in the touches of girly colors you choose. Perhaps you can put some pretty wallpaper on one wall that would be less visible to the rest of the house. I think that changing up the textures in a room can make a big difference.

Congratulations on going back to school!

Add a french door with sheers, to separate the spaces. This would allow you to have something really GIRLIE, without encroaching on the rest of your house. I'd recommend the same thing (except with a wood blind) if your husband wanted to do something really masculine! Have fun :)

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for the replies so far!

Maggie - I am actually happy to hear that you don't think my inspiration photos are very girly... that makes me feel more at ease with going in that kind of direction. Maybe my home is more masculine than I thought, so that aesthetic just feels girly? Not sure... either way, I LOVE the picture you posted.

Annie - I think you are right. Right now, I have a very light robin's egg blue shade on the walls in that room, but that's really the only thing in there. It has old beige carpeting - replacement to wood laminate is on the agenda but not anytime soon.

The space itself has some unique challenges. For example... the room is actually a sunroom (I only have one wall available - the rest are windows) and the room is long, and divided up into two sections. Our plan is to have a sofa and TV in the other section, and to position my elliptical in such a way in the office section that I can work out and watch TV in the mornings, if I so choose. I could also chill on the couch and watch something different than my hubby, if he happens to be watching baseball or something in the living room.

The office is the space to the right of the living room labeled "sunroom"

Outside - I hadn't thought of using a raspberry shade... that sounds lovely!

Marina - I had thought about using wallpaper, or maybe even stenciling on the one wall I have available. I think it could add some nice interest, but sometimes I struggle with mixing patterns in a room.

Lavender - I think the sheer panel is a great idea! Luckily, the room already has a glass paneled door (original to the house, with the old hardware - it's very pretty!) and I like the idea of adding a sheer panel for added privacy.

Here are some of the elements I have so far:

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[Modern Desks[(https://www.houzz.com/products/modern-desks-prbr1-br~t_580~s_2105) by Other Metro Furniture & Accessories IKEA

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[Modern Dining Chairs And Benches[(https://www.houzz.com/products/modern-dining-room-chairs-prbr1-br~t_969~s_2105) by Other Metro Furniture & Accessories IKEA

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[Traditional Table Lamps[(https://www.houzz.com/products/traditional-table-lamps-prbr1-br~t_611~s_2107) by Other Metro Furniture & Accessories IKEA

Also, I am kind of loving this rug (and the price) and the colors go with the rest of the house:

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[Contemporary Rugs[(https://www.houzz.com/products/contemporary-rugs-prbr1-br~t_515~s_2103)

With that rug, I wouldn't know what to do for curtains, however...

thoughts so far? :)

I'm just concerned that the rug will be more of the same and act as a damper on where you might want to go with the room. As it is a sun room and window treatments are going to be such a large part of it, I'd start with the window treatments and choose the rug after that.

For example:

Annie-

Realizing that you were right I have searched every night since your post, trying to find a fabric that really spoke to that modern, feminine vibe I was looking for. And I think I finally found it (attached). However, I haven't made a move to order any yet because I am afraid it is a departure too far from the rest of the house. There is a hint of olive (not quite the green we use in the house but not terribly different) and dark brown in the fabric, but that's it for colors already in the house. Though, I guess I do have light gray in the kitchen. I am going to try to post some pics of my house in my next post... I'd love feedback to see if anyone thinks this fabric is too much of a departure from the rest of the house...

Kitchen:

Living room, with a glimpse into the room that is going to be my office (for flow):

Dining Room:

Pretty fabric. As it is a sun room and it is visible only through a doorway from the LR and as the rest of the house is so neutral, I think that will work great for you. In fact, you may find you like the colors so much, you may want to add some of the accent colors back into the LR to tie it together even more. I think that would be great bright colors to work with.

My husband's office:
(if you can't guess by all of the pictures and the barometer on the wall, he's a meteorologist)

And a picture of my cat, from under the dining table, for good measure (one of two favorite "accessories," the other being my little dog):

A raspberry chair cushion would look wonderful and girly, without overwhelming anything.
What about a few accents under a piece of glass or acrylic cut to fit the top of your desk or even something under the lamp.