natesgram - yes, possible, but we work totally different jobs for different companies, so when we have unfortunately timed calls, we don't want to be facing each other. though admittedly there are lots of great design photos with desks projecting from the window facing one another.

kellienoelle - too funny. let me know what nuggets of wisdom you find!

kellyeng - love the color scheme, and i agree we definitely need some weighty colors to tone it all down. that's exactly the type of metallic punch i meant with those vintage golds! thank you so much for putting those plans together! i 100% don't want my back to the window though. it's a priority. and the issue i keep running into is the height of the window. i didn't really want to put a desk across the middle of the window. in all the sample pics on houzz, when you see a desk in front of a window, it's built in under the window which starts 30" or more above the floor. ours starts 18" from the floor. the settee would be so pretty featured in front of the window. but i'm not willing to turn my back to the window in order to get it.

How about this layout? It satisfies everything you want however your desk interrupts the french door sight lines. If you have a neat and nice looking desk, I don't see that as an issue.

The option at 13:08 seems ideal for your situation. The desks are in opposite corners, you can see out the window, and the settee is visible from the French doors. The only thing I would change is I would angle the settee slightly in the corner. Maybe put a tall plant or a floor lamp in the corner to fill the space.

I love MS plumage! I have this picture saved on my pinterest:

I really like the color scheme that kellyeng chose, can see your vision with the golds. I also like that they chose a relatively neutral rug so if you changed your color scheme you could change the look of the room with just new paint and pillows.

I also prefer the same layout that geokid does. You could angle the settee or maybe look at a chaise so it pulls it more into the room. Once you get a potential floorplan set, you can start on the fun of the details.

I also like the same layout as geo kid. How about a chaise so that you can angle it and pair it with a pretty floor lamp to create a nice reading nook.

This post was edited by pps7 on Fri, Jul 26, 13 at 22:41

Sorry for all the separate posts! Im on my ipad so I can only post one picture at a time. This last picture has a blue sofa with gray walls and I love the effect.

http://www.paredownlookup.com/2012_03_01_archive.html

I just bought a blue sofa and i was very nervous at first, but it makes me smile every time I walk into the room, so I would suggest you go for it! I've linked my library with the blue sofa. I wish i could paint the bookcases and trim gray- one day!

Here is a link that might be useful: Teal sofa

If you could use pocket french doors you could have the look you like without concerns about furniture placement and door clearance.
Love your possible color scheme.

oh WOW!!! this was so much fun to come back to all the additional ideas! thanks for all the great feedback! where to begin?

on layout, the 13:08 (or geokid's preference as it's now known - hehe) is really growing on me. that was one of the first configurations i played with and i had discarded it for a reason i can't come up with now. if i had to guess, it's because i had it in my head that we'd have wraparound desks on the exterior and side walls and was stubbornly resisting any other ideas. but now i'm really liking it, and it does give us some distance from each other for phone calls.

love the french pocket door ideas - that one might be worth making my builder grumpy to ask about it!

and pps, my heart is still aflutter with that teal and gray room. stunning!!

ok, kellienoelle - i think i like my layout. now let's play with colors some more. :)

Walls: ? MS Plumage was my original thought, but that teal sofa looks so beautiful against a navy wall.
Desks: completely up for grabs - paint? stain? metallic?
Desk chairs: see style below
Window treatments:
Armoire: this needs to be a dramatic statement piece so don't hold back!!
Settee:

i'm thinking i need a big mirror on the exterior wall above my desk... better feng shui if your back is to a door. :)

also, for what it's worth, i happened upon an L-shaped desk in a rustic furniture store today and it's 5'x6' which is at least a foot shorter than we were thinking as our minimum size, and it's more than big enough, so maybe the desks won't be such behemoths in a smaller space.

for the chairs, i'm on the hunt for 2 banker style chairs (CL or yardsales!) that i can reupholster in one of infinitely beautiful fabrics. they could match or be different. love this DIY reupholstering tutorial at Batchelor'sWay

If your desks don't have to be so large, I also like kellyeng's layout at 18:44 but with your desk rotated into the corner to match your husband's.

Here are some photos I found. I agree with kellyeng above that the white and bronze really make the room work.

{{gwi:1750617}}

{{gwi:1750618}}

You're getting great advice already.
Just wanted to say that I love peacock colors, yet for some reason have trouble achieving them...I think it's because the colors aren't actually the colors I think they are as they are a mix of really strong colors. So thought I'd add some inspiration.

See what I mean?

I have the setup up similar to your 13:08 one (one desk only) and I just happened to have a mirror on the outside wall. Good to know about the feng shui ! I just wanted to warn you about the banker style chair unless you already have one and have been happy with it. I bought something similar when I first started working from home and it felt so comfy in the store. After awhile I started noticing my neck hurt all the time and figured out it was because the back leaned back more than a computer chair. I bought a really nice computer chair and no more sore neck.

annie, i TOTALLY know what you're saying. i think it's because the "peacock color scheme" has sort of become its own thing maybe separate from the colors you might actually find on a peacock. once brides get hold of a color scheme for weddings, that phenomenon kind of snowballs! haha i'm using it loosely to describe that bold/exotic variation of jewel tones consisting of teal/purple/green.

this is the palette i see in my head, and i LOVE it. i just can't seem to figure out how to translate that into office furniture. i think i'm leaning more towards navy walls instead of teal now which evolved since i started this thread. haha then i can accent with as much bold as i want and it is still grounded.

so i basically need to figure out how to assign those pillow colors like color by number to the other pieces in the room. the settee, the armoire, curtains, rug, desk chairs...

and msrose, you also make a great point. function and comfort have to come first since we will spend our entire work week in these chairs! i found these chairs that i adore, but they too have received terrible reviews for comfort. pretty though aren't they?!

This room is going to be so much fun!

I might try to find a fabric that incorporates those jewel tones. Something like this ikat and use it for window panels. The purple is pretty toned and almost looks gray. Paint the walls BM hale Navy. Pretty tufted teal chaise. For the desks and armoire, I would do a pale gray (BM gray owl or stonington gray) a nice solid cream rug. A beatiful antique victorian gold mirror above your desk and brass lamp, and antique brass hardware for the desks. Vintage brass crystal chandelier. Then you can pull the jewel tones in the accents- pillows, throw, art, baskets.

eeek! i stumbled upon the BEST find today! i picked up a settee that's going to be the perfect scale i think. it's 60" wide and 35" tall and circa 1800 according to the antique shop owner. i'm not an antique snob so its age didn't matter much to me, but the style is just what i wanted, and there's a great upholstery shop near me that i'll ask for a quote with overstuffing and tufting the back pieces.

what do you think? good scale? according to my floorplanner measurements, it'll fit perfectly if i turn it on an angle in the corner!!

here's the current state:

and here's what i'm thinking for finished product inspiration (not the color, though i love this one as is for another room!!! - just the tufting and shape):
{{gwi:1750630}}

aside from being exactly what i was looking for, it was on consignment from someone who didn't want to waste time having this hoity toity interior design place reupholster it and sell it for $3000. instead they started at $599. marked down to $299, and on sale with 40% off so i got it for $180!! booyah! i don't think craigslist can even compete with that!

This is all shaping up! I really love your settee, are you thinking about upholstering in a teal fabric? Although I also really love the look of that aubergine against that navy blue.

Since you are going with a deeper wall color, how much light does that one window provide? I would definitely do a lighter colored rug on the floor and go with a lighter color for the desks, maybe the same color as the trim of the room. While I love the idea of a pale gray that pps mentioned (and love the pics of gray with your palette) , if you are going to pair with bronzes, I would suggest more of a creamier color.

Do you have a picture of the armoire? I know you mentioned statement piece, but I feel like the settee will be your statement so perhaps it would be best in the same tones as the desks.

I think a pattern of some sort on the window treatments since it is one of the few places where you can add that. Once you settle on the fabric for the settee, I think you could have fun with this.

Love the settee. What a find!

If you do navy on the walls, I'd do the peacock blue on the settee, a pattern on the windows, and either a complimentary pattern on the chairs or a solid green. I'd bring gold in with the mirror trim, metal on any side tables, lamps, etc.
Will your trim be white? I'd do the same color white for your desk with a dark brown top. Then the armoire I would do in either the same white or dark brown.
I don't really see black in the space. More bronzes and marble-y whites. A bronze table with a marble top would be perfect. :)

this is a similar armoire, though mine is a hideous pale mustard color, not a rich wood. :) mine is slightly wider and has 2 deep drawers instead of one, and mine has that ornately carved stuff all along the corners as well as the top. nonetheless, this gives you the idea.

so this is going to be on the opposite side of the room from the settee. and don't send me straight to the loony bin, but i'm kind of feeling like this armoire needs to go metallic... like the entire thing metallic. like a vintage gold with darker bronze glaze or maybe something lighter like a champagney color??

the french doors will be painted white, along with all the trim, and i'm thinking the legs and any drawers/cabinets under the desk will be white. maybe some white wall decor would do the trick much like the first teal sofa pic i posted with the navy walls.

PS: BUZZ KILL! upholsterer already got back to me with a quote about $300 higher than i was expecting. i've seen them quote labor for sofas twice as large in decrepit condition the same as my little 2 seater. :( it might be time to tackle my fear of upholstery.

This is the office of Emily Henderson. It has the same vibe you're going for, I think. I really like her use of blue and green, metallics, and white. And that hand chair! So cool.

Paint color is SW Loyal Blue.

Maybe this fabric will help? (From fabric guru)
{{gwi:1750632}}

love that print Anna!

Since you were asking for something bold for the armoire....How about something like this treatment, obviously not in black but in a color that you prefer with a metallic paint for the stencil over it, not necessarily damask. It would make it very glam....
http://www.evadesigns.com/accessories/midnight-damask-chest.html

swooning over that coppery colored desk lamp in emily henderson's office geokid!

and annie, i love the pattern of that fabric, but the colors are too primary? is that the word i'm looking for? whereas these are pure blue, yellow, and green, i'd like to see teal, aubergine/plum, and wasabi! know what i mean? or at least one exotic or mysterious tone thrown in there. :) i do like the idea of a beautiful pattern on the windows.

and kellie, i hadn't thought of a pattern on the armoire. i'll have to let that sink in some more! found some other metallic stencil work to get the effect of metal more so than the black. i'm thinking the stencil look is too modern, but i'll give it absolutely no conscious thought and the answer will come to me maybe. haha here's that metallic finish i mentioned:

{{gwi:1750633}}

Well I did find this, but unfortunately, it looks like it's used to make some kind of kids dancing outfits, and I don't think it's available or good for decorative purposes, but I love the colors.

{{gwi:1750634}}

I could see this with the bright navy walls, white furniture and trim with a fancy wasabi settee that you liked with throw pillows in the brighter blue, the aqua, and the bright gold.

This post was edited by AnnieDeighnaugh on Mon, Jul 29, 13 at 9:42

LOVE LOVE LOVE those colors!!

ok fabric gurus, what type of fabric can i use for the settee? i want a solid, but what type of fabric? it's gotta be at least 54" wide.

teal is hard to find in a rich tone!

linens:

here are a couple velours:

VINYL:

LINEN/POLY BLEND:

HEAVY WOVEN UPHOLSTERY POLY:

VINTAGE POLY BURLAP:

BURLAP: love this shade of purple

Poly Basketweave:

European Linen:

Vintage Suede:

any thoughts on the type of fabric and any favorites jump out? there are so many bright greens, but i'm not feeling green on the settee.

wow, when i look back at the preview, i should take one of each. pretty together!

Not sure any of those fabrics are the right texture...can you get a purply/plum in an ultrasuede?

I have a soft spot for velvet.

hahaha... the more the merrier kellie!

just found this fabric and thought maybe for the curtains to brighten up some of the rich and dark...

too literal for the curtains? it certainly says "peacock!" haha

or if i end up doing purple on the settee and need to pump up the teal, i LOVE this new fabric by amy butler:

and it turns out the inspiration settee in my original post from horchow is actually a teal LEATHER! go figure.

i need to just get to a fabric store and touch stuff, or at least order some samples of these for the settee. i don't think i mentioned it, but i got a second upholstery estimate and it was MUCH more reasonable so looks like i can procrastinate on that skill once more. :)

so after all these cute fabrics, i'm still feeling like i need to find the perfect teal for the settee, which means i'd probably want something with strong purple in the curtains.

That first fabric that you posted, I have almost the same thing in rug version in my guest room! Modeled below by Jake. With that being said, I don't know how I would like it for drapes.

I would maybe start with finding the teal fabric for that settee since that seems like it will make such an impact, and then finding a complementary fabric from there for the drapes. In the range of peacock color schemes posted above by Annie, are you thinking the second one? More jewel than electric colors?

Just to be devils advocate, I'd rather see the plum sofa as it can be used with a wider variety of decors (IMO) than the teal so it can have a longer life, esp when it's expensive to redo. I also think it would give a better, less distracting background for fab pillows....I think teal would be great for drapes.

it's completely dependent on the fabric i find i guess. i'm open to purple, though probably one with a bit more pink in it like the second fabric swatch in the linen section of my fabric post. :)

i know i'm all over the place, but back to rugs. assuming we go with the floorplan posted at 13:08... where would you all suggest we put a rug(s)? shape? size? we'll need mats under the desk to protect the floors if we don't have a rug that goes under. but at the same time i don't want to cover the hardwood entirely!

did i lose my personal team of unpaid virtual designers? :)

any thoughts on rug size and placement? found some really beautiful rugs at home goods but was completely drawing a blank on what i need for that layout. (desks in opposite corners, settee in one corner, and armoire in opposite corner)

I can't chime in with actual design advice ;) But I just had to say how much I love this theme, and I keep thinking of this pillow that OKL consistently offers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Peacock Pillow

For the rug I would do a single 9x12 that leaves 18" of wood floors all around. It's going to be hard to do separate rugs for each desk and then another one for the settee.

chiefy, that pillow is awesome! i found some great pillows on overstock by accident too. i'm trying to restrain myself from making accessory purchases until i nail down the big stuff, but here they are:
{{gwi:1750656}}

and pps7... my concern with a 9x12 is that it's not quite big enough to protect the floors under our desks. i guess we could put a clear mat or something under the edge of the rug that extends under the desks but won't that be annoying with our chair rollers constantly on the verge?

would it be crazy to do a small rug under the settee (like a 3.5x5 or 4x6) and a coordinating circular rug in the middle of the room just floating? would they have to be the same rug in different size/shape so as to not have 2 different rugs? i'm not a big rug person and haven't learned how to use them yet. i feel like i'm operating heavy machinery without a manual. haha

any other creative configurations?

OK, what about something like this? You would only need one large rug (indicated by green square) in the center so it makes that part easier. Also, the settee would be visible from the french doors which would be a nice focal point.

Or this. More like 13:08 but the settee moved under the window and a chair in the corner. Maybe with a tall plant or an arching lamp. I'd also make your husband's desk smaller against the door wall to allow the french doors to be opened at an angle.

This also shows a rug all around the room like pps7 suggested,

thanks geokid, but both scenarios create the same problem where the rug doesn't completely cover the hardwood where our chair rollers will sit. and much larger than that, and we might as well do wall to wall carpet! haha

How big are your chair rollers? I'm sitting at my desk and they are barely under my desk. When the chair is pushed in they would be off the rug, but not when actively at the desk.

Maybe try a round rug, or a rectangular rug on an angle (beekeeperswife has one in her sunroom and it looks perfect), under the settee. I think a large round rug in the center of the room might look odd unless there's something on it.

This post was edited by geokid on Wed, Jul 31, 13 at 17:31

You might want to go wall to wall with a level loop pile and then get the plastic protectors. I know they aren't attractive but they are extremely practical. Most flooring can't stand up to casters though.

In my craft room, I went with the flexitec vinyl sheet and it stands up well...then maybe you can use a small rug just in front of the sofa.

so i was joking when i said we might as well do wall to wall carpet. i don't really like carpet - the only rooms in the new house that will be carpeted are the bedrooms and that's because hubby prefers it in the bedrooms. he doesn't often speak up with preferences so when he does, i let him have it. :)

so, not that i'm stuck on a round rug, but we did have one in kind of a void in our kitchen in our last house and i thought it looked really nice. it had nothing on it. here's a pic. does this look bad and i just thought it looked good? or is it different and acceptable here because it's kind of an entry way and not smack in the middle of a closed in space?

on another note, i just saw a thread about art that speaks to you, and it didn't occur to me until this morning, but i have a large painting that i love and it has both teal and the fuschia/purple tones in it. what do you think of this art for one of the open walls?

OK, I was wrong, it doesn't look odd. Is it possible to wait for the rug until the furniture is in the room? It might make it easier to see how everything should come together.

Love the art!

Oh wow Maggie, I love that artwork! Would you be willing to share where you got it? Do you also happen to remember that color on the walls in the room with the fireplace?

Both rooms are stunning! I wish I had an eye for decorating.

Hi chi,

That's sweet. Thanks.

The art is actually a 30x40 oil on canvas painting I ordered from art.com but it was 6 years ago. It was called festival. Long complex story but I ended up getting this painting for free after they made a mistake with shipping.

And geokid that's probably wise but I love my impulse buys when I find something that cries out to me in the store!

And of COURSE I know the paint. Haha. It's silver sage ny restoration hardware. Really neutral but still a color. .. you could make it cool or warm depending on other stuff in the room.

Update on fabric. .. found a gorgeous perfect purple velvet for $30 a yard which is kept than I wanted to spend. Them found a perfect teal velvet just $13 per yard but they only had 6.5 yards left and I need a bare minimum of 7. She is looking into whether I can order more but there will be a 20 yd minimum to order. Also found an outdoor fabric that is the perfect shade of tall but it's got that stiff feel with outdoor sheen. Turning out to be a challenge.

Another thought on the door - can you get a french door that only opens on one side? That maintains the light and the aesthetic, but it eliminates the door banging into the desk, if you put a desk on the door wall.

Another thought - one design above has a long desk for you facing the window. I have a large desk in my office at work, with a pull-out above one of the side drawers - like a pull-out cutting board.

It seems to me that an l-shaped desk would have the same storage issues as a corner in a kitchen - the corner isn't very usable space, either as workspace or storage.

Back to my office at work - I currently have an L, but two separate pieces - a computer desk, and a large wooden desk, about 3 inches higher. In the corner where they meet I have a tall plant.

In the past, I have had the two desks back to back, which also worked well for me.

Too much? ;)

(Whistler's Peacock Room at the Freer)

maggie, This is a very long shot, but Barn Fabric (online, link below) is having a half price sale on their Drapery, Microsuede and Upholstery fabrics through 8/4.

There is no velvet, but there are a few microsuedes that might interest you. Half price is $4.98 a yard. I just got a current Robert Allen linen/rayon fabric that sells for $23.75 yd elsewhere for that price.

Look at the purple MS-1062, (No - sorry only 6 yards) and I can tell you from personal experience that the MS-1065, which is gray, and is P Kaufmann ALTA PEWTER, that sells elsewhere for up to $26.75 a yard is a lovely faux suede.

Some of their fabrics are dated, but you can also luck out and find some current ones that are huge bargains.

Here is a link that might be useful: Barn Fabric Center

thanks ann. i know what you mean about the corner situation, but i guess DH and i are just trained from 9 years of working in a corporate cubicle. :) we each have 2 monitors so we find that the corner is the easiest place to sit. just have to be careful to not put much storage on either end because it prohibits leg movement and i like to be a free bird at my desk. :)

cyn427 - that looks more like a shrine to a peacock. even the light fixtures hint at peacock eggs! haha

and my3dogs... thank you for the heads up! i didn't think any of the colors were bold enough, but what a deal! tempted to buy some neutral fabric at that price just to have on hand for a project on a whim!

i ordered about 10 swatches tonight - mostly suedes. boy, there are some GORGEOUS colors if i could afford $123/yard. haha

just found another inspiration photo! isn't this gorgeous?!!!!

i absolutely love the mixing of metals - the rich gold mirror and the silver tone lamps!!

and a quick update - my first batch of fabric swatches for the settee were an epic fail. hated all of them. i have another batch coming by end of week. fingers crossed!

IMO I would first solve the function issues you have outlined and then address the style issues you have requested.

As with every design problem there may be compromises to get most of what you've listed, but function shouldn't be one of them. I've attached a layout and some examples of furnishings & unique equipment that may accommodate many of your requests.

Please carefully think about keeping a frankly huge armoire, that you still have to spend time and money to refinish, to hold a printer that could reasonably fit on a small shelf. The printers seem to get smaller everyday as do the computers/laptops. How many of us got stuck with armoires to hold huge TVs? The local Goodwill where I live won't even take armoires anymore because no one wants them in their homes. That item in particular, from my perspective as a designer, is like fitting a square peg in a round hole.

I often look to the RV industry to provide me with clever equipment that does double duty, like hidden work surfaces that can pull out of standard cabinets when needed, and slide away when not in use.

I think you can assemble a workable room, with the special style you're looking for & even that special settee, but I would build in files and storage which is always needed, find a clever way to close away your DH clutter so you don't have to nag, & look for high tech items to help you reach you goals. Built in wall units are not inexpensive, but everything doesn't need to be custom. Cabinets from any modular kitchen cabinet manufacturer, even IKEA, could be used to assemble your workstations. Good Luck