Tina, ohhhhh … love your ideas and what you have so far! Can’t wait to see how it goes!

DH turned our office into a music room. :D

Last house, we had a huge office with Laura Ashley Olive #4 walls (remember that?), double French doors, a huge cream damask chaise, etc. It was so pretty.

ETA: I want to cry that I gave that chaise away. I’ve bever seen another like it. It wasn’t the curvy Victorian style, it was big and square and tufted and skirted and soooo cushy … felt like a hug.

That is delicious! I love everything about it. What a fabulous office you are going to have.

What kind of chaise are you looking for? Style etc. What is your budget. I would be happy to keep an eye out for you. I have to live vicariously through others bc my little apartment would pop like a balloon if I even considered adding anything else!

Tina - love where you’re going with your office! Can’t wait to see it all together.

Like Jilly’s DH, I kinda took over a bedroom for “my”office. Here you go…

Beautiful rubyclaire!! Our office is a bedroom also - we don't need since it's only the two of us. : )

Amy, I'm not looking for a chaise - I bought a chair and ottoman. But Jilly is I think? Or maybe you were asking her? If so, sorry!! hahaha

Also, most know that I am not a fan of the color RED (or most warm colors LOL), but some of the items the Mr. has collected have red, so I thought I'd incorporate a little in the pillow fabric. The rest of the house is neutral with blues and greens so this room is definitely different, but hopefully will look somewhat masculine and not too out of place.

ETA: I will also be changing out my overhead light, both in this room and the bedroom across the hall. Something else i need to look for.

Really like your buffet, Tina! Can't really tell the color. Great pillow fabric, too.

Rubyclaire, I love your office- really like your rug. If it is a recent purchase, would you mind telling where you purchased?

The cabinet is so pretty, Tina. It reminds me of the bottom of my maternal grandparents' china cabinet. Perfect fabric too. I hope you'll post more photos.

@lizbeth-gardener thank you. The rug is an inexpensive printed flat rug from Loloi callled Wynter in Auburn. It is very blushy which I didn't think I would like but I think it works in my office space.

DH's office is right off the foyer. We wanted to preserve the antique stained glass so decided the door to his office was the best place. If it's a mess, we can close it and it's obscured, but most of the time, the door is open, so it's a very gently used which is good for the glass.

The clock is a french grandfather clock that belonged to his grandmother. It's very old, very sensitive and a bear to keep running properly, but DH keeps at it diligently. The driftwood on the wall was found by my grandfather who gave it to my mother.

The room is relatively small but we had to bump up the ceiling height to accommodate the large window which is in the gable in the front of the house. So to visually bring the ceiling down, I painted it a darker taupe.

We put a "notch" in the room to accommodate cabinetry and to keep ugly things like printers and stacks of paper out of the main view when you look in. The marble top is part of the slab we bought for the fireplace surround in the library.

And he wanted a cozy place to sit, read the newspaper and watch TV...his away space if you will. So his leather chair is in the corner...he sits there all the time. The ducks on the wall were in the living room of the old house.

I made the drapes out of a paisley that picked up the reds and taupes and the beige in the wall.

Love that buffet/cabinet, Tina.

My home office is also a bedroom, on the second floor. It is always a big mess because it’s where I work (part time), craft (and store my millions of projects/supplies), and dump miscellaneous ”stuff to deal with later”. I have a big black desk from PB for my craft desk, a smaller black Ikea table for my laptop, a black RH nightstand for the printer, and a black glass front big cabinet from Ballard that holds craft supplies. Also an antique Table Talk Pies shelf unit for yarn storage. Sounds like a lot of black!? Walls are painted pink (BM Odessa Pink)…I love black and pink together. I have an indoor/outdoor rug (black and white) because sometimes I sit on the floor with glue, etc… I kind of regret it because it’s not very soft to sit on. Hmm, Ruby’s rug might look nice in my room!

I wish I had room for a comfy chair, but our den across the hall has a big sectional so my projects often spread into that room.

@Sueb20 I flirted with the idea of painting my office Odessa Pink after getting the rug - totally leaning into the blush! Other priorities - new sofa, chairs, etc. have pushed that idea to the back burner but I think that rug would look great in your office! I can't remember exactly but I think mine was under $200 for an 8x10.

Love your new credenza, Tina. It will be fun to see the rest of your room come together.

Tina I love that buffet, it is a great size and the color and finish are beautiful! The black fabric too— love it all and cannot wait to see the finished room.

My ”office” is still a bedroom that is used often, so the desk is one I can close up and lock.

@lizbeth-gardener the buffet cabinet is painted black and lightly distressed. My library desk was painted the same way! I kept looking for a buffet I liked to have my painting gal paint and low and behold, saw my buffet on the store instagram account. We were actually out-of-town and there were several inquiries about the buffet. The day we were traveling back home, I called the store to see if the cabinet was still there. It was! We re-routed and came home that way (the shop is about an hour from our home) and bought the cabinet. They wanted us to pick it up the next day, Sunday, as they could get it out and another piece in on a day they are closed. Right now it's sitting in another room because I need to get the loveseat out!

@Kswl I have always liked your secretary!

Thank you all for sharing!!

Such beautiful offices and furnishings which make me just a tad envious! We do have a dedicated office upstairs, but DH is using it as a music room as well (like Jilly's hubby), so I am set up in a corner of our primary bedroom. It's a comfortable setup for me, though, and if I'm feeling especially lazy I can always grab the laptop and stretch out on the bed to work. I do enjoy having the window that looks out onto my little garden. Such as it is...

“Real life” shot of one side of my room.

This is fun, Tina! I’m loving everyone's offices.

Sue, that paint color! 😍

I found this old pic of my office in the last house. We’d just painted the walls and acid stained the floor, so hadn’t moved all the furniture and rug back in when I took this. I don’t know why the pic is so dark — that room had huge windows on one entire wall (very high ceiling). We brought the china cabinet to this house.

LA Olive 4! With dark taupe trim. Nostalgic. :)

I think we need more "real life" photos. It would be fun ... or in my case, possibly horrifying. (Note to self - clean the dang kitchen sink.)

Sue, I didn’t realize you are also a knitter 🤔 There is no end to some GWers’ talents!

Oh I dabble in so many things (what’s that expression?…master of none?). Knitting, crochet , needlepoint, embroidery, cross stitch, paper collage…the pandemic was good for my hobbies!

I strongly recommend facing a window if at all possible. Even if you don't have a great view, the light has so many advantages! Taking in natural light is really good for seasonal affective disorder. Also, it's really great reminder to take a break from the screen every now and then. And the light is ideal for zoom meetings!

If the sun is too harsh, blinds are the best since you can half open and still see out. Or sheers / solar shades if you're worried about privacy or only need to control the light a little bit.

We have a printer and a ton of WIFI gadgets and hubs concealed in the cabinet below. It's set about 6" away from the wall and is backless so air can flow through.

@User right now my desk is directly across the room from a window. I thought about changing it up, but not sure I want to. The room gets good light (blinds are open) and thankfully I don't have SAD. Also, I don't actually "work" at my computer other than various duties for my husband's business (which don't take up much of my time). I've made a point to limit my screen time (although sometimes it gets the best of me - thank you Gardenweb!!). I really don't want to have to move all the workings for the internet, etc. but I might try it out. The reading/relaxing chair and ottoman will be very close to the window. : ) I do want some kind of window treatment other than the blinds (probably panels). Your office is so neat! Mine is such a mess right now. Can't wait to get on with this project!!

Our home office has two desks, each in front of a double window. We have matching chairs and our desks essentially match except mine is white marble and DH's is grey marble (it was my DR table in my first NYC apartment, from ABC Carpet and home). Our office supplies and printer are in a closet.

This is my desk, I don't have one of DH's.

The Bookcase sort of thing above came from 1st Dibs. Along the bottom is has bins. It's a fun piece.

Sometimes we have 2 chairs in between these bookcases, sometimes a love seat.

Love all your office spaces .. and how they reflect your personalities!

This is a timely thread as I need to quickly adapt one of my spare rooms for an office. I have been working out of my living room and that worked well when I first transitioned to wfh. But now I am getting ready to lead a new large project and I am finding that I am unfocused .. and that I need a better setup so I can add a second monitor.

I have given myself a meager 2k budget ... partially because I have a 72" desktop in storage that I could use but I would really like to get a new desk... and I need a desk chair (I am using a parsons chair now). I will shop my house for artwork, rug, lighting, etc but I should probably also add some sort of cabinet or credenza for files, books and printer.

I think that's a lot to ask for a 2k budget lol ... and because I don't want to skimp on the chair, I will need to choose carefully. I'd love to convert the small closet into a bookcase and storage... adding shelves like below and french doors. It's not a standard size door opening though so we'll see. I may end up looking for something interesting on FBMP.

I have a desk similar to this in storage but it is possible it is warped .. i do like the simplicity of a very large work area. If I stick with this design, I will still have plenty of budget for a good chair.

I will need to shop in person for a chair which will limit my options. Would love any recommendations. I most like something like this one from WS Home.

and of course, there is the ubiquitous Herman Miller Aeron chair -- not so pretty but designed to be ergonomic.

Any ideas and suggestions welcome ..

I find it interesting, for people like yourself and AKT, working full time from home --- do your employers give you a budget for such things? They really should! We redid our NYC offices not that long ago and the chairs alone were 2k each. They are very good chairs, but that is as it should be! I think it's really ridiculous how WFH has pushed all these costs off on EEs.

I I were sitting in a chair all day, I would unquestionably look at Herman Miller's "Office Chairs
for Long Hours." At least they have some fun color options. You want your office to spark joy!

Do you have have a lot of paper files and books? Mine are mostly empty now (at my work office, not my home office). I agree about looking on CL.

PS Yes, I like big open, airy desks. Only issue with my marble one ... it is cold in winter! Duh. Really a rectangualr table will do!

My client provides all my equipment needs-- from mice/keyboards to docking stations and multiple monitors. I don't care for their standard headphones so I use my own. There's no budget for furniture. I am curious if other companies provide a home office budget.

I don't have a lot of books or files for work-- but personal files and books, yes.

Totally agree on putting most of my budget into the chair -- I have used a variety of non-office chairs in the past and been happy with them but there's no doubt that an ergonomically designed chair would probably be best for my aging body!

I do want color to spark joy but I am not sure i can embrace a bright chair-- I think I'll look to rug, curtains and art for color? It may even be time to revisit THE leopard rug!

I have never had a full room at home dedicated to an office. Looking at yours, I think I missed out!

The one and only office I had was a suite in one of our office buildings. Lost it when we sold, but I had stopped using when we moved to the house on the lake anyway. My office then became a yellow cabinet behind the breakfast room table. Next house, same. Here, same table but cabinet is located in a stairway landing. I also have a "cloffice" with modem, copier/scanner and file cabinets. Of course I decorated it with framed art and a birthing chair from Spain.

I am curious if other companies provide a home office budget.

It is probably rare, but if this trend continues, companies are shifting a lot of costs to their EEs and it adds up!

In my case, I already had everything I need, and I didn't even take their equipment. I won't give up my Mac (using a VPN). My chair is decent but not for full time use. Honestly I work just about anywhere, with my laptop propped up on a knee or on a pillow. When I go to my NYC office i find using my monitors and keyboard there so awkward! Sometime I bring my Mac with me, LOL.

My employer supplies everything. However, they will not pay for my desk or chair. It is all computer and accessories related. I use nothing more than a notepad for myself. Everything is electronic.

I might need to look into some really good office chairs. Maybe.....

For anyone here chair shopping, you might find a really good brand secondhand. I'd be a little bit worried about authenticity, so see if your city has any authorized stores for that kind of thing. (Or check out Duckys.)

A bit of warning: see if it's possible to rent or borrow any chair before buying, so you can test it out for a while. (or make sure there's a good return or exchange policy.) I hate to admit it, but I had the newest Aeron chair and didn't like it. I was going through a period of hip pain from tight flexors, and the bouncy mesh seat made it really hurt. I don't think there's anything wrong with the design, but it just wasn't right for me. it took several days to figure that out, the few minutes I spent in the showroom wasn't nearly enough to detect a problem. (my husband was more than happy to take it, thankfully we're about the same size. he really loves it.)

Of course you can get a really decent ergonomic chair for less. There are some pretty ok looking ones out there. Maybe not as pretty as the WS Home posted above, but hey, it's an office chair. If you don't need any complicated adjustments, the pretty ones might be fine too. It just depends on your own needs.

I strongly recommend something height adjustable no matter what though. You really want your forearms to be level with the desktop, or otherwise.... ouch.

they will not pay for my desk or chair

Sounds like that is the norm, but not really fair. They'd have to buy one for you if you were on site. And they'd have to pay rent for the space you consumed .... they "live" rent free in your place. This WFH stuff can be a plus but the companies really save $$$

I have missed several comments! I use an painted antique straight back chair with padded (upholstered) seat. I have another one I am going to swap out for it another one I have that is stained, not painted. I do not spend alot of time in the chair, since I'm a help-mate (LOL hey, the benefits are good!), and do not not actually WFH.

Allison, we really didn't "need" an at home office, but it's an excuse to feed our love of antiques and have stuff neatly contained. I had two-drawer file cabinets in the empty closet until my husband found a vintage wood file cabinet (4-drawer). That closet is now my "holiday", etc. closet. I had the love seat and now the chair/ottoman because it's a nice place to relax, read, etc. I also have my little stepper in there - for now anyway.

Amy, I love your office space and the black sconces look GREAT!

My husband's company offered him any computer equipment he needed to WFH, and a bonus of something like $1000 to spend on anything (literally anything, even if it wasn't office related -- I think it was meant to be a morale booster). It's a huge company so they definitely could afford to do that, and the employees are expected to eventually return the computer equipment.

I felt bad for anyone who had to pay for their own stuff, but I could see how some small companies couldn't afford it either. for some of my friends, they were allowed to just go in and temporarily take home anything they needed from their desks.

I have my own business and had been WFH for over ten years so I already had all my stuff.

Agree with @mtnrdredux_gw, the employers are pushing off a lot of costs to the employees. My current employer provided my laptop and $40 a month for internet and that is it. Planning to retire next year so I will go with the flow but what cheapies. Small company cheap on most things and gotten much worse over time. Great time to move on.

I told this story before and it still bites. The room I'm in now is/was my office. My pc, my shelves, my stuff. As I was still adding a bit of decor, DH decides to bring his law office home. I didn't mind at all until all those #### file cabinets full of files arrived. His office has no space for them because there are seven 4 drawer legal size, with stacks of files on top. He could either put them in the guest bedroom or in here. I made the sacrifice.

His office is nice & has two nice pieces of antique furniture. Me? I have metal file cabinets.

This is the only picture I have of his office.

Tina, I forgot to mention how beautiful your room is.