Decorating Guides
'Mad Men' Style: Peggy Olson's Office Grows Up
Peggy zoomed from secretary to star copywriter at the famed fictional ad agency. These product picks give her a chic office to match
I think it's safe to say that Peggy Olson will undergo some major transformations in the fifth season of Mad Men. This picture from New York magazine is indicative of the visible flux in our favorite copywriter's persona: She's willing to do whatever it takes (work in the nude or crash a men's night out with clients at a strip club) to be taken seriously and to have her work validated when it matters most.
Outside of her fashion choices, nowhere will the changes in Peggy's life be more apparent than in her office space. Here are a few décor pieces that I think she could use now that she's brought the men around her to their knees.
Mad Men's season five two-hour premiere: March 25, 2012, 9 p.m. Eastern
Outside of her fashion choices, nowhere will the changes in Peggy's life be more apparent than in her office space. Here are a few décor pieces that I think she could use now that she's brought the men around her to their knees.
Mad Men's season five two-hour premiere: March 25, 2012, 9 p.m. Eastern
Peggy made a lot of bad choices in past seasons of Mad Men, but she's never let the tumult of her personal life affect the quality of her work — probably one of the reasons she became the first female copywriter at Sterling Cooper (later, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce), an outright revolutionary feat. She's gone from being Don's secretary to having her own secretary, who fields calls and ...
... when a pitch meeting calls for it, prepares a few libations to stimulate creative work. The gold finish and flowers of this bar trolley soften the portable setup without taking away from its functionality and purpose, making it a great addition to Peggy's office.
This midcentury sectional sofa is a more functional and aesthetically appealing version of what's in Peggy's current office; the sectional can accommodate the SCDP partners and all of Peggy's creative underlings if need be. And let's face it — she could use the extra legroom for the many all-nighters she'll likely have to pull in season five.
Modern Swoop Armchair
Peggy can get rid of the clunky side chair that's currently in her office and replace it with this chocolate and plaid midcentury modern Swoop armchair, which still very much reflects Peggy's yellow and brown color palette.
Company C Pillow Deco Peacock
Janie Bryant, Mad Men's stylist, mentioned in an interview how the shifts in Peggy's character are always expressed outwardly in slight variations. Although Peggy is attending film screenings downtown, hanging out with a lesbian photographer and making out with a liberal writer, the visible changes in her life will continue to be subtle. So it makes sense that she updates her office's color palette with accessories (as opposed to sweeping paint changes or chinoiserie wallpaper), like a peacock patterned throw pillow ...
Modern Table Lamps
...or a tangerine mod lamp. It's perfect for illuminating her office inspiration board (you can see a sliver of it in this picture).
Even in the middle of a party with Joyce (her photographer friend, seen here), Peggy scouts for photographers for the agency. The party is pivotal for Peggy's image and Mad Men's plot in general: She's seen with her hair down, smoking a joint, wearing a cotton shirt (read: not a polyester bow blouse). The message is clear: Peggy is paying attention to the way she looks.
Starburst Mirror
Now that she's all grown up and aware of her image, Peggy could definitely use some sort of starburst mirror (here and above) in her office. We don't want to see a repeat of how she mistakenly thought that a client was making a lewd pass at her when he was really trying to tell her that she had lipstick on her teeth. Always check your reflection before a meeting, Peggy.
Peggy has a small blue version of this chair, which she uses as a footstool while she sits on her desk. But this Saarinen womb chair and ottoman would give her both comfort and functionality, letting her literally put her feet up at work.
She's already let her hair down and taken off her bra for the sake of creativity, so I think it's about time Peggy got rid of her angular coffee table to make room for this Eames elliptical coffee table.
Husky Throw
It can get cold in Manhattan for a girl working in the ad world in 1967 — and nothing can make the temperature feel frostier than an exchange with the sometimes icy Don Draper. Peggy could use this throw to keep her warm at the office, day and night.
More:
How to Get the 'Mad Men' Look
Consider the Home Office Bar
More:
How to Get the 'Mad Men' Look
Consider the Home Office Bar