“I like to salvage beams and other framing material from old barns and have it remilled into flooring,” says designer Dan Scotti, describing how he decorated his East Hampton, New York, house. Scotti anchored his home office with a 1970s Peter Løvig Nielsen desk and chrome chairs, which were upholstered in red vinyl when he found them and now sport Maharam boiled wool. Photo by Shade Degges
Kevin Dumais went for warm and inviting in designing the home office of a sprawling house in Washington Depot, Connecticut. “To counterbalance the traditional architectural details,” he says, “we curated a mix of custom and vintage pieces with a play of polish and patina.” The graphic Christian Liaigre desk makes a bold statement in the otherwise serene space. Photo by Joshua McHugh
Striving for maximum brightness, Proem Studio’s Ashley Drost used super-light walls and wood floors in the workspace of a Union Square, Manhattan, apartment. “We added a vintage Parisian Holophane light to complement the clients’ art collection,” she says. Photo by Reid Rolls
“I designed this office to be both functional and stylish, incorporating a mix of 20th-century and antique furniture and art,” Robert Couturier says of the workspace in his Soho, New York, loft. “The room is reflective of my personal taste, making it comfortable as well as beautiful.” Photo by Bill Abranowicz
In this workspace on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Alexander Doherty made the focus the homeowner’s Eames 670 lounge chair and ottoman, purchased in the 1960s. He accompanied the mid-century masterpiece with a vintage Hans Wegner wall unit, which holds books, pictures and, of course, a laptop. “I think that, right now, we need warm, inviting offices that breathe an atmosphere of calm,” Doherty says. Photo by Marius Chira
“When designing a home office for our clients, I often think about how to create an inviting, warm, calm space that they will actually want to retreat to,” says Sasha Adler. High-gloss French blue walls do the trick in this Chicago home office, providing a tranquil backdrop for bold pieces like the custom desk and David Yarrow photograph. Photo by Tony Soluri
“We upholstered the walls of this West Village office in wool, which is both beautiful and practical, because it absorbs sound really well so the room stays very quiet,” says Alyssa Kapito. In line with the peaceful vibe, the designer kept the palette neutral in the space, which is overseen by a simply perfect Angelo Lelli ceiling light. Photo by Eric Piasecki
How’s this for provenance? Designer Sergejs Ogurcovs, of SOG Interiors, found the desk chair for this sleek Latvian home office discarded on the side of a San Francisco road. “Somebody working in neighboring office building threw it away, and it was rusty and missing a couple of wheels. I was able to fully restore it,” he says. A fan of vintage furniture, Ogurcovs added a Marc Simon upholstered chair and a mid-century desk lamp. Photo courtesy of SOG Interiors
“Home offices often end up being placed in basements with little to no natural light,” says Jenny Dina Kirschner, of JDK Interiors. “And in those circumstances, I love to incorporate lots of rich textures and interesting materials to replace that lack of light with warmth and personality.” Kirschner gave some colorful character to this Brooklyn workspace, courtesy of the Donghia desk chair.
“Light” and “fresh” were the watchwords for this library in a West Village townhouse, according to Shawn Henderson. Henderson’s firm designed the custom desk, based on an Axel Einar Hjorth piece. The console, made of leather-wrapped two-toned wood, is by Thomas Hayes Gallery. Photo by Steven Freihon
“When creating an office, the main thing I focus on is making it feel cozy and homey,” says Kishani Perera. For this Hollywood Hills example, a cherished piece of furniture set just the tone she wanted. “The vintage desk that the client acquired and saved through the years was the inspiration for the mid-century feel. We created a room that was masculine, sparse but warm, with the various woods and leathers,” says Perera. “The rest of the house was rather colorful, so it was important that the office remain a calm and serene departure.” A Charles and Ray Eames chair, hide rug and vintage drip-glazed table lamp complete the look. Photo by Jean Randazzo
“When creating a home office, choose things that you find beautiful as well as functional,” says Timothy Corrigan. Corrigan did just that in the study of the 1922 Georgian Colonial Revival house in Los Angeles that he purchased in 2006 and that he had lived in as a child. Among the room’s beautiful, functional pieces are a 1795 cabinet that was a gift from William V, Prince of Orange, to Catherine the Great and the Louis XIV sconces flanking it. Photo by Lee Manning
“Laptop computers have saved the home office from a mass of tangled cords and clutter and have changed the way we view the room,” says Emily Summers. For this workspace in a Dallas penthouse, Summers selected a pair of 1966 Ward Bennett Envelope chairs to partner with a 1960s desk whose original chrome base has been refinished in shagreen. Photo by Stephen Karlisch
The furnishings in Tara Shaw’s cypress-paneled New Orleans study include a Louis Philippe daybed and an Arne Norell Ari lounge chair and ottoman. Photo courtesy of Tara Shaw
“Spaces are more meaningful when they connect to history and reinterpret conventional design vocabularies,” says Michael Haverland. who cites this home office he designed in an Upper East Side apartment as an example. “In this case, a home office for a writer, precise computer-milled lacquered paneling inspired by old libraries covers one wall, and Cole & Son wallpaper overlaid with computer-milled lattice in the same grid pattern covers another, weaving together the two surface treatments.” The room also includes a Jacques Adnet leather desk, a Gae Aulenti table lamp and a chair, wastebasket and magazine rack by Piero Fornasetti. Photo by Bruce Buck
“The house itself was built in the 1930s, so the interior spaces never stray too far from classic, but because of the clients’ fearlessness with design, I was allowed to layer in texture, pattern and color,” says Betsy Burnham, of Burnham Design, describing the Santa Monica, California, home containing this multihued office. Photo by Burnham Design
Consort wanted the look of a New York apartment belonging to a single man to be “modern, fresh and welcoming – but not overtly masculine.” In the home’s study, that translates into mid-century modern furnishings and brass accents. Photo by Reid Rolls
“A home office should blend seamlessly with the overall decor, and don’t forget to include an inviting chair for a loved one to keep you company,” says Deirdre Doherty. She designed this study in a Los Angeles Spanish bungalow to accommodate an abundance of books, including additional storage in the mid-century-modern desk. Photo by Meghan Beierle O’Brien
“I like studies to be practical, personal and stylish,” says Fawn Galli, who achieved all that and more in this Manhattan example. “The Papa Bear chair is my favorite for a study and for listening to music. The coffee table is vintage Knoll, and the desk chair is by Velca Lugano. The neutral colors highlight the instruments, books and view of Washington Square Park.” Photo by Costas Picadas
“The placement of the desk in the room is really critical, as it sets the tone for the whole space,” says Steffani Aarons, of DHD Architecture & Interior Design. “The desk itself is always a key element and is often an opportunity to set the design aesthetic. It’s also always nice to have a feature wall with a great piece of art and really good lighting to anchor a room.” Aarons proves her point in this Chelsea study, where the Hollywood Regency campaign executive desk provides a vibrant focal point, its bright red hue picked up in accents throughout the room, including the pair of 1970s reflective Italian wall lights. Photo by Emily Andrews
In a home office, according to Brown Davis Interiors, lighting is the principle issue. Not a problem in this sun-filled library, which the designers outfitted with an early-20th-century Sheridan-style mahogany partners desk and a 19th-century English Georgian case clock. “You can almost hear the steady rhythm of the tick tock,” they note. Photo courtesy of Brown Davis Interiors
This spectacular two-story study in a Kelly Wearstler–designed home on Washington State’s Mercer Island includes library ladders resting on brass railings to reach the tomes on the soaring bookcases’ top shelves. Photo by Grey Crawford
In the office of a family home in Canada, Powell & Bonnell juxtaposed the historical architectural details with streamlined furniture, including a desk, guest chair and lamp of the firm’s own design. Photo by Ted Yarwood
Dineen Architecture fitted this Upper East Side townhouse study out with custom walnut shelves, a vintage Adrian Pearsall desk and a Knoll chair. Photo by Peter Rymwid
To furnish this Greenwich Village townhouse, Ash NYC selected such mid-century gems as a desk and modernist armchairs by Pierre Jeanneret. Photo by Christian Harder
