Home Office Ideas & Calming Design- Kelley Nan

I’ve been saying for the past few years that I’m making office updates and I continued to move slowly without ever making much progress. I finally realized, when I vowed to actually and successfully tackle the last of the to-dos on my office update that it wasn’t a “makeover” per-se… but an evolution over the past few years. But, I’m finally happy with the updates and for the next long while, I consider my office content and “done!” Instead of a traditional before/after full makeover, today, I’m sharing a look back at where my office started with its first makeover reveal back in 2016 (which was a full job with the installation of built-ins and full furnishing of the room), to today — and highlighting the intentional changes I’ve made since.

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Home Office Before & After — An Evolution

As a reminder, this is where we started with the final product of my 2016 home makeover project. I designed this space for function with integrated filing drawers, printer pull-out, window seat, and a large working surface, which all continue to work well today. The changes I’ve made since have had more to do with personalizing the space and integrating some wishlist items more than just changing just to change. Because of that, you’ll see that a lot actually remains unchanged. Even a lot of the functional bookshelf styling! So, let’s walk through it. Here we were in 2016…

And here we are today!

I’ll be honest — I really thought I would be changing up my paint color just to experience something new, but honestly, my On the Rocks by Sherwin Williams gray paint is still in good shape and goes well with everything I have going on in the room. I Magic Eraser-ed scuffs but since I didn’t feel super passionate about a new tone, I decided until/if I did, it would remain as-is.

I subbed out some of the glitzier furnishings, like the light fixture, for natural and rattan. If you’re a semi-regular visitor, you’ve probably actually seen a lot of those kind of changes pop up in my occasional office photos for a while now.

I also announced when I FINALLY made the rug change, to a simpler (and thicker), but incredibly affordable rug that I actually also had in the living room at one point. That’s how much I loved it. I bought it twice 😉

My oversized dining table desk continues to be an awesome workspace — especially since I have two large monitors that display my laptop. I will absolutely continue to advocate for using dining tables for desks 😉

A lot of the evolution of my office has been infusing memories, things that bring me joy, and bits of happiness — in the form of photos, mementos, and even integrating hobbies.

I’ve amassed quite the record collection now (see a post on that HERE) and if I’m home, I’m typically spinning something. I love having a portable suitcase in my office.

Suitcase Record Player | Vinyl Record Shelf Mount | Lavender Days by Caamp Vinyl

This wall of happiness is my favorite thing in the office. When I decided to upgrade and downsize my tv to a frame tv, turning the wall into one big gallery wall of special art and memories from trips was an easy choice. I’ve also incorporated a lot more storage on this side of the room since 2016 — that wall originally had nothing but now I have a full sideboard and bins. You can see the full post on the before and after of installing the frame tv gallery wall HERE.

I JUST added a cute little mountain goat postcard art print from our trip to Glacier! See our full trip recap HERE. And BTW, THESE no-tool picture hangers continue to be my go-to for hanging art — especially gallery walls. I was able to hang the entire wall in no time.

Wall Mount Guitar Hanger | Floor Lamp | Taylor Swift Fearless Guitar

Samsung Frame TV Art Gallery Wall -- Mixing Art Prints and TV Art for a Seamless Look in the Office

1. Not Available | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. (32″ w/ modern teak bezel) | 9. | 10. | 11. | 12. | 13. | 14. | 15. | 16. | 17.

Fabric Storage Bins – 3 pack

I try to keep my desktop accessories to a minimum — a shift I’ve made since 2016 — and keep most supplies stored in my drawers. You can see how I organize the inside of my built-ins HERE.

The Official Taylor Swift Eras Tour Book | Timer | Acrylic Memo Holder (similar) | Wireless Keyboard & Mouse

Before the office gallery wall of happiness (self-titled), I started with the addition of these beach prints, which make me think of Rosemary Beach — one of my favorite places my family and I visit. It’s also one of Eliza’s favorite art installations in our house.

And to be honest, when I moved my gold mirror off the wall when my pin board was hung, I set it to the side, just for the interim, until I decided what to do with it. Now, I kind of love it layered against this wall. And, I still use it all the time. It’s here to stay, just as is.

Wall Art – left | Wall Art – top right | Wall Art – bottom right

And these days, there’s no such thing as displaying too many memories so I’m always adding to and updating the photos on my desk. As a bonus, they help to conceal the ugly cords at the back of my monitors 😉 I need to make an updated post on hiding office cords — you can see my former post on how I disguised my office cords HERE.

Gold Picture Frame | Acrylic Picture Frame

All of my frames — from the gallery wall to the desktop photos — are eclectic, affordable, and have been curated over time. I love the lived in and well loved feeling it gives to this space that I spend so much time.

I know I’m probably in the minority of people who have a laptop and then use two large projected screens, but this system continues to work so well for me. THIS acrylic desktop file has grippy feet and is incredibly heft and substantial — it holds my laptop with cord connections, along with all my other notebooks and current files/forms/papers. It is far superior to similar ones I’ve seen and felt.

Acrylic Desktop File | Leather Desk Mat | Wireless Keyboard & Mouse | Timer | Acrylic Memo Holder (similar)

Leather Desk Mat | Wireless Keyboard & Mouse | Timer | Acrylic Memo Holder (similar)

I continue to love the styling, use the storage, and the functionality is still great so as I mentioned, few changes have been made here — aside from adding a few personal favorites I’ve accumulated.

Letter Box | Magazine/File Holder | Gold Matted Frame | Metal Branch Frame

A recent update I made that I put off for a long time was “reupholstering” my window seat bench. I did it as a DIY I made up along the way years ago, and I did the same thing this time around — just with more substantial fabric. You can find what I used from my favorite pillow and fabric company HERE.

You can see my Instagram reel of this DIY HERE. My dogs jump up here to lounge (as does Eliza) and between all of them, it still looks perfect.

Window Seat Fabric (in the natural finish — one shade darker than mine, but still available)

One of my wishlist additions was a decision based on functionality and convenience, but I drug my feet on it because it’s a little bit of an investment. I would typically get pretty tough screen glare when editing photos and after falling in love with our smart shades we installed in the primary bathroom a few years ago, I knew I wanted to bring that feature to the office, with blackout shades. Lemme just say — 100% worth it. I love being able to sit at my desk and ask my Amazon Echo to raise/lower my shades, I can set a schedule, and I even have a remote mounted to the wall. I also love the clean aesthetic against all my busier collections in the room.

We already had a smart hub from our first shades, but if you want to know exactly what I ordered for this window, here it is. You can customize them on Serena Shades by Lutron’s website. Dave installed ours but they also offer professional installation. I recommend requesting shade fabric samples before committing!

My mom and I don’t work side by side in person as often anymore, but I love having a second chair that stays on the opposite side of the desk for when she does, and for Eliza. She joins me in my office to do her homework after she gets off the bus in the afternoons during the school year. And BTW — I’ve had both of THESE chairs for years now and they’ve been fantastic! The white leather has been fantastic but it comes in several other color options and metal finish options.

Home Office Ideas & Tips When Designing a Work Space

Color scheme — Do you prefer a calming space when you’re working or something that will energize you? Regardless of the pretty photos you see from others’ offices, you have to envision how you will work best. If you want serenity, go for more calming hues, neutrals, (could be light and airy or dark and cozy). If energy is what fuels your creativity, consider something colorful and bold.
Desk position — Do you want to be able to look out the window or face toward the door, executive style?
Light sources — An overhead light alone is not sufficient. I totally depend on my lamp light, wall dimmer, and the natural light from my window. That said, my latest blackout shades to allow working sans glare with some of my activities was also a change I should have made long ago.
Personal touches — An office is an incredibly personal space and whether you want your favorite faces within view while you’re grinding or like to have memories on the wall to help fuel your creativity, this is the place to get personal and display some of your favorite things. Keep things around the inspire you and motivate you.
Work tools — What do you need to successfully and comfortably work within your space? Even if it isn’t the most aesthetic, don’t skimp. You can come up with ways to hide/incorporate ugly components. I’ve done my best to hide cords, have a hidden printer pull-out in my built-ins, switched my TV to a frame tv that displays constant art, have a full sideboard full of storage, and tons of bins — out in the open — for even more storage. My office would look a lot cuter if I just had to worry about my sleep little MacBook but my big screens are important to my efficiency. So, they stay.
Seating — Get a desk chair(s) that you can sit in for as long as you need to. I spend hours upon hours in mine daily so I need to be able to roll, have arm rests, be able to lean back, feel supported, and have a decently comfortable seat. If you use a home office for bills or occasional phone calls, you may have more options with stationary chairs but if you use your office for daily work, get something you will stay in and not be tempted to relocate elsewhere in the house.
Defined work space — Don’t let this space become a dumping ground, just because it may seem “extra”, out of the way, or only yours. The best way to ensure you use and love your office is to treat it as it was intended.
Treat yourself to accessories — When you’re first getting set/re-set in your office, it’s fun to start with new accessories. New sets of pens, highlighters, gold paper clips, matching stapler/tape dispenser, etc. Ditch the old stuff (ie pens from your carpenter and dentist) that make your office feel like a bigger version of your junk drawer.
Keep functionality at the forefront — If there were ever a space where functionality should rule, it’s the home office. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t compromise. Just don’t forfeit practical comforts for aesthetics.