From The Office Of: coco+kelley

Well, my dears, the sun did not come out today, but I took photos anyway because I just couldn't make you wait any longer! (For the record, yesterday was absolutely gorgeous, but because my office only gets morning sunshine, by the time I got around to it, it was still too dark! Frustrating!)

Let's start this off with a little interior designer insight. Sometimes, you get to create a space starting from scratch, which is always awesome. Other times - you gotta work with what your mama gave you. In this case - literally. I mentioned before that my 'office' is a spare bedroom in my parent's house. The furniture was already in there (and they were not going to be putting any of it in storage on my account thank you very much). The paint color is a bit dark - perfectly warm for a bedroom, but not so much for an office. The carpet is old. The windows still need curtains. The list goes on.

SO, what's a designer to do? Work with it.

Ta da! Not what you expected is it? The desk, files, and bookshelf (not pictured) were already in here. As was the little sofa. The only larger pieces in here that are mine are the rug (Cost Plus), the chair (vintage), and the lamp (Target base, Anthropologie shade). The rest of if it is lots of little details that I've brought in.

Let's start with the inspiration, shall we?

The postcard on the left is where I wanted to go with my color palette - blues and peachy corals (mostly with accessories) mixed with sandy khaki, grey and dark brown.

I certainly got my pops of blue in there with the bowl on the left (from Anthropologie) to hold ribbons, tags, and other miscellany, and the notepad on the right which arrived as a gift last week just in time to make the deskcape complete! As you can see, I've got my lucite (file holder from the container store) and my metallics (vintage pen holder).

My little brass birdie is via ebay, my favorite Maura Peters candle in Vanilla Grapefruit (so delicious), and the vintage tray I found thrifting (it barely has its gold edging left, but you can kinda see it in the photo).

The other little birdie sits next to my plant on the windowsill. Next to the desk, I covered the file folder with a zebra fabric, and topped it with a small basket to hold my mail, a clear vase to hold my paint book, and a candle holder for my pencils. Talk about repurposing!

Next to the file drawers is this bookshelf (which will be repainted as soon as humanly possible). It stashes my stacks of magazines, some goodies from my Etsy store (which will be replenished very soon!) and my little 'bar' - for coffee of course.

And then there's the inspiration board - still in a state of flux at them moment a I add new ideas for spring to old ideas I can't get rid of. I usually put up my favorite fashion and rooms to see where my color trends are going - right now I'm really loving olive green with peach and pink tones.

In my dreams, I'd replace the schoolhouse desk with a larger farm table style, replace the metal file drawer with something more attractive, paint the bookshelf in a creamy white, and add some window treatments in the coral/peach tone to add some life and pop to the space! But, hopefully this makeshift bedroom won't be my office for long - ideally I'd love to have my own space to run my small business out of, and when that day comes... all sorts of dreams will be coming true!

Hope you all enjoyed my little space! I'll have more photos up on flickr later today so you can see all the details and more views of the office too.

From The Office Of: Maison Luxe

If you've been hangin' around coco+kelley long enough, you might recall that when I moved back to Seattle to start my own interior design+events+styling company, I also happened to pick up a little gig at Maison Luxe - a fantastically gorgeous shop owned by the seriously amazing Kelie Grosso (yes, I love it and her that much).

Recently, we relocated the shop to a smaller, cozier space, up on the second floor of a historic building in Pioneer Square with the most insanely fabulous windows. So, on top of my own home office, I now have a little space at Maison Luxe to call my own, and guess what? It was the perfect space for my inspiration board to come to life.

Obviously, the space is Kelie's, so all the furniture is her own - the desk and file drawers are from Ikea, and the rest of it are pieces available through the store. I adore the caneback chairs!

I styled up the desk the way I'd have it for my own workspace - don't you just love the amount of light coming in? And this was on a rainy day!

Let's talk resources - the cork pencil holder is vintage, found via Etsy. The brass candleholders, the small white bowl and the silver pot are are thrift store items (!), the teacup is my one and only Hermes Balcon Du Guadalquivir. (*sigh*). The birdbath, yellow vase and chrome stapler all belong to Maison Luxe.

Another overall shot of the workspace - you can see my favorite Voluspa candle in Crisp Champagne (on top of the Hermes box) and my absolutely necessary desktop calendar. We stash tons of cards (just like Melissa!) for thank you notes in a clear vase. No fresh flowers today, which is why I always like to have a plant for some permanent green!

In the corner, we've got plenty of storage for little things, and one of the most important pieces - the ipod station! Also, Kelie's ode to Paris and her sweet little birdie dish from Anthropologie.

Behind the desk is a little area for files, the phone, boxes and shelving to store our product binders, wrapping paper, and more office goodies. (The Hermes ashtray is Kelie's - can you tell we have similar taste?)

Finally, just a peek at the rest of the space. The Ikea bookshelf separates the 'office' area from the rest of the shop. We have lots to do still before it's full, but we're getting there!

For more photos (I couldn't stop myself from taking about a million) check out the flickr album again! Later today - the BIG REVEAL of my home office. Are you curious how it turned out? I'll give you a hint. Since this office was a better setting for my inspiration board, my home office is nothing like what you'll expect!

From The Office Of: Relish Small Pleasures

When I moved to LA over two years ago, a series of random events led me to an interview with Annie & Michael Towey, owners of the fantastically original shop, Empiric, where I worked for nearly a year. I fell in love with these guys instantly, and learned so much from their eclectic aesthetic - each of them having a unique take on similar styles. So, it was only natural that I ask Annie to help launch this first week of style (e)scapes! I think you're gonna like this one...

Its fitting that Cassie would include me in her (e)scapes desktop series because my home office is a serious work in progress! A little over a month ago I decided to redo the sitting room off my bedroom and make it a creative retreat. A place where I could properly store all of the things that inspire me day in and day out. As most designers will probably agree, choosing pieces for your own home can sometimes be far more difficult than working with a clients space. Even with folders full of inspiration this job is proving to be no different. With that in mind, I managed to narrow things down by choosing this home office designed by Celerie Kemble for inspiration to base my choices off of.

Bold, rich colors layered on patterns and textures instantly attracted me to this room. I love how polished it is and, when I have so many projects up in the air, I want to be grounded in a totally finished space. Although I'm not going to use the same palette, I have chosen one loud color as my base to tie it all together and give it the same cohesive look. Burnt Orange and shades of warm brown are a favorite that I think I can live with for awhile and when I happened upon the Shell Toile wallpaper from Brunschwig & Fils a sketch was born.


As with anything, I have to be realistic about what the 100 square feet I am working with can accommodate and what it needs verse what I want. I look forward to completing this room with the basic necessities as my co-pilot. The following is my list of office must haves, in order of
importance...

* Lighting: No room is truly finished without proper light sources. My office will have a pair of table lamps on the desk as well as a floor lamp and one or two wall fixtures.

* Seating: Although a place to lounge in an office is nice the 100 sq feet I am dealing with makes this a challenge. A comfortable and practical desk chair will curb the craving.

* Storage: Our living room built-ins have runneth over with books on design and architecture that would be better kept in cubby's above the desk and in a storage hutch on the back wall of the room. This hutch will also be used for homeless dishes and bowls we received as wedding gifts that need a proper place to be displayed. Above the desk will be a cork board for loose papers and pictures and flanking the desk on either side are larger drawers for all of the unsightly things not worthy of desk top display.

* Flooring: We have dark wood floors throughout so this room will need an area rug to set it apart and make it a little cozier. I'm undecided but a strong contender is a dark striped wool rug
that will bring warmth and {more} color.

* The Jewels: Last but so important are the finishing touches. No room of mine would be, well, mine without an elephant! A solid crystal vase will find a new home as my pen holder. Little vintage dishes for easy access to pins and clips, a leather blotter, my beloved jackalope Otis,
and of course, a wall clock to keep track of all the time I spend doing what I love!

Visit me in a month or two and check out the final product and a big thanks to Cassie for forcing me to get my butt in gear and get these ideas on paper. xo

ps - all items seen here including furniture, built in wall unit, wallpaper, and accessories, designed and sold through empiric!

I love Annie's break down of this space - ordering what is important to you and what's realistic is such a huge part of creating the perfect design to fit your needs. I hope to post some photos of the finished product in the future! I'm sure it's going to be even better than I can already imagine in my head. Thanks Annie!

From The Office Of: Tobi Fairley

Our next guest blogger has been causing quite a stir in the interior design world lately (just named in Traditional Home Magazine as one of the Top 20 Young Designers in America!) and her work is definitely an inspiration. On top of it all she somehow finds time to share her style with a loyal following of readers on her own blog as well.

The talented Tobi Fairley was willing to not only share her own home office with us, but also her 'must haves' for a relaxing work space, and her favorite office inspiration... (is there anything you can't do m'dear?).

I try to work from home on Fridays to catch up on blogging which I cannot do in the office. I have a ritual of fresh flowers, candle burning, hot tea with honey and a little high-quality chocolate as a snack. I actually have my treadmill in my office too and a small TV for when I want to check out CNN or HGTV.

I have always loved this office from Jan Showers! I love the way the desk is pushed up against the bookshelves, I love the desk, the carpet, the Venetian glass lamp! It is all fab! I also happen to love the office in Laurie Smith’s (from Trading Spaces) book. She also has an amazing desk from Smyda woodworking pushed up against the shelves.

And my Top 5 must haves for a relaxing work space:

*1. Canvas boxes to keep all the clutter hidden if not organized (mine are from West Elm and the Container Store) *2. Fresh Flowers *3. Candles *4. Small TV *5. Bose I-pod docking station for mood music.

Tobi, I think we share a love of the same spaces, because I've had that same office in my inspiration files as well! And, um... can we say holy organized?? I'm impressed with the coordinated boxes! Such a fun palette as well - thank you so much for joining us!

From The Office Of: Swoonworthy

I have to share a quick little story about how I met Paige, our next guest blogger...

In my former life, I worked as an Events Director for a fantastic school here in Seattle - I ran their auction as well as all the alumni events. Paige had attended this same school, but I met her as an alum during an event. A few years later, she stumbled upon my blog and sent me a little email asking to meet up for coffee, and we had a fantastic time talking about our passion for design and catching up.

I adore this amazing woman and her fresh new blog, Swoonworthy. She finds inspiration in every detail, which is just what I love about her. And, since she's got such an eye for them I asked her to share her favorite details (resources and all!) taken from an inspiring deskscape.

I require a relatively simple desktop space so as not to distract myself from getting things done; this means clean lines and as little clutter as possible. An uncluttered space is entirely possible as long as you have the right tools (this is when I remember the little saying, “A place for everything, and everything in its place!”).

I wanted to recreated this cheery designer workspace (via House to Home) above in a way that’s both chic and easy on the wallet. Although it is technically a dressing table, it would work perfectly as a small desktop for those who live in small spaces (like myself) who still need a little work area, and the bright yellow highlights will always cheer you up after a long day!

The original desk is by Julian Chichester; however, I found a more affordable look with the silver West Elm Parsons table. Beautiful, tall gourd lamps from Porta Romana are substituted by a shorter MaryKate & Ashley look-alike. If you’re looking to wallpaper, the yellow and white stripes can be found at Romo, and without the vanity mirror in the way, why not replace it with a simple desk tray or contact index? All in all, a beautiful and simple space, with everything I need to make me happy!

Resources: *1. MaryKate & Ashley table lamp *2. Silver lidded bowl *3. Silver Parsons Desk *4. Yellow Ottoman *5. Silver petal bowl *6. Helios yellow vase

From The Office Of: Suite 7 Creative

Remember my awesome friend Chelsea? She's my graphics girl. Designer of my logo and my gorgeous business cards. Well, guess what? She's also got serious interior design style, and today she's sharing her home office that serves as Suite 7 Creative headquarters. Be prepared for inspiration (on a budget, no less!), 'cause here we go!

When I moved into my new house last fall, I knew we had found the perfect space when I saw the fantastic office right off the living room with beautiful French doors. Surrounded by windows, I knew this would be the new home for Suite 7 Creative. I got to work immediately putting together my ideal work space...fun, whimsical, organized and creative without spending a ton of money.

With my first home under my belt, I certainly didn’t have the budget for custom designer furniture. I needed everything...lots of storage space for my papers, inks and printing supplies and a large work area where I could cut fold and build my stationery and invitations. Plus I have a huge paper hording problem...I just can’t throw anything printed away (makes sense I guess since I work with paper for a living!), so I needed tons of filing space to get organized.

My first stop? IKEA of course. I decided to stick with a clean, simple, white base palette with pops of chrome to highlight my designs and decorative accessories that are often brightly colored. I started off with my desk...an extra long white Vika Amon table top and added stainless Vika Fintorp legs for a little visual interest. I purchased the perfect storage piece which features great sliding doors on the front to hide all of my clutter as well as the Billy bookcase to hold my magazines, design books and accessories. I finished things off with my birch Jules desk chair, Smart lamp and some pretty milk glass vases and I had the perfect canvas to get started.
Next I was on to storage...a simple trash can and stacking paper organizers from IKEA as well and these great Mien storage boxes from the bathroom department! I finally left IKEA and headed to Ducky’s office furniture for a vintage filing cabinet. New cabinets are SO expensive and I like the worn texture of the old black metal cabinet. I like to imagine where it came from...maybe a swanky international spy’s office? It makes a great magnet board for me now!

I personalized my space with inspirational photos, images and keepsakes from my travels. My mini Eiffel Tower from Paris and windmill from Holland are my favorites. I have wooden shoes next to my cutting area and my Grandma’s antique McCoy vase holds my pens, bone folder and x-acto knives. Pops of color fill my book case, including an orange enamel “7” a good friend gave me from Rejuvenation. My desk holds my favorite orange Xonex MOD desk pen which I picked up at Revival Home & Garden and great acrylic pieces from Storables.

I love Chelsea's office for the incredible light, the to-die-for French doors, and tons of workspace! Her personal touches really add a lot to the room, and I can't wait to see how it grows along with her company! Thanks Chels!!

Top 5: Elements for An Office (e)Scape

When it really comes down to it, there are a few essential elements to my office that will make or break the space for me. They may seem fairly basic in some ways, but I also find that building a little guide for not only the room, but the desk it itself, will help keep the focus on core pieces when approaching a design. Here are my Top 5:

I absolutely love mixing glam and organic elements (I like to call it orglamic!), and my office space will be no exception. While I am usually drawn to gold these days, I cannot get over how chic these chrome elements look in these spaces. To balance it? How about a worn in wood farm table or chair? On the desktop, use these same elements - such as a chrome stapler and wood box - to balance each other.
*top rooms via nate berkus and domino, bottom via domino and hallie burton

As I mentioned yesterday in my inspiration board, I crave white spaces when I'm designing, so it's a key element for me - notice how even just keeping with all white matting in the artwork creates a crisp look! For the desktop, white accessories help in keeping the space feeling clean and uncluttered.

Of course, all white gets a little sterile, so I absolutely believe in injecting a bit of color to energize a space! (Like Melissa's chairs that you all loved so much yesterday!) I like to pick one colorful piece to create a little interest in the room and continue that color throughout the space with a throw rug, pillows, storage containers, or desktop elements.
*top rooms via sandra lane and ?, bottom via s.r. gambrel and domino

Finally, yes, I'll admit. I'm a lucite junkie. My desktop will include lots of lucite or acrylic elements, but I also try not to go overboard with them. I also love the ghost chairs, and how fantastic is this vintage acrylic base roll top desk? To me lucite serves the same purpose as white - it keeps things light - while also providing a little glam factor.
*rooms via visual vamp and jay jeffers

What about you? What elements would you add to this list that are key for your work space?

From The Office Of: Ruby Press

As a part of style (e)scapes this week, I've asked some of my favorite stylish (and hard working!) bloggers to share their own real work spaces with us, and I'm thrilled to introduce my fist contributor, Melissa of Ruby Press - not just a fabulous little blog, but a kick ass boutique PR agency.

My office is a very important space for me. I spend a lot of time there so I have to LOVE it and feel happy in it. We took a long time finding our current office- it had to be just right. Our current space is in downtown Berkeley and is in a historic building called the Heywood Building

We’re on the top floor of a white terra cotta gothic façade building designed by James Plachek in 1919. He was a well-known architect at the time and designed many buildings in the area, and his office was in the very space we’re in now! It’s a very open, 2,000 square foot space with gorgeous moldings and high ceilings. I love the three big arched windows in the front, which is where my desk is. It’s always light-filled, which is great.

I have a huge bulletin board (it’s taller than me!) next to my desk which is where I stick the most beautiful things I come across- magazine clippings, vintage finds, antique labels, favorite thank you notes, millinery flowers, random flea market finds, and of course my calendar. (Which is a Tim Walker calendar- love it!) I’m thinking about getting another one actually- to put right next to it. Since our space is so clean and spare, my inspiration board really adds a nice punch of color and girliness.
My desk feels like it’s being overrun with boxes lately- I have a red lacquer box, white lacquer box, zebra-print haircalf box, offcuts box and a box of Mrs. John L.Strong stationery. (They come in handy as my desk only has two very shallow drawers.) Oh, and that hand you see on top of the white box was something silly that I picked up at John Derian, one of my favorite NY shops of all time.

My mirrored tissue box from Williams-Sonoma Home (don’t they have the chicest home accessories?) was an office-warming gift from a dear friend and I think of her each time I look at it. I love the items on my desk, but I think my favorite desktop item is my iomoi desk pad with the “Ling the Elephant” print which is housed in a chic lucite holder. Even a tape dispenser and stapler should be good-looking, right? Mine are lucite and I ordered them for everyone else in the office too.

I love stationery and seem to always be writing thank you notes (call me old-fashioned!), so I keep a white lacquer stationery box on my desk which is filled with beautiful papers from iomoi and other favorites. I always use a blank book for my daily to-do’s, and the one I’m using right now is a hot pink with gold embroidered Indian notebook that I picked up somewhere.

Of course, since we have an amazing floral design client- Rosenow Floral - I am lucky to always have fresh flowers on my desk. This week it’s white ranunculus, which I love, love, love. And Diptyque’s Geranium Rosa candle has become of the official scent of the office - it’s so fresh, it really invigorates!

Overall, our office is a mix of furniture from West Elm, Pottery Barn, Ikea, Cost Plus World Market, Design Within Reach, and vintage. I’m a big fan of the mix, and I don’t think you have to spend a fortune to create a pretty, happy space.

I am in LOVE with Melissa's set up! Very similar to my own aesthetic, great accessories (I am obsessed with lucite myself) and such a clean and inspirational space! Thank you so much for contributing, girlie! More tomorrow...

*for full size photos of melissa's gorgeous office, check out the flickr album for style (e)scape week!

Deskscaping: Pink + Cork

I'm working on getting some fun and original pieces for my home office, and I had mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had found this mid-century modern cork accessories holder to hold all my goodies... well, I pinned some pretties up on it and wanted to share!

I'm obviously loving pink these days, but I've also always wanted a pink/red theme in my office so that I'd never have to pick one over the other. Of course... I'm pretty sure this little piece will get changed up quite a bit depending on whatever colors I'm into at the moment. But for now, I think it's pretty darn cute!