In July my company expanded and moved into a new sales and marketing office in LA which was a huge step for our little startup.  Previously, we had a tiny executive suite in Manhattan Beach (in addition to our Orange County headquarters) that housed two of our LA team members who worked there daily.  While the other 4-6 of us rotated in and out, used the floor’s conference room when it was available and primarily worked from home, it quickly became apparent as our team expanded that we had outgrown our one-room office and needed a collaborative environment for our company culture to really thrive.  When it came to designing the office, being that I was the only one with a design background, I spearheaded the project and it has been SO. MUCH. FUN!  It was a thrill to get back into AutoCAD (NEVER thought I would say that) and finding creative ways to work within our tiny budget, albeit extremely challenging at times, has been more fun than I could have ever anticipated.  It’s been a work in progress for months and we’re finally getting ready to finish our executive office which is one of the final items on the list.  Take a look at my inspiration board and sources below.

1. Rug – West Elm  |  2. Console Table – Lulu & Georgia  |  3. Pillow – West Elm  |  4. Sea Urchin Art – Pieces  |  5. Chieftians Chair – DWR  |  6.  Mug – Custom  |  7.  Tray – CB2  |  8.  Lamp –  The Land of Nod  |  9.  Tumbler – West Elm  |  10.  Pouf –  Jonathan Adler

While the rest of our office is a combination of white, lucite and neutrals, I wanted this space to have a darker and slightly more masculine feel while remaining in line stylistically with the rest of the office’s modern aesthetic.  Currently we have a donated white sofa, the above rug (also donated) a white Ikea Expedit and desks to start.  The next steps are to paint the walls this color and start moving things into place.  Obviously we’ll never have anywhere close to the budget for the Chieftians Chair, but I would love to find something similar (and for 1% of the bill) for some casual seating.  I love the combination of the black leather and the exposed walnut frame to really warm things up.  I foresee a few DIY projects in the near future!  Stay tuned 🙂