Executive Office – Paint it Black

November 13, 2012

After posting about our office yesterday, I got a few concerned comments (primarily from my mother) about my decision to paint our executive space off-black. “Are you sure you want to do that? You do realize that black is one of the hardest colors to paint… right? What if you hate it and want to paint it back? Do you know how hard that will be?” Not going to lie, I panicked for a moment and jumped back on Pinterest at the first chance I got. True to my stubborn self, after taking a 10 minute break to re-evaluate the images of black offices I’ve been ~~stalking~~ collecting, I decided to move forward with off-black plan. Tomorrow I’m picking up paint chips to make a final decision on the exact hue and we’ll finally get this show on the road.

{This space, designed by Atmosphere Interiors is so beautiful that it warrants three pictures. Those walls definitely aren’t painted (I’m certain it’s a wallpaper – not paint/stencil), but the black, white and gold are so gorgeous together I could die}

{The lamps. The mirror. The chair… GAH!}

{Simply perfect}

{Check out this stunner by Amy Morris for the Atlanta Homes and Lifestyle show house. Black, gold, lucite, cognac leather… and that fixture!!! Done and done}

{From the home of Adam Straus as seen in Lonny Mag. Pretty much obsessed on every level here…}

{Not as formal – love the integration of the wood and textures of the roman shades. Perfection featured in Lonny}

After doing some extensive research on rooms with black walls, there are two primary things you need to have in order for the space to succeed: Great architecture and a ton of light. Being that this space is a glassed-in loft (with two whole walls of glass, leaving only two to be painted), I’m certain that we have both of the above. The architecture of our office space is gorgeous (pictures to come soon) and being that daylight enters from both the east and west glass walls, we have plenty of light to keep the space from feeling cramped. I can’t wait for it to be done 🙂

Executive Office Inspiration

November 12, 2012

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.

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 🙂

Desk Dilemma + Ghost Chair Obsession = New Office

November 3, 2011

When we moved into our apartment (just over a year ago – yikes!) we were in a scramble to furnish our place on the cheap. Neither of us had much furniture to start and in trying to combine my slightly feminine design eye with the manliest of all boyfriend’s masculinity and comfort concerns, we wound up with a pretty traditional space and (in my personal opinion) way too many black case goods – including our desk. While we got a steal on the custom piece, it’s one of those things that just wasn’t fully thought-out before we shelled out close to nothing for it. Come to find out, I absolutely loath a black work surface (I know, it sounds ridiculous), but there is something so clean, fresh and motivating to me about a white or mirrored desk that the abundance of darkness is just discouraging. And quite frankly, it gives me a headache when I work from it. To make matters worse, we never purchased a chair for our desk so I’ve just been using one of our super uncomfortable (Ikea seagrass) dining chairs in the interim. WAH! I know I sound like a big baby right now, but I’m ALL about pretty (and functional) work spaces.

That being said, last week I finally reached my breaking point. Since my other half insists on keeping the desk black, I’ve decided to order a mirror for the top. And since I’m the only one working from it with a sore bum from the terrible chair, I decided to order this chair, which I’ve been eying for quite some time. Truth be told, I have an undying love for ghost chairs. The timeless lines of the traditional Louis XVI chair combined with the contemporary visual weightlessness of lucite, makes for the perfect transitional piece to accompany either traditional or modern decor. To my surprise the chair came in just a few days of ordering, is much sturdier than originally thought and is one of the best knock-offs I’ve ever seen. I’ll share some pictures soon, but take a look at the few images that inspired me to take the plunge.

{Great dining room. Image source unknown}