Dark Blue And White Home Office Makeover

If you’re like me, work at home time is best served with a comfortable, functional and beautiful office space. Which is exactly what I was looking for when I took on this dark blue and white home office makeover. This color scheme is both professional and stylish, making it the perfect choice for any office.

Well, we finally made it!

It’s the last week of the One Room Challenge and my dark blue and white home office is officially done.

And I have to say, I love the way it turned out!

The design board

Just to remind you, here’s the design board I came up with.

It’s blue and white with gold accents. And a fireplace.

The office Layout

I originally planned out a few different office layouts, and couldn’t decide which one I wanted to use.

When I got all of the furniture in the room, I didn’t really like any of them.

So I came up with this version that has a little seating area in front of the window, my main desk facing that seating area, and my sit-stand desk perpendicular to it.

This makes the desk the focal point of the room and creates an L-shape that is really easy to work at.

And still leaves the other wall free for my fireplace.

The transformation – what I did

Here are all the steps I took to get this makeover done.

1 | Painted the walls and ceiling

The first step to any makeover is painting the room.

And for me that means picking colors for the ceiling as well as the walls and trim.

Here are the colors I chose:

• The walls are Farrow & Ball Hague Blue (#30), also in the estate emulsion finish.
• The ceiling is in Farrow & Ball Black Blue (#95) in estate emulsion (which is a matte finish).
• The trim is also in Farrow & Ball Black Blue (#95) but using the full gloss finish.

2 | Put down a new area rug

I was debating whether or not to put down an area rug in this room.

Rolling an office chair from one desk to the other can be hard with a rug on the floor.

But I was sold when I found this one*. It is very thin (but still feels nice under foot), has a backing built-in (so it doesn’t slide) and it’s machine washable!

I may be finding some more places in my house to use one of these (the front hall immediately comes to mind).

3 | Made a functional work area

Of course, the most important part of a home office makeover is to create a functional work area.

For me, that includes two work surfaces. One for working on the computer. And one for writing and being able to spread things out.

An L-shaped desk is my favorite way to accomplish this.

Since I already had a writing desk that I love, I needed something else for the other half of the ‘L’.

So I made a DIY sit stand desk that has some of the same style elements as my original desk, and will be perfect for working on the computer.

Since the computer desk faces the wall, I wanted to hang some artwork above it so that I’m not staring at a big blank wall.

But finding a piece of art that’s 6-feet wide and 4-feet tall and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg is tough to do.

So I ended up making a large piece of DIY wall art that is exactly the size I wanted and has the perfect colors.

Then I added the most expensive garbage can* I have ever owned. But I think it’s pretty cool so it was worth the splurge.

If you’re wondering what the black cabinet in the corner is, that’s the DIY router and modem cabinet I created from an old bathroom shelf a few years ago. It fits perfectly in this space and provides storage space for office equipment like my router and paper shredder.

4 | Created a sitting area

I always like to have a sitting area in my office where I can read a book.

Or have someone come to visit.

In this office, I had just enough space to fit a couple of small blue and white chairs* and a gold table* between my newly updated bookshelves.

This window lets in a ton of light during the day, so it’s a great place to read.

I love how the colors in the chairs, the curtains* and the area rug make it look so cohesive.

And all the blue tones make the color inside the bookshelves pop.

Since this room isn’t huge, the chairs are also close enough to the fireplace to take advantage of the extra ambiance (and heat) during the winter.

5 | Updated the fireplace wall

Speaking of the fireplace, it was one of the things I wanted to keep from the old room since it makes the space feel so warm and cozy when it’s cold outside.

But I wanted to spruce it up a bit (and have lots of space for holiday decorations).

So I added a pair of gold etagere shelves*, one on either side.

I like that the shelves don’t go straight across.

I think it makes decorating them easier because no matter what you put on them, the arrangement looks interesting.

Even the magazine holders I use for storing mail and other office papers look like they fit right in.

And the fireplace is in the perfect spot, right beside my desk. So I can enjoy the ambiance while I’m working.

6 | Put up new lighting

I believe that lighting can make or break a room.

So it’s the one thing I’m always willing to splurge on to get exactly what I want.

And that usually involves some kind of chandelier.

In this room, it’s a gold and crystal one that really adds some sparkle to the room.

7 | Added accessories

The finishing touch was to add a lot of blue and white accessories with some gold and animal prints thrown in. (I think every room should have at least one animal print.)

I love these blue and white Chinoiserie candles* that my mother got me for my birthday.

My blue and white ginger jars fit right in.

And it’s the perfect place to display some of my Roseville pottery collection. (Covering books in wrapping paper is one of my favorite ways to make them go with the color scheme.)

The finished office

I am so happy with the way this room turned out.

It’s functional, glam and cozy all at the same time.

The white curtains and rug prevent the dark ceiling and walls from feeling too closed in.

The chandelier adds sparkle (and lots of light) at night.

And it makes going to work much more enjoyable.

Sources

Note: Both the desk and the office chair were pieces I already owned and are no longer available. I have added substitutions that would also work.

Read the rest of our blue home office makeover posts:

• Week 1: Blue home office ideas
• Week 2a: Blue home office mood board
• Week 2b: Home office layouts
• Week 3: Blue home office paint colors
• Week 4: DIY large wall art
• Week 5: Glam black and blue bookshelf makeover
• Week 6: DIY electric sit stand desk
• Week 7: How to hide wires on a desk
• Week 8: Hague blue and white home office makeover

Have comments or questions about our Hague blue and white home office makeover? Tell us in the section below.

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