Budget Room Design: Neutral Home Office

Summer Fridays may be in full force in corporate America (can we just take a communal vote to make these last through the rest of the year?!) but just because you are celebrating a few extra hours of free time outside the office doesn’t mean that your home office shouldn’t be ready for you when it is time to get back to work. We have done our fair share of office renovations over here: Modern Boho, Moody Mid Century, Brian’s Office, Our Studio, Oh Joy’s Studio, and we have even rounded up some of our favorite office chairs and desks. But, we have yet to pull together a budget office for you – so if you have an extra guest bedroom waiting for a makeover, a lonely den that is calling for a refresh or even a corporate office that needs to feel far less corporate-y, then today we’ve got you covered.

Bookcase | Art (left) | Art (right) | Desk | Desk Chair | Table Lamp | Trash Bin | Brass Pencil Holder | Leather Pad | Pens | Burl Wood Box | Scissors | Stapler | Rug | Brass Frame | Green Planter | Wood & Marble Object | Accent Chair | Pillow | Woven Side Table | Floor Lamp

Our first setup comes in at just under 5k and I am very into the Pacific Northwest hues we have going on in the space, although I may be a bit biased. We kept the room neutral overall and accented with green, blue, brass, and wood throughout the room which keeps the office space feeling calm but still visually interesting. If you have room for a corner chair reading nook in your space then this combo of wood, brass and woven materials with a hit of blue is a great space to relax in between emails. Or if you are like us you might just make this your go-to and work from your laptop without ever leaving the corner. The bookshelf has some room for closed storage (files and such if you are good at keeping those things organized) and the drawers in the desk allow you to keep clutter or candy/snacks at a minimum. I also love the leather waste bin, and the brass pen holder to corral all of your writing instruments.

Bookcase | Art (left) | Art (right) | Frame | Desk | Desk Chair | Table Lamp | Trash Bin | Brass Pencil Cup | Leather Pad | Pens | Burl Wood Box | Scissors | Stapler | Rug | Brass Frame | Green Planter | Wood & Marble Object | Accent Chair | Pillow | Woven Side Table | Floor Lamp

Setup number two is very similar to the first with a few items that we swapped like the corner armchair and the lamp. I have used both of these in projects and they are good you guys. The chair is very comfortable and sturdy for the price and the lamp is a perfect scale and size for any room. We used it recently in Sylvia’s living room makeover if you want to see what it looks like in person. The bookcase got a slightly slimmer profile and we also swapped out the desk lamp for a very similar one that we love and have used a lot from Target. I also love this art from Minted but having them do the framing (although beautiful) can be pricy. So an easy way to cut on cost is to buy the prints from Minted and the frames somewhere cheaper like we did here from Amazon.

Bookcase | Art (left) | Art (right) | Frame | Desk | Desk Chair | Table Lamp | Trash Bin | Brass Pencil Cup | Leather Pad | Pens | Burl Wood Box | Scissors | Stapler | Rug | Brass Frame | Green Planter | Wood & Marble Object | Accent Chair | Pillow | Woven Side Table | Floor Lamp

Our third and final setup which comes in at just under 2k has quite a few different items from the first two but still has the same type of vibe and I am into it. The rug was swapped out, but we kept it a flatweave so that you can roll along it, which is a very good thing to keep in mind if you are ever looking to add a rug into your office area. Keep it as thin as possible and add a rug pad under it to keep it in place. Sisal, Berber, or anything with some texture will get caught up in the wheels and not allow you to roll freely.

So there you have it, one office at three very different budgets. Let us know if you have any questions, and all in favor of year round summer Fridays say “I”.