Happy Thursday! Last week I shared some ideas for updating a honey oak kitchen and today, I am sharing ideas for updating a traditional home office! Similar to my honey oak kitchen post, medium to dark wood paneling was super popular 20 years ago and it seemed like everyone had a paneled “den”.
While my initial thought to update this space would be paint everything, that’s not always feasible! So, I put together some designs to modernize this room, while leaving the wood in tact!
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Before + Inspiration Photos
First off, this is my mom’s house! She wanted to make the space lighter and brighter without changing the wood paneling and built-ins. Also, she did ask her painter about the room and to paint all the wood work would be THOUSANDS of $$$ – it’s all so detailed! Let’s take a look at it’s current state!
As inspiration, I found this picture from HGTV. The white paint immediately lightens everything! In my designs below, I suggested SW Alabaster on the walls to coordinate with the other colors in my mom’s house. Here are some other warm white colors I would suggest (all Benjamin Moore):
- Simply White
- White Dove
- Swiss Coffee
Also, it’s true that greens are making a comeback and is a very popular color right now, but that doesn’t always mean it works in a space! To achieve a lighter feel, a green tone wouldn’t work in this room. If one wanted to have a dark and moody office/den, I think a deep hunter green could work (although I would paint everything – the walls, paneling, trim, bookcases – that same color). Check out #6 in this article on the Spruce for an idea combining hunter green and wood!
PS. Here is my mom’s powder room that we worked on last year!
Option 1: Black Desk
Like the inspiration photo, I started off putting together a design with a black desk. This desk from Crate and Barrel still feels light due to the design, even though it is black. I updated the bookcase decor to include black storage bins and added gold accents throughout the decor, artwork, and sconces on the wall. At the bottom of this post I’m sharing additional bookcase decor items. My #1 tip would be not to make them too cluttered! When you have a lot of shelves, it can be very overwhelming, so I love doing the same basket across all the bottom shelves!
Option 2: Glass Desk
Probably the lightest feeling and most modern version includes this glass desk. You can check out how this desk looks in real life action in Michelle from Blushing Boho Design’s office. I also added curtains to warm up the space.
Option 3: Wood Desk
The third option I put together is more traditional and includes a wood desk. I tried to keep this option light but using a light fabric accent chair and a low back rattan desk chair.
Built In Bookcase Decor Ideas
Here are some more of my bookcase decor faves to modernize your shelves!
I offer 4 e-design and 3 in-person design packages ranging in price from $50 to $275! All packages include full accessibility and communication with me as well as unlimited revisions!
The designs above would be part of my 3D Full Room design package. What my mom ended up doing is kind of combining the three! Head to my Instagram stories to see updates!
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