Nubi House: Our Home Office
One day soon, I’m going to get back to my normal blogging routine where I talk about all the things that happen in between the major transformations (you know, stuff like my personal style files, new recipes the fam and I are loving, design education, etc.), but the way life has gone over the past several weeks, I don’t think I know what’s normal any more ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. BUT…yes, that’s a big but…there’s one new normal that I’m excited to share with you guys today! Our new home office is done and probably one of the best things we’ve done in our home to date! Yes, our bedroom suite is amazing to retreat to at the end of the day and our hallway and dining room are definite show stoppers when it comes to style, but our new office tops it all.
Before I get it why, let me take you down memory lane and tell you how we got here. When we bought our home 4 years ago, the previous homeowners threw in a pool table as their parting gift. They couldn’t take it with them to their new space, so it became ours. I immediately wanted to get rid of it and turn the space into a formal dining room, but hubs basically nixed that idea, saying that we weren’t “formal dining room people.” Fair enough. Plus, he loved the thought of having a pool table and wanted to keep it. The compromise was it absolutely had to be refelted. The previous owners had a cat that loved to perch on it often (was even doing so when we saw the house for the first time) and it was covered in cat hair.
said cat hanging out on the pool table during our first showing
So, upon move in (after a thorough scrub and suck with the shop-vac), I immediately started researching companies in the area that could take on the task.
Pool table on move in day
There was no way I was keeping the classic billiards green, so I had it changed to black. The update made a huge difference in the look of the table, but….
…unfortunately, didn’t make us use it any more frequently. For over 2 years, It basically collected dust until friends came over.
It also made it apparent that, at that time, we didn’t entertain enough to turn it into just another eating space. What we did discover was that our current dining table was doing double duty and heavy lifting anytime I had to take care of client projects, hubs had to bring work home and at least 4 nights a week when the kid had homework. It got really bad when I noticed we were eating more in the living room, because the dining room table was always covered in work stuff. Hubs and I talked it out and agreed that we needed to trade the pool table for a highly functioning work space.
I put on my designer hat and got to work on a plan. I got excited thinking about having the look of the formal dining space I’d always wanted, but changing up a few things to make it more like a chic conference room. You can read all about those plans here and here. And while you’re checking out those posts, peep the dates…June 2018. That’s how long we’ve had home office intentions.
Original design plan for office space (2018)
After coming up with a design, I started pitching it all to hubs. He though it looked great, but had a few requests and ideas:
He wanted the work surface have power ports where we could plug up our laptops or charge our phone
He wanted to incorporate a TV in the space because 1. he’s all about a TV and 2. he thought it would be great as an additional monitor, especially for me in the instance I’m presenting to a client, in the instance I have a client in the space to present to.
He thought it would be great to have the work surface also double as a dry erase surface. It would be great for quick note taking.
Cool.
These were all excellent ideas, but none of them fit into the layout and design I had created. I had envisioned a long vintage table replacing the pool table and adding some cool conference-style chairs on casters. Incorporating power and a TV would totally change the layout since there’s no power in the middle of the floor. The white board surface was a great idea, but combined with power ports, our options were limited to super expensive custom conference tables. I wrecked my brain trying to find solutions that would incorporate all of his ideas. It was one of the hardest tasks I’d ever taken on as a designer, but considering he would using the space too, it was important that I did everything I could to fit those things in. Gotta make the client happy right?
Up until August 2019, the space would’ve been shared equally by the three of us. But when I left my corporate job to pursue Nubi Interiors full time, it turned into a space that would be predominately mine. My everyday work space. My design studio. My office…..with frequent co-working visitors. Fast forward to March 2020 and the world, as we knew it, shutting down and forcing people to stay home, I, then, had to think about treating the space like a full on corporate design office with multiple employees.
Hubs and Davin only needed laptop or writing space, but I needed space to spread out tons of samples and floor plans, while also taking virtual calls, writing and editing blog posts and occasionally repotting a plant or two, so I needed to ensure we had lots of functional surface space. Throw a back injury into the mix and the importance of what we sat in became priority. My PT said to stand as much as possible during my recovery, so a standing height table and bar stools were at the top of our search criteria.
Here are the furniture plans I worked up to get a visual of my ideas.
Furniture layout for office and living room
Office furniture layout
Office design plan showing standing meeting tables, barstools, vintage credenza, Besta credenza, hallway wallpaper, metal sample shelves, new lighting and sisal rug with black border
We had originally established a budget of $2000-$2500 for the space, but when we started to look at what we really needed and didn’t want to compromise on (i.e. power in the table and barstools), we new we’d have to increase the budget closer to $3500-$4000. We were gifted a miracle when the amazing team at Hudson Valley Lighting Group contacted me and asked if I wanted to collaborate using fixtures from their Mitzi line! Lighting hadn’t been a part of the budget, so this opportunity was a way to elevate the entire design!
The overhead light in the space was limited to one fixture in one of the beams in the ceiling. That combined with the placement of the new furniture we were bring meant that the light would not be centered. So, when searching for new lighting, I wanted something unique and artistic to really play into the awkward placement. Think of it like a mobile hanging over a crib. I found the Mitzi Willow chandelier in a black and aged brass finish and it could not have been more perfect! Unique. Artistic. Mobile-like. Perfection.
Mitzi 38” Willow Chandelier in black and aged brass
I got a genius idea when it came to the sconces. I’d already decided that I wanted to incorporate new lighting into the wet bar. But when I stepped back to check their ideal placement, I noticed that I could continue that same line over to the office side.
I wanted a simple style that would still have a ton of impact, but also not ditract from the chandelier. These black marble Loris Flush Mounts from Hudson Valley are the epitome of impactful simplicity!
There are so many more details I want to share that went into the decision making process for this space. I think I’m going to just record a video discussing it all and will update this post with a link to it when it’s live. But for now, let’s get into what you came for. The reveal!
Here’s one more look at the before:
And here’s our new office!
We’re still planning to add a bit more storage for samples, books and cataloges by bringing in one of these Malm Dressers and sliding it under the far side of one of the tables. It’s the perfect size and will almost look built-in.
Friends, this is definitely my new favorite spot in the house. I get to take full advantage of the flooding natural light that feeds my soul and gives me the energy I need to get work done. I have the option to stand and work or relax in our super comfy barstools that seem to have been made for lounging, not just sitting. We’ve already had friends over and this is now the spot where everyone stops to sit and gather!. We foresee lots of couples nights where the ladies end up in the living area and the men claim the office to catch up on the latest sports news on the TV. It’s a space that we’ll never regret creating inspite of aaaalllllll the curve balls we were thrown. (more on that in the upcoming video for sure).
But this is it! This is the space that took years to conceive and birth! Tell me what you think below!
Sources:
Wall color: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
Standing Meeting Tables with Pop Up Power & USB Outlets (we have 2 of each)
9 x 12 Sisal Rug with Black Border
Similar Sample Shelves (mine are 72” wide and were custom made by Memphis metal-smith Lorenzo Scruggs)
IKEA Besta Credenza with White Glass Top Panel
Thank you so much to the amazing people at Hudson Valley Lighting Group for gifting me the amazing lighting that totally makes this space!