Our Office Colors & Shopping List

 Our office makeover has been a long time coming. This little studio has been the last room to be touched in our home… which is funny because it’s the space we are in the most.

 Last week, I showed you inspiration pictures to showcase the design direction we are heading in for this space. Kevin and I have a little dilemma since he and I both SHARE the office. I see high contrast in furniture, whites, deep turquoise and browns. He sees Gator colors. Kevin graduated from the University of Florida so he pretty much bleeds orange & blue. I love orange & blue like the rest of the Gators, but I just don’t see straight royal blue and bright orange in our office. So… it’s time for a good ol’ compromise!

I put together a quick mood board of colors, a few furniture pieces & accessories we want to see in the space. Let’s check it out…

Here’s the breakdown:

1. I love my husband so compromising on color isn’t really *that* hard. Instead of bright royal blue & orange, we decided that a nice gray/ slate blue, burnt orange, silver & white would bring in his love of the Gators and my need for a more classic feeling. The walls are going to either stay white or go a natural shade, so that the accent colors are just that… an accent.

2. I love a good memo board… I am a visual person, so I need a place to jot reminders down and quick notes. This frosted glass memo board from Ikea has a modern design and will be perfect near my desk for my everyday notes!

3. I really like to have my files right near my at all times. My local client files are in large binders, but my e-design files, to-be filed files, marketing and advertising files are in need of a good space to retain organization and be located near my reach. This file and magazine rack is a nice silver & it keeps within the modern look we are striving for.

4. Kevin and I have tons of books {Kevin more so than me} and we really a bookshelf to store them for easy access. We found the Expedit Bookshelf at Ikea awhile back and brought it home for the office, we love it! Some of the shelves have books and some have baskets to store other items.

5. Kevin wears many hats around here! He is a husband, a realtor, the business guru behind A Design Story, an investor and he manages tons of rental properties. He really needs an endless amount of file storage for all the businesses he manages… these magazine bins can serve as a storage for his many files. Plus, this is another way to bring in the fun burnt orange color we love as an accent!

6. Like I said before, Kevin and I love books! We can’t have enough book storage! This vertical shelf from Ikea would be a fun way to stack books and also a few accessories. I like this piece, but this might be one of the items we DIY… we will keep you updated on this!

7. When Kevin and I first moved in, we quickly realized we would need a room darkening window treatment in the office because the sun pours in during the afternoon. It gets extremely hot and bright in here, especially in the summer! Kevin really wanted something more “masculine” for this window… so I found this great slate blue panel at Bed Bath & Beyond.

8. I am a lover of fun pens, pencils and of course Sharpies, however, I am bot a fan of tons of accessories on my desk clouding up much needed counter top real estate! I love the idea of hanging pencil, pen & scissor storage… it keeps everything organized and gives me the desk space I need. I love this rod and hanging wire bins from Ikea for my desk area.

9. Chairs. We are in DESPERATE need of new office chairs. Kevin is currently using a parson’s side chair and I am using his old college desk chair. Enough said really. So, we need chairs like now. I, of course want something with personality and comfort, and Kevin wants something comfortable with wheels. We found the perfect combination. We love these rounded chairs from Ikea… he can get a white one and I can get a patterned chair. Perfect or what?

10. To bring in more organization and silver accents, this metal letter organizer serves both purposes!

11. Storage, storage & more storage. Who is with me? We need as much storage as you can get since we share this space. We like the idea of everything having its place and keeping everything hidden. This burnt orange set make the perfect storage bins for our office!

Of course, these aren’t not only items we need for this space. We are currently looking for the built-in desk materials {cabinets, desk top, stains & paints}, paint for the walls, a rug and a few other accessories. We do know both of our college diploma’s are staying put in the office, Kevin’s gator memorabilia, so we only need a few other wall decor items to bring in “my style” a bit. Hopefully within the week we will be well on our way to a new office! We can’t wait to show you the process…

P.S. Don’t forget that we currently have a Gracious Giveaway going on! Enter for your chance to win some graphic art prints!

So, what do you think? What are your office colors? Is there a space in your home that just hasn’t been touched yet? DO TELL.