Designing a feminine office space - Deepa's home office!

Welcome to my newly decorated home office – a space that will also double up as Aalayam headquarters at my end! 

 Warning! This post is definitely not for the faint of the heart - it is COLOR HEAVY!

This is also the next stop on my home tour. I have already featured our family room, guest room, my son's room and our basement den on Aalayam previously and if you are a home décor enthusiast, take a few minutes to browse through those spaces as well- I would love to hear your thoughts on our painted home!

Now, sit back and enjoy as I narrate the story of how my very own functional and feminine space came about.

But first, apologies for the long hiatus!  2015 is turning out to be something else! Unexpected things seem to be cropping up from every corner faster than I can make them go away and frequently distract me from the blog and I am painfully aware of this but rather helpless. So, thank you for your patience as we struggle to get back to regular paced programming.  

I hope you enjoy this colorfully decadent post in the meanwhile.

So, we decided to re-purpose an odd shaped extra bedroom into a female office space. I began with a few basic requirements for this space – it had to be a place of my own to stay organized and be inspired. That, coupled with my husband’s encouragement and enthusiasm, enabled me to turn this room into a chic and glamorous space- if I may say so myself.

“If you love something, it will work. That’s the only real rule”- Bunny Williams

I think this room is an absolute testament to that!

I started by creating a mood board of all things that inspire me – a little bit of France, a little bit of Morocco and lots of color and I think the visual magic happened on its own! I went bold – with the colors on the wall, the upholstery and the fabrics. 

And the end result as you can see is dark and dramatic! I love it! This canvas will provide the necessary sensory overload to inspire my work for Aalayam.

For someone like me, who is constantly on the go – this space is ideal to relax, unwind, plan, organize, do something creative and catch up on professional reading. 

The large windows make this small space bright and airy by day and the cool light fixtures allow for ample lighting by night. I also chose my furniture pieces with great care – they had to be budget friendly, style savvy and functional for this small space and to meet this wish list was no easy task and took a great deal of patience!

A gallery wall filled with some of my husband’s best work, a global vibe added via French inspired décor, a Suzani bedspread and Moroccan lanterns and a touch of whimsy incorporated through a hanging birdcage and metallic accent pieces define this space. 

The bejeweled flush mount fixture draws your eye up to the ceiling while the cowhide rug grounds the space and pulls everything together.

I am sure this will space will evolve as time passes but for now I am happy that it is a merry mix of style and function and I can see myself enjoying many quiet afternoons reading or hand -writing letters or simply drawing inspiration from books or the nature outside my windows.

So, did you enjoy my little office filled with Parisian panache and Moroccan magic? Tell me what you think an ideal feminine office space should look like - do you think I have hit all the right notes? 

So, here's my take on creating a fun space that oozes style -
1) Take your time finding pieces that will work - after all Rome was not built in a day!
2) Don't be afraid to marry styles - French aesthetics and Moroccan must-haves share space happily in  this boudoir!
3) Small spaces can make a big impact too -don't shy away from using bright colors and bold patterns just because it is a small space.
4) Add a little romance - a few hanging lanterns, a birdcage and splashes of pink spell 
R-O-M-A-N-C-E, no?
5) Every room needs a few splurge elements  ($$$!) The campaign style desk, the rustic-finish twin bed, the brass book shelf and end table were my splurge items. But, but, but - I had to have those!
6) Who would've thought! - black and white are great accent colors!
7) Step outside your comfort zone. My husband forced me to try the cowhide rug and I am so glad I listened!

A big welcome to our new readers! The Aalayam family is now 400 members strong and we are so humbled! Supriya and I love to bring you posts that are visually and intellectually stimulating and although we have slowed down our pace a bit, we believe the quality of our content has never been better.
So, stay tuned dear readers....

Cheers!
~Deepa

p.s: All images in this post are from my home and may not be used or reproduced wihout permission