This week it will be five years since my husband and I moved into our forever home. Just like this summer it was scorching hot and we were super busy making life changing plans together.
Thankfully for us the previous owners had already built a light, bright side extension on the property which not only had views over the field in front of the house, which is obviously very rare for city living, but also a door onto our rear garden, and a double height ceiling with Velux windows.
Perfect, we always thought, for a home office.
Fast forward to now, and while this large white room has served us well, (our dog loves sleeping in there and it’s great for storing our son’s pram), it hadn’t quite reached its full potential.
But all this was about to change.
Alongside my time spent writing Nordic Notes, in the last month my husband has also made the leap into freelance marketing consultancy. So with both of us now working from home it was time to create the inspiring workspace we’d always dreamed of sharing.
Before starting the makeover I took time to consider how we wanted this room to make us feel, how its mood would affect how we worked and most importantly how it would reflect our lives now.
On a practical level we also needed it to be super functional, clutter-free and have a sense of separation from the rest of the house when we needed to get things done.
Firstly the walls where painted a traditional soft blue-grey. Throughout our home every room features elements of this Farrow and Ball colour, but instead of using it to create a focal point, this time we’ve painted the whole room, and it’s definitely given us a cosy atmosphere on which to build.
Next on the list was furniture, and Ikea was the obvious choice. For the desk we combined the Linnmon table top and Lerberg trestle legs and for storage, in contrast to the walls, we chose the Besta units in high-gloss white. This gave us an overall look that was sleek and minimal, plus it allowed me to create an ideas bench and a dedicated area for flat lay photography.
The most important piece of furniture we had to decide on however was the chair. Given that the pair of us were going to be spending a lot of time sat in it we didn’t want to make a rash decision on this.
As with all major investment pieces I looked to some of my favourite Nordic brands for inspiration, and this was when I discovered Flokk.
Based in Oslo, Flokk is a leading manufacturer in office furniture and their ergonomic HÅG Futu mesh chair is, as you’d expect, thoughtfully designed and precisely engineered.
It’s really compact and streamlined so doesn’t dominate the room, and thanks to its intuitive, adjustable Balance® Technology it certainly doesn’t compromise on comfort either.
The transparent FutuKnit™ mesh, a specially designed 3D knitted fabric used for the upholstery, comes in seven beautiful colours all of which are inspired by nature. We chose stone and it’s the perfect match for our room.
For the finishing touches I added a number of pieces from the Officina range from Kähler Design, some much needed calming greenery from Forest London, the Hay for Ikea Ypperlig table lamp and a dark grey Morum rug to add some extra hygge.
So at last we not only have a space to work from, but somewhere I can’t wait to spend time in.
For me it’s not just a quiet place to escape and think in every day, but a place I believe is unique to us, tells our story and feels like home.
Flokk very kindly gifted the HÅG Futu mesh chair for the makeover, but as always all words and opinions are my own.
A few of my favourite reads if you’re also planning a home office makeover:
- Cate St Hill – A cosy, grey home office for a freelance creative – my makeover reveal
- These Four Walls – Home office styling with the IKEA x HAY ‘YPPERLIG’ range
- Fabric of My Life – Liberty Task
- Hege in France – Vertical Blind for the Home Office
- Curate and Display – 5 Home Office Design Tips And HÅG Futu mesh Task Chair Giveaway
I used F&B Skylight too in my husband’s office downstairs, as it was one of the colours on the F&B Enigma wallpaper we added, you can see this here: https://www.seasonsincolour.com/single-post/Enigma-Wallpaper
I really like Skylight as a colour, very calming indeed. I also noted that you needed your office to “ave a sense of separation from the rest of the house” – totally relate to that, you definitely need it in order to get work done! Hope you enjoy your new superb space !
Thanks Jenny, hope your husband enjoys his space as much as we do.
It looks wonderful, very calm and organised. The chair looks fab too!
Thanks, having this space has made such a huge difference to our lives already.
What a calming and relaxing place you’ve created. Perfect for working from home. ?
Thanks Anne Marie, it’s so nice having a dedicated place to work.
It’s so great to have a space that you can share isn’t it? We’ve got two little desks in our tiny box room bedroom that we turned into a home office and I’ll be taking the plunge next year to go freelance so will be in there a lot more than I am right now. Your space is beautiful X
Thank you, so glad you like it, and good luck with the freelancing x
A very well organised office space. The chair is a really lovely addition.
Thanks Fiona, having the right chair certainly makes all the difference!
What a lovely, calm and organised space you’ve created. Having a great work chair is so important. We’ve always compromised in the past but now I am of a certain age I realise this is not something you should compromise on. Next time we buy an office chair I am investing in something ergonomic and well designed! Will check out this brand as I’ve already heard good things about it elsewhere.
Thanks Stacey for your very kind words. I think it is certainly an age thing when it comes to investing in a good quality chair, I have too many aches and pains that i can’t ignore now x
I now have serious home office envy. Such a calm and organised space, unlike mine where I seem to end up with papers everywhere lol. You’ve inspired me to at least try and get my act together 😀
So glad I’ve inspired you Maria, though it has taken me a very long time to get this organised!
What a beautiful looking chair and I can imagine sitting in that for hours! All the best to your husband, I hope he’s as inspired by this space as you are!
Thanks Natalia, its certainly been a rather busy summer!