With its wall of windows and ceiling of natural wood, the home office of a Northern California residence designed by Nicole Hollis is a sanctuary for concentration or reflection. “Our aim was to create a workspace that reflects the homeowner’s personality, supports her professional needs and serves as a retreat,” Hollis says. “We designed a custom desk for her computer and shelving for books, family photos and personal objects.” Hollis also designed the two chairs facing the desk, made of rift-sawn oak with leather upholstery.
To make the room work for more than just work, she outfitted it with a wool-upholstered sofa by Flexform and hand-rubbed brass and bronze coffee tables by Michel Amar. The Faye Toogood lamp beside the sofa is made of tumbled aluminum and fiberglass. “The room is serene,” Hollis says, “with a soft feminine flair.”
Clive Lonstein brought a little English country charm to a historic house in Connecticut, deploying vibrant colors and an abundance of vintage pieces. “The client wanted a home office that felt personal, enveloping and conducive to both work and contemplation,” Lonstein says. “We selected a palette that is both rich and soothing, incorporated bespoke furniture with an artisanal touch and maintained an organic connection to the rest of the home’s design language.”
The dramatic mid-century Fornasetti folding screen features a bird motif that the designer says “introduces a narrative of nature into the space.” The wooden desk and chair are by Mira Nakashima, while the easy chair with sheepskin upholstery is vintage Viggo Boesen. A 1950s Giuseppe Ostuni for Oluce table lamp shares the desktop with vessels by, from left, Berndt Friberg, Rose Cabat and Eva Stæhr-Nielsen.
“For us, it always starts with a feeling, and this room was about quiet focus,” says Banda Design Studio founder Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, referring to the home office of a London townhouse. “There’s a certain honesty to the materials — limewashed walls, reclaimed timber, linen — and a kind of grounding that happens when you surround yourself with objects that have a story.”
Mapelli Mozzi started with a vintage Joaquim Tenreiro rosewood desk; an upholstered chair and a wooden one, both from his own Banda Gallery furniture collection; and a Paolo Moschino table lamp with a brass shade. An oversize sheepskin armchair, a reclaimed Italian oak beam used as a plinth, and a vintage lantern overhead instill a lived-in, intentional air. “We didn’t want it to feel like a home office in the usual sense,” the designer says. “It’s more about creating a space where you actually want to spend time, whether you’re working, thinking or simply being.”
In a family home by Michael Hilal in Del Mar, a village in San Diego County close to Torrey Pines Reserve and know for beautiful cliff views, the decor leans into a sense of being close to the earth. “The palette is very organic, but it was important that we still introduce color,” Hilal says. “We mixed local and contemporary pieces with strong art, but everything has a modern heart.”
A vintage Turkish rug grounds the client’s office, while the bright Hermès for Dedar fabric on a Casamidy armchair provides a jolt of color that plays off the walnut Lawson-Fenning desk. “You spend a lot of time in your office, so don’t forget to bring in some beauty,” Hilal advises. “Everybody needs inspiration, especially during the workday.”
Home offices shouldn’t look like corporate cubicles. In a charming workspace in a new-construction house in the Hamptons designed by Heidi Caillier, the joyous Jean Monro wallpaper and soft-pink millwork are the antithesis of institutional greige. “The space connects to the primary bedroom, so we wanted it to feel cohesive but also like its own space,” Caillier says. “The wallpaper is an oversize floral, which adds a touch of modernity to a classic print.”
Caillier designed the desk and added a Martin & Brockett woven-rush chair, along with a Victoria Morris table lamp. The vintage Turkish rug comes from Galerie Shabab.
In a penthouse in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., Zoë Feldman created a home office to offer her client, ironically enough, a space in which to slow down. “We wanted this room to feel like a little jewel box — rich, moody and totally enveloping,” she says. “It’s tucked just off a sun-drenched living room, so creating contrast was key.” Feldman used Farrow & Ball Beetle Black for the walls, ceiling and built-ins. A 1960s ceiling light by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, found on 1stDibs, ensures the room isn’t too dark, as does the ceramic lamp from In Common With.
The walnut desk is from Lawson-Fenning, and the molded-wood chairs are by Ruemmler. The custom casework is something of a Feldman signature. “I always incorporate concealed storage — ideally with a bookshelf moment — to tuck away things like printers or extra tech,” she notes.
In the New York City apartment of interior designers Christine and John Gachot, the office is as friendly as it is functional. “We needed an office where John could focus late into the evenings. But it was important that the space felt like an extension of our home’s living areas, a space to unwind and feel separation from the studio,” Christine says. “Adding soft drapery, warm lighting, art and a personal piece we adore — a vintage backgammon set, for playing our family’s favorite board game — created a relaxed environment.”
To anchor the space, the couple selected a mid-century-modern wood desk, pairing it with a side chair by Norman Cherner that Christine found through 1stDibs. In the seating area, a settee and a goat-leather chair, both by Erik Kolling Andersen for Peder Pedersen, are grouped with a vintage coffee table. On the wall is a lithograph by Robert Rauschenberg.
Staying focused can be a challenge in a home office with a stunning view of the Hudson River. In a New York apartment with just such a distraction, Damon Liss gave his client a fighting chance at productivity by designing a practical but elegant space anchored by built-ins for storage and books, as well as artwork by Brice Marden. Since the office is visible from the living room, Liss chose a desk with refined craftsmanship, by Tim Vranken. “The wood slats and leather top add warmth, texture and visual interest,” he says. “Pairing it with a vintage 1935 Böhlmarks table lamp in brass, stained elm and lacquered steel introduced a vintage layer that ties the space together beautifully.”
Liss designed the seating area to be an extension of the main living space, outfitting it with vintage upholstered armchairs covered in a velvet mohair alongside a cast-glass-and-steel coffee table.
In a Miami condo, rather than create a dedicated office, Andre Mellone placed a desk and chair in a bedroom. “We wanted to create the feeling that the desk has always been there,” he says. “It’s a decorative element, something that makes sense composition-wise. No one needs to know that my client actually sits and works there sometimes.”
In keeping with the location, Mellone used tropical natural materials throughout the apartment. For the bedroom workspace, he found a 1960s Arthur Umanoff chair with caned back and seat on 1stDibs. Atop a 1950s French desk, he placed a vintage brass lamp from the same decade. Beyond being great-looking, the piece supplies effective task lighting when needed.
