The Problem
A Beachy Vibe
Karol had a home office that just didn’t feel like her. On one wall, there stood two tall, dark bookshelves with all her favorite books, beautiful pictures of her family, lots of baskets and shells from her favorite trips to the seashore. Karol’s desk was directly across from the bookshelves. When she called me, she explained she spent a great deal of her work time on video calls and felt her shelves were distracting and simply not working for her. Help! She didn’t want to get rid of them, but she needed a way for them to feel less cluttered and more soothing.
Planning
The Design
After sitting down with Karol, I discovered that one her favorite places is the beach. She and her husband and their daughter absolutely love to collect shells together. The more she talked, the more apparent it was that everything about the beach made her feel good. have been collecting shells for years. She loves the soothing colors lots of great baskets and a terrific space in the back of her home from which she could work uninterrupted.

A place to work and relax
New office
Knowing how much they love their beach memories, I decided to bring the beach to her office. First things first…paint the dark shelves creamy white to brighten and soften the space. The cream background creates a warm, neutral backdrop and allows all her special mementos to stand out. By rearranging her books, adding layers beach colors like woven baskets, blues and greens, she now had the kind of background that she wanted. We added an accent rug, added a large framed art piece over her desk and the found a pair of table lamps she had stowed away in her guest room closet.
Karol says she just loves stepping her new office now. It’s her beach escape. J
