Designing is great fun, it just takes some planning and creativity. Design expert Andrea Hysmith is the Founder and Owner of the Ash Interiors and Design firm. Located on the beautiful , historic Main Street in Ellicott City, ASH I&D, is a full service design firm, assisting clients with a wide range of residential and commercial projects.
Many families have had to create a home office from scratch or expand their home office to accommodate our new world. Hysmith states, “Working from home is becoming our new normal and finding a way to bring personality to the office, as well as making it a functional space, will ensure a successful transition.”
First identify your design personality. Do you like clean lines and bold colors, or a cool and calm atmosphere with saturated pastels? Do you like soft color with strong form or do you have a lived in sense of style? These are great questions to ask yourself to get the ball rolling.
Next, decide whether you want your space to have beautiful timeless elegant lines or strong architectural design. Do you like earthy tones and patterns or color with attitude? This can help you decide the types of accents you would like to use to make your space feel like home.
Is being eco-friendly important to you? Eco-friendly does not have to mean brown and boring. There are plenty of interesting ways to design your office without harming the planet, plants are a great place to start. Simple changes or additions are a way to revitalize your space while keeping you at peace. Especially if homeschooling is in your near future!
Hysmith gives us four tips that are simple changes anyone can make to their current space, whether you are at home or back at the office.
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Tip 1: Plants:
Studies show that by adding plants to your office, you can greatly improve its overall environment, as well as increase productivity. Not only do plants look great, they improve indoor air quality and can help inspire creativity.
Tip 2: Accent Wall:
You can add interest to an office by installing built in cabinetry in a nontraditional color, adding wall paper or a wall treatment. This is an area to be creative and have fun!
Tip 3: Office Chair:
Men’s office spaces usually have dark furniture and tones. A fun chair in a pop of color (like orange or teal) can become a great accent piece to any office space.
Tip 4: Bar Cart: Cocktails and Mocktails
Mad Men had it right…an office space isn’t complete without a bar cart. This cabinet can house snacks, drinks and of course cocktails or mocktails to toast a successful meeting! It’s also a great place to sit a vintage record player.
