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10 Feminine Workspaces for Hardworking Women
Glam, girly or with a powerful palette, these home offices and workspaces give working girls and women the designs they deserve
Houzz Contributor. I love interior design and all things houses. It has been my great privilege to create spaces over the last eleven years to a varied and loyal clientele.
Houzz Contributor. I love interior design and all things houses. It has... More »
My daughter graduated from eighth grade and is on to her next phase of life — high school. I was cleaning off her desk before we left for our much-earned vacation to the beach. I briefly read over her papers, notes and to-do lists from classes. She worked so hard this year. She is my little "working girl," most nights staying up later than me to study and get her work done.
Her accomplishment got me thinking about women's work spaces — some offices, some just desks in a room. This is where we run the show; a modern-day mission control. You might find yourself working late at night on homework, a blog, a grocery list, a design or just paying the bills, so why not glam it up a bit? These workspaces often do double duty, just like most women I know. This piece is dedicated to all the working girls out there: moms, designers, writers, bloggers, students and everyone in between. You work hard, so I hope these spaces will inspire ideas for your own workspaces. Keep up the good work, ladies!
Her accomplishment got me thinking about women's work spaces — some offices, some just desks in a room. This is where we run the show; a modern-day mission control. You might find yourself working late at night on homework, a blog, a grocery list, a design or just paying the bills, so why not glam it up a bit? These workspaces often do double duty, just like most women I know. This piece is dedicated to all the working girls out there: moms, designers, writers, bloggers, students and everyone in between. You work hard, so I hope these spaces will inspire ideas for your own workspaces. Keep up the good work, ladies!
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What a great office! I love the transitional style of the furniture and the palette of charcoal gray and periwinkle. Notice the placement of the desk with a workspace behind the desk that holds a desktop computer. This is a great way to keep unsightly wires out of sight and against a wall.
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Wow, feminine glamour with a hint of old Hollywood. Not sure I would get any work done at this desk — I'd be too busy looking at the gorgeous wallpaper that continues up the wall to the ceiling. It's a great touch; ceilings don't have to just be white.
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If patterned wallpaper on all walls is too much for you, consider an accent wall. This fun pink abstract paper looks perfectly punchy with the white modern desk. Also note the overhead storage area — high on a wall is a great place to squeeze in extra cabinets.
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| If you do not have an extra room to dedicate to an office, consider a desk in your bedroom. This great working area is just a few steps from the bedroom and feels cohesive with the bedroom palette and furniture. Notice the great abstract piece near the desk. Abstract art mixed in with traditional pieces creates a great soft modern look. |
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What I love about this space is that nothing really matches. The palette is somewhat random, and the furniture styling is very different, but it all works. This is a true test of good design: selecting pieces that work in a noncontrived way. I would love to work in this space with its ample surface area and glimmers of gold.
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Have an extra closet anywhere? It's been my experience that most people have too much stuff. Think of whether you can clean out a closet somewhere and you might just find yourself a new office nook. It doesn't take much, just a surface area, some shelves and good light. This great little office space is spruced up with color and pattern on the back wall. Notice how the door was removed and replaced with a curtain — great idea!
by LiLu Interiors
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Combine an office space with a sitting area. Do you have a sitting area somewhere in your home where you can add a desk? There are some rooms that make perfect sense as dual-function spaces. Notice the great shade of lavender on the comfy chair. Consider reupholstering a chair that can help define a space as "for her."
by MuseInteriors
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Choose a pattern that helps set the tone as feminine. This window shade with its pretty shades of plum and apple green set the palette for the whole office.
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If you have an extra-large space like this, consider multiple workstations. Note the use of mostly neutrals with touches of pink to create a definitively feminine touch. The open shelves in the background are as functional as they are pretty.
How to Set Up a Great Workspace for Two
How to Set Up a Great Workspace for Two
Go bold with black and white glamour. I've always felt that black and white rooms read as slightly feminine because they are whimsical and fun. Just a small touch of pink flowers makes this desk area unmistakably modern with feminine glamour.
Hey, ladies, please tell us about your workspaces below!
More:
How to Create a Workspace That Works
Houzz Guides to Inspiring Home Offices
Hey, ladies, please tell us about your workspaces below!
More:
How to Create a Workspace That Works
Houzz Guides to Inspiring Home Offices
Ideabook updated on June 27, 2012.
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-Cynthia Mason Interiors
I have a dedicated room for my office, it is the 2nd BR in my San Francisco Marina-style home, converted to my office with banquette/bed for additional function. When I have guests, I move into it and let guests use my master so I can work while they snore!
I've attached a couple of photos as my dilemma for the update is whether I should paint either or both of my beloved and highly functional office antiques - my unique library table that is my desk and my Danner stackable bookcases with sliding glass doors. Both are a rich dark mahogany. My office looks a bit dark in these pix but it is actually quite bright with the big bay window. I am leaning towards painting the desk and leaving the bookcases alone. All comments welcome!
As many of us increasingly work from home offices, I have a few practical tips to share as well for those who are setting up or reconfiguring. I have learned these from personal experience over 20 years of working both FT or as an auxiliary from my various home offices.
1. Go wireless as much as possible, just put your router and cable modem in a location that has excellent signal to the office. Wonderful wirelessness!
2. If you do a lot of phone work as I do, make sure you can close windows and doors to prevent household or neighborhood noise from creating a negative impression with those on the other end. One of my personal pet peeves is those who have out of control barking dogs or audibly purring lap cat on the other end of a scheduled call...woof woof meooww to you too! My current home is surrounded by construction and some days I do a background noise check with a friendly colleague on the other end to make sure of what is audible.
3. Make sure that the "view" you present when you are on Skype calls with video is what you intend others to view! In my case, making sure the purple celtic heart wall was not behind me and the focal point for those on the other end! When using Skype professionally, I really don't want to look at people's beds or messy piles of laundry I'm sure they didn't intend me to see. I have seen some things of questionable aesthetic nature!
4. Decide what boundaries you want to establish between your personal life and your professional requirements. This is really important for working Mom's. I work in professional services and my interactions are with business execs and Board members. The last thing I wanted any of them to hear when my child was young was having them run into earshot yelling "Mommy, I have to "fill in the blank"! My son knew very early, maybe by age 3, to walk quietly into my office and give me the hand to ear signal to check if I was on a call. If I was not to be interrupted, I would give him the signal back and he would wait for me to finish. This will not work with some kids or when they are younger.
You don't want your clients to get the impression that the services they are paying you for have lower priority than getting your little one a cookie immediately! This solution is not for everyone, but it worked for me.
The flip side is very important too! Your home needs to be you and your family's sanctuary from the world. It is important that where and how you use your office doesn't encroach into your private time and space. I am fortunate that I can walk out of my office when I'm done working, the only time I use it for anything else is when I have guests and I sleep there - that is not often. I have also had offices that were part of a great or other room, not ideal for me but sometimes the only option. I just made sure I could easily hide the work away at the end of the day as it drives me crazy to see piles o
Ok, on to your painting issue. I think those pieces look wonderful as is. Are you just looking for a fresh change? I don't mind painting furniture, but if something is antique I usually explore all other options first. Can you achieve what you are looking for with new painted walls?
I know eactly what you mean about the spin cycle!
I appreciate your thoughts on to paint the antiques or not. I do love these pieces as is and they are in perfect condition. I have been been "lightening things up" as I freshen up my place room by room over time.
I think I will first try using pops of a single strong accent color to pull things together and work off of color palate in wall hangings and pottery collected from Asian business travels. The walls are a neutral warm taupe already (once I paint the purple wall), the woodwork is off white and the the carpet is a taupe wool sisal.
A peacock blue/teal or turquoise might give me the glam factor I'd love. Now to find the perfect office chair and fabric to upholster in the color I'm thinking...
I could move right into the office done by Cynthia Mason Interiors - gorgeous! It has presence, style and function...and that periwinkle! In fact that looks like the perfect office chair (ergonomic, on wheels) so I'll check in with her on that. Again, thanks!