Step outside the box of square and rectangular rugs. Go oval or round in an oriental or high grade Berber texture that will endure the rolling wheels. Choose a pattern that will allow for flexibility in window treatment, accessory and seasonal changes.

Of your choices, I like the plaid rug as well. I think it "man's up" the space, without looking too stuffy or feme-trendy. The oriental rug, to me, looks stuffy and heavy and too blendy with the desk and floors.

Love the oriental for that room!! Your home looks like it's lovely and beautiful craftsmanship. Even if you cannot change out the desk now can you put it in from of window or coming out from the wall as one poster showed a picture of? Try to hide as much equipment as you can in cabinets and tidy up using matching baskets on shelves for odds and ends etc,, Someone else said the lamp on desk has to go. I soooo agree! Does he ever, ever close the French doors? If the answer is no. I think you could block one from closing if needed for better desk placement. It's going to look nice! Send after photos.

A SURPRISE to change HIS office? WHY insult him like that? IT is HIS, repeat, HIS office!!! DO YOU REALLY WANT TO END YOUR MARRIAGE???? Not in a minute.second. would a man, MAN accept someone changing HIS office. I know women , and every women, I have even visit, want to rearrange my furniture, but the man's OFFICE? IT IS HIS!!!!!! If he lets you, he is not worth it. If you do it as a "surprise" and he IS worth it, you are HISTORY!!!

brucelk_h - Maybe for some that is true, but not for all men. Some men, like my husband, know what they like, but don't know how to get there. They can't visualize a color swatch and picture walls, can't look at a pattern on a 2 x 2 sample and picture it covering the floor. But many people, having lived with the same person for many years, know their SI's taste, and DO know how to make it a reality. My husband hates to shop, has no patience to look through catalogs, but when I buy him clothing, he loves what I pick out, because I know what he would like. When I redecorate, he doesn't even want me to ask him his opinion, because he has no idea what it will look like finished, and says so. He trusts that I would not do anything I know he would hate, and so far this has worked out well for both of us.

I love the hanging oriental. My husband would kill me if I chose the paler rugs. The curtains pick up the subtle blue from the rug. Another post I read suggested painting the walls, if you have time Benjamin Moor has a colour called Willow. It's deep and has hints of brown, taupe and charcoal. It seems to blend well within any room I've use it. Would add depth and masculinity to your space without blowing a budget. By the way, I had a desk I didn't absolutely love at a time when I wasn't ready to purchase an alternative. I painted it with chalk paint and changed the hardware to suit the new space...worked out wonderfully in a pinch. Good luck, I'm sure your husband will be thrilled.

Just a comment for "Bruce". This is a forum for polite, useful, decorating and design advice. Perhaps venting your personal angst would be better suited to an application such as Facebook or Twitter.

I love the oriental; its colors are fantastic, especially with the touch of yellow/gold that picks up the wall color outside of the office! To paint the office I would choose a very greyish slate blue, in the same light or medium TONE as your yellow walls outside of the office. When you can afford it, your niche where you now have the black cabinet would be lovely with built in shelves. Built-ins aren't that expensive; use two vertical metal tracks with holes that allow you to insert small braces for the shelves, buy the boards for the shelves, refinish them yourselves; The height of each shelf can be determined by you needs and the visual effect you want to achieve. Also, perhaps you could buy a LARGE corkboard( probably available at your local home store), framed or unframed( frame it in black or the wood-finish of the desk) to place somewhat low on the wall behind the desk....only about 4 0r 5 inches above the desk. I have used this cork-board idea in both my business office and in my kitchen...it's been invaluable...a Godsend, really. I pin-up maps, large working calendars, notices, photos, printed material that needs immediate attention, lists, lovely cards and printed keepsakes, etc. It's a very interesting and personal focus and many of my guests like to study it! Also, I think your lamp should be just about 2-3" taller and more substantial...not as delicate as the lamp you have there now in a slightly brighter yellow than your outside walls ...Both shade and lamp base should be same color....maybe the base or your shade could have a smaller print than the rug or else a much larger print, one or the other...definitely not same proportion as your rug pattern...small stripes, paisley? I didn't see a desk chair in any of your photos...your hubby will have to help you with that choice, anyhow, since he will be the one sitting in the chair...but a nice warm maroon leather( within the palette of the rug) would be lovely. As for the rest of the room, I would wait to see the total effect of the rug, desk, lamp, chair corkboard until I moved on.

Love the hanging oriental red carpet, a darker grey blue would look very masculine, the room looks like it gets lots of light!!
Agreed the lamp looks feminine!
Large scale accessories will work best. A large framed map style piece of art over the desk would look great!
I think the draperies would be best in a tone to match the wall colour. Good luck!

I am partial to the blue plaid since it looks good against the dark wood and I love plaid. Do you always keep the french doors open. If you keep the one on the left closed then would you be able to put the desk in the middle of the room in front of the window facing the room. I just seems weird to have your back to the door. You can figure out a way to work with the cords.

Well, michprac, looks like all other folk miss the mistake of rearranging someone else's personal space unasked too. Sad. I'll stop trying to point out the probable result. NOT my angst, but observation of others reactions. Good luck..

Oriental rug is best. MORE IMPORTANT make sure you have a non skid very thin pad under the rug. Rolling back and forth with a chair on casters will create alot of "creep" with the rug.

Bruce it is your angst ( own it) and you need to "vent" somewhere else. When I redid my husbands home and work office he was thrilled! Said it beat any gift I have given him in 35 great years. Guess what? He is a - MAN's MAN's too! Did not bother him a bit. :).

While it is not necessarily bad advice to suggest caution and thorough knowledge of one's spouse's preferences and temperament before tinkering with their office space, it is completely over the top to turn that advice into a ranting diatribe on what constitutes "real" masculinity. That is what others are identifying as your "angst," Bruce. Not every marriage is based on the gender dynamics of Neanderthals.

Actually I am laughing about the rearranging of the furniture suggestions because it has happened in our household, and I lost the decorating battle to my husband when he said: Do you want me to work or sit in the perfectly designed office? I had wanted his gorgeous executive desk positioned by the large window.....the glare from it was too distracting for someone on the computer 8-10 hrs. daily. (glad I didn't try to surprise him)

The graphic flower or the stripe, and maybe change the desk to something lighter, bigger and more masculine.

Great comments all around. You really are wonderful to want to give your husband this gift. May I suggest relocating the desk so that when seated, he is facing the French Doors. It's an office & will be more functional arranged as a traditional office. Plus it would be better if you don't see his back from the hallway. Not to mention that he won't be staring at the wall. You could even place a small chair or 2 in front so that he could also meet with clients,

You can run wires/cables under the rug. But make sure to get one of those plastic mats so that the chair will easily roll without damaging the rug. (I worked from home for years & this makes it so much easier to maneuver on a rug.)

If your home is traditional, the desk is a classic that is timeless. However, if you are bothered by the dark cherry stain, you can always paint it for a more contemporary update.

Regarding the nook, if you will add draperies, I would suggest the same as the window treatments. However, make sure to hang them from the ceiling. Include tie-back hooks inside the nook so that when hubby is working, he can tie back the drapes & have easy access to his printer, supplies, etc.

And finally, let's talk paint. With the dark desk & rug grounding the room, I would keep the walls light. However, I would definitely add color. Paint chips look much darker on the walls. Be careful. Since I see the yellow/gold color in the hallway, you will want to complement that color while still creating some definition. I suggest pulling the blue/grey from the curtain, but going 2 shades lighter. You can easily take to Home Depot for a color much & ask them to lighten the value of the hue. Buy a sample size & bring home to test. Since this is a surprise, test behind his desk. Once you make your paint decision, you can go ahead & buy enough to paint the walls.

I'm excited for you. Make sure to share your "after" pics. Thank you for soliciting your Houzz Community's advice!

Spur away is right in the money. I like the oriental rug and the drapes, but not together. Is use the red oriental rug and go with a beige or cream drape. Maybe something with some texture. I'd also paint the room a different color than beige. If I had my druthers, I'd put wainscoting on the bottom portion of the walls, and paint the upper portion a shade of blue that you pull from the rug.

Ugh. Not posting from my phone again. Lol! Anyway...good luck with whatever you choose! I'm sure your husband will love it!

I love the plaid one in the middle. Very masculine.

what kind of rug?

Red oriental looks great with the cherry desk. And not that you asked but a bold wall color would really round out the room. The lighter color makes the cherry desk look stark against the wall. Cherry really looks great with bold colors!

I normally like oriental rugs, but I'm really not a fan of the red in the room. I am more of a fan of contrasts, so my eye is drawn to the far left rug. If trying to stay more traditional, I would actually like to see the hanging blue rug behind the hanging red rug! I would prefer to go into a lighter brighter space than a dark room to work.

I also think you should paint the walls a shade of blue. I think it would create more of a contrast when looking in from the hallway. Blue is also a calming color, which could help work-wise. I also think it would help compliment your choice of curtains.

Get a more masculine lamp for the desk. Why is there a white chair next to the desk? It seems out of place and makes the room feel more cluttered. I would NOT use a curtain to hide the bookshelf area; just stylizing the bookshelves would be better. If possible, I would actually move the bookshelf out of the nook and have it face the french doors next to the desk. It would allow more convenient access from the desk. I would also move the ottoman that is under the windows into the nook to create a reading nook of sorts (or hidden drop zone).

Like others have suggested, hide the paper shredder in a nice decorative box if it bothers you; otherwise, I don't think it would look out of place or clutter the room since it is an office space.

I would move the speaker to on top of the bookshelf and then, hide it with some greenery. Since we can't really see the speaker in the pictures, I'm not sure of it's size, but disguising it with greenery should help without hindering sound.

Just my two cents.

Yes, I really like the oriental in 2nd photo, but more importantly, I think it had the vibe that most guys relate to. Terrific choice!

I am the only female in our house with three young adult sons, and my husband who works from home, has an office, and has taken over my dining room with compromises. The guys love their reds. Though we are in the Badger state where red IS the color of choice, I don't think it is why all three have chosen reds. Hubby's office is has rustic red, with solid red tab tops that are mostly always open. I would not cover the office supplies and equipment. Instead, found treasures from his Dad's collections, copper plumbing containers for pens, pencils, etc. Purchase organizers that hubby said he would never use, but are now indispensible. Glass barrister bookshelves that show collections from printer paper to "Bob the Builder" gifts from clients to a shelf just for flooring, wall color, siding samples, etc. Not only are they easy access, they are like a "mini-showroom." The bookcases are actually in our combined dining room/ office space. Warm tones, like cinnamon and paprika and browns. I have also added an new color: slate gray. The guys love their grays. I found grommet curtain panels in steel grey that open and close so easily. Also, I would go with slate grey, even in oriental or stripe for an area rug in hubby's office. Very masculine looking, and hubby loves oriental rugs. Or I would go warm tones and I agree with those who posted to get the desk away from the wall. In our dining/office compromise, the warm tones of spice, cinnamon and paprika complement and even make the horizontal lateral cabinets look like a buffet (and will be for thanksgiving!) I have tried the blue/ivory with my guy family and the closest I have received "thumbs up" is in the bathroom that is brown with blueish walls, and the new color combos of blue and brown. Actually, that could work as well, keeping the blue and looking at the huge selection of blue/brown combos that are trending. Last but not least, no plaids, and no ivory. Hubby likes his room with the desk looking out toward the window but not against it. Also, as my sons have reminded me, it's his space, he needs to have some input.

I like the red Oriental. I even like the desk IF it could be turned facing the French doors. Are you sure there is not enough room to do that? I think you can find a way to hide cords, etc. my husbands home office is very similar (and yes he is extremely grateful I took the time to decorate it for him...taking his likes/dislikes/functionality into consideration. We do have a simple "computer return" against the wall making an easy to roll/turn desk chair a necessity. We put the plexiglass mat down to protect the rug and make it easier to maneuver. Unfortunately, I have FOUR windows to think about fabric covering. For the time being, we have shutters. Sorry...didn't mean to get distracted to my unfinished project...lol... I want to cheer you on to consider changing the wall color...agree with the medium blue/grey ideas....no to covering the clutter with drapes...style instead with the baskets, etc. If you put a large...and I'm going to suggest contemporary art on the wall opposite Fr doors, desk facing doors, red Oriental rug, grey/blue wall color....it will be very striking from your hallway and you might not even notice the clutter.

The read carpet, no contest, IMHO.

Oriental, keep the desk the color it is...change the hardware, reconsider the wall color to a blue/gray.

Wow, lots of opinions here! I'll have to take some time to digest them all. I'm happy to report that I bought the red rug this weekend! It seems like the one my husband would like the best, and it goes beautifully in the room. I think that many of you are right to switch out the curtains now to something solid. Perhaps blue linen (see attached photo)? I certainly didn't expect any drama from this post, but I guess everyone has their opinion. To the doubters, we've been happily married for 15 years, and I'm quite confident that this project isn't going to destroy our marriage. ;) It is honestly coming from a place of love, support, and consideration for his needs. I've thought long and hard about the things that my husband has mentioned over the years. For example, he is on the phone a lot and says that people complain that it sounds like he's calling from a tunnel (all the wood floors and empty spaces reflect sound rather than absorb it). I think the rug and curtains will help tone that down. I would love to re-position the desk, but I'm still not sure the space will allow for that. That is something I will definitely talk to hubby about and see if he'd like to try a different arrangement. I will also look into blue/grey wall colors as many of you mentioned. Thanks again, y'all have been fabulous!

I prefer the stipe on the far right. I think it is timeless. I think the pattern on the first one has been done too many times. Love the light airy drapes.

Love the choices you are making. Bravo!

mselden, if you are talking to your husband, that was all I was trying to get across. Sorry for the extent of rants. Husbands AND wives even after 15 years of marriage have "personal" spaces that need to be honored by the spouse. I am sure you have yours. I have talked to too many men whose personal spaces had been violated by wives or significant others and heard the resentment. And yes, I was resentful myself. Might not end your marriage, but it might not have done it any good to surprise your husband too much in his "personal" space(s).

I do like the center one or the one on the right best for a man and with cream walls. The left one seems feminine.

Oh, I see you post above! The red, blue and warm tint of yellow floor is a lovely triad and very masculine! Good luck.

Great! The rug will look perfect with different drapes and a deeper wall color. Check BM's Coventry Gray and Sabre Gray. Keep us posted and Good Luck!
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Bruce - WOW...I know this is probably not worth my time, but I do have to respond to the personal attacks you launched. You are so positive of your psychoanalysis (psycobabble, in reality) of other people's relationships that you feel entitled to make nasty comments about people you know nothing about. That is so sad....and more importantly, you were totally wrong, which make your comments both sad and stupid. With that, I will not be baited again to respond to any of your diatribes.

appytrails, I submit it is not wise to interfere in a spouses personal areas as a surprise, and my prior "rants" obviously did not get that across. Sorry about my failure and some of my rants. I have heard too many men, and WOMEN, complain about surprises made by spouses to their "personal' spaces. This woman with her good ideas and loving intentions, may talk to her husband which I think will be better. YOU had a good experience surprising your husband; GREAT! My ears and my personal experience (angst? OK I embrace it) tell me it does not turn out that way always. Sometimes it is a disappointment, with a hurt woman whose objective of making her husband happier was not achieved as well as an offended man. A surprise remodel of a personal office is not the same as changing the living room, but even then, a wise spouse consults the other first. I suspect you want your husband to consult YOU before changing the living room; why not the other way too?

I love the Oriental. Would also be perfect in my family room. Would you share where you found it?

It's going to look great. The rug, the blue grey drapes and walls-- perfect. Get rid of the desk lamp and floor lamp and is that a chair with a printer on it? If yes can you get a small credenza that is same wood finish as desk and put printer on that rather than a chair?

@charleyscottage, it was a one-of-a-kind I found at a local shop. The employee told me it was handmade in Pakistan.

Go for the oriental, it goes with the desk

I think you are giving your husband such a wonderful loving gift. I love the blue linen curtains that you switched to and the oriental rug looks like it will go well with his desk. When I look at your most recent photos it looks like a nice piece of art would look great above the desk. That might be something the two of you go hunting for together.

I also like the oriental, its a longterm rug and durable. I like the style of the desk but will consider painting it a lighter color to lighten up the room.

I too like the second oriental style rug for all of the reasons already mentioned. Regardless of which one you choose, the rug and chair will fair better with a clear floor mat underneath the rolling chair. You can find some for a reasonable price online or at office supply or warehouse stores. Is it possible to turn the desk around so it doesn't face the wall? It would make the office work space more open.

Love, love the rug you purchased and the blue curtains you are considering. You are well on your way! My husband is delighted when I make a few changes to his space, and, like you, I'm always listening to his needs and trying to make them work in a way that we both like. Married 48 years.

MKHODGES, YES!!! What BOTH wife and husband like. I like and really appreciate her heart to make him happier. I just hope her husband has the chance to contribute before and as she does it. MSELDEN, you have lots of opinions of strangers, I suggest you now ask the opinion of the one person most important to you in the world, the one who is your husband, before you act. I sincerely wish you the best and all happiness.

Wear patterns of men's shoes with dark soles would show less on the red rug. Coffee or soda drips would be hidden too.

It sounds like you have reached a decision. My comment was going to be it's your husband's office so let him decide. Why put him in the potential position of either hurting your feelings or living quietly with draperies and a rug he doesn't like? Let him shop for these items!

I would turn the desk so you would face the door, not have your back to door. Love the oriental rug.

I personally would go with the plaid and paint the walls the same colour blue as in the plaid proviso there is good light in the room - off white lamp shade to contrast walls keep the curtains as they will contrast well against the blue paint chosen and give it all a masculine look. Any room for floor to ceiling book shelf?