3rd Floor Office Reveal
It’s really happening! We have been working to refinish our attic space for well over a year and the office is finally complete! It’s wild that after 7 years of living in this house, we’re unlocking all of this new functional space. Before this, we worked from the dining room table (this meant eating dinner and looking at screens), and it was definitely not ideal… it’s time to have a dedicated space where we can work and organize all the things in our lives!
Sources
Furniture
Desks | Chairs | Filing Cabinets | Convertible Sofa | Leather Ottoman | Black End Table | Workbench
Decor
Desk Lamps | iPad Stand | Side Table Lamp | Icelandic Sheepskin Rug | Green Wool Pillow | Black Throw Pillow | Throw Blanket | Set of 2 Large Terracotta Color Planters | Set of 3 Small Terracotta Planters | Bamboo Fish Tank | Wall Frames | Nook Black and White Pillows | Nook King Linen Pillow
FINISHES
Finishes
Tongue and Groove Paneling // Alabaster by Sherwin Williams | SW Duration in Semi-Gloss | Sprayed
Acoustic Slatwall // Luxury American Oak with Gray Felt
Carpet // Flor Squares Suit Yourself - Pumice
Millwork by Kuiken Brothers
Order a Free Kuiken Brothers Catalogue Here | Tongue and Groove Paneling | Window and Door Casing | Baseboards | Window Sill | Window Apron
Our original hardwood floors, as well as a trip to Iceland, inspired this space and made for great starting points in our design plan. We have a full staircase that leads to our third floor and at the very top, there are two distinct twin rooms - one to the left (the office), and one to the right (the snug). We wanted to have these spaces relate to one another, but serve very different purposes. It was also very important that these spaces remained flexible which meant not too many built-in things, dictating future uses.
A quick reminder of what this space looked like when we started!
So, as you land on our third floor and look to the left, you’ll find our cozy new office space. To say that we are in-love… well that is an understatement.
// Disclaimer: We worked with partners to complete this project, and this blog post contains affiliate links. Thank you so much for following along on our journey and for your support!
Our Inspiration
When people ask us how to create a design plan, we suggest starting with a place, palette, picture, or piece that inspires you, and then consider how you want your new space to make you feel.
When we visited Iceland last winter, we fell more in love with the straight lines that are characteristic of Scandinavian architecture, the neutral colors against a bold backdrop, and wood accents. These design elements work together to create an open and airy feel that we wanted to bring home with us. Besides the Nordic interiors, we couldn’t help but be in awe of the landscape around us. The glacial blues, mossy greens, and volcanic blacks against pristine whites, were just incredible. This helped us create a distinct color palette for our Scandinavian design, and provided us with direction.
Furthermore… we wanted to create a space that was uniquely different than the rest of our home. This is a queen anne victorian after all and we have been working within that design aesthetic for so many years. The attic presented a unique opportunity to do something brand new.
Millwork
It’s so hard to pick a favorite part of these spaces; but the millwork in this space makes us swoon- especially the tongue and groove panelling and trim pieces supplied by Kiuken Brothers. We have been fans for a long time and as we discussed here, their products allowed us to merge a modern feel with the more traditional trim profiles found throughout the rest of our home.
We ended up with this stunning tongue and groove paneling that was installed by the very talented Ian Gardner. The vertical lines of these panels really draw your eye up and make these angled attic ceilings seem taller. We painted them Sherwin Williams Alabaster and the space is brighter than ever.
Our Kuiken Brothers Profiles
Kiuken Brothers has the very best catalogues. Not only do they outline the product selection, but they demonstrate how the products can be used by breaking down the elements of really beautiful rooms. Best of all, they are free!
Order a Free Kuiken Brothers Catalogue Here - This is such an incredible resource!
Tongue and Groove Paneling (with a v-groove)
Window Apron (a smaller version of the base we chose)
The Slat Wall
As you turn into our attic office, the slatwall is probably what you notice first - it makes a HUGE impact. These Nordic-inspired wood panels are not only stunning, but they are also functional. The backing is made with a dense felt that helps to decrease echo and hey, it probably helps with insulation too! While we’re pretty high up on the third floor, it’s nice to be another layer removed from the busy Boston traffic below.
The first step was to get the strapping installed so that we would have a level, nailing surface. Then, you simply screw into the wall through the felt backing (you could also use glue/liquid nails). It’s installed in larger panels, a couple slats wide (such a relief that we didn’t need to attach every slat individually). We are pretty thrilled with how it came out, as well as the texture and warmth it brings to this room. It really compliments the neutral rug and the white paneling, while infusing some personality and style!
The Balcony Window
If you know anything about us, you know that we love our VELUX Balcony Window - dare we say it might be the coolest feature on the 3rd floor. In our original design (over a year ago) we didn’t really know that using one of these was possible. Then - we started doing some research and even went to see it in person at a local trade show. We were in love.
We would love to hear any other questions you have about this window! Even better VELUX is currently running a summer sweepstakes where you can win one! VELUX will even pay for the cost of installation!
If you can’t accommodate the Roof Balcony, you can opt for two standard skylights instead.
Work & Lounge
It’s no secret that AllModern is one of our go-to resources while designing. Their curated collection of items allows us to find high quality pieces at a very reasonable price. Their selection really aligned with our design for this project and we furnished most of the office with AllModern products.
AllModern Sources: Desk Area
// A Note on Desks: With this attic renovation, one of the design challenges we faced was finding desks that worked with the slanted ceilings. Desks tend to be narrow, and when pushed against the wall, we’d be hitting our heads on the ceiling. So, we opted for dining tables! They simply have more depth, and are often sold at a lower price point - win win. Whenever we source for “desks” we always start with “tables”.
Our desks are topped with the cutest Blue Dot Lamps, and with a rotating arm and head they can be used for work OR uplighting - super cool. They are also HEAVY (in a good way) - we are going to have these for a long, long time.
The Finishing Touches
Opposite our desks is a twin size daybed, side table, and plants. Again, this space has to be flexible so that we can accommodate guests or changes in function (also one of us likes to take the occasional nap - can you guess who? Yup, it’s Holly). This daybed was the perfect, structured, addition to the design.
If you know us, you know these plants are real, we did a fake plant in one room once - and never heard the end of it.
Tools & Tech Storage
This office has storage galore (good thing because our dining room armoire has become home to both dishes and electronics). There’s a large unfinished closet where we plan to establish some organization. And, as a bonus, we added this stunning workbench to our office. Not only does the natural wood tone go with our Icelandic look, but it’s also going to make our workflow SO much better up by storing all of our tools & tech. There is just something about having a place to put things, know what I mean?!
The Reading Nook - can you imagine reading here during a rain or snow storm?!
Stay tuned for the Snug Reveal coming soon!
Final Thoughts
This project was a long time coming and we feel very privileged to have all of the space we need and the opportunity to work together at home.
We believe strongly in the separation of spaces, especially for those of you that work for home. So if you have the time and the space, take it, and create something beautiful.
