I have to admit that as much as I love doing glamorous spaces for the ladies, a cool and chic masculine space is not only a welcome challenge, but a blast for the senses.
The trick, as with all well designed spaces, is to balance the textures, styles and shapes in the space so that although it's being designed for a man, anyone can feel welcome being there.
My new clients are sophisticated, well traveled executives who appreciate good design, great quality and the quiet luxuries they've come to enjoy. For the man of the house, his frequently used work space does double duty as the guest room - so the trick is making it functional for use on a regular basis, yet inviting enough to share with overnight guests while not making them feel like they are invading your work place.
This room was the inspiration for the "office" side of the space
Contemporary, sophisticated, dark walls, large area rug,
shelving for display with closed storage for the not so attractive essentials.
We also have a cathedral ceiling that will get a paint treatment, not so bold as this gold metallic paint!
We were working with a much loved, recently purchased desk in a reclaimed wood top (shown below) with rusted iron base. This desk is a key feature in the room - not to dictate a "rustic" scheme, but to be a nice contrast to the more sophisticated ambiance of the rest of the space.
We also had this clean-lined Mitchell Gold - Bob Williams sleeper sofa
in a lovely, neutral linen fabric to work with
Here's the floor plan so you can get an appreciation for the space.
The room is 16' wide by 13' deep with windows along the entire north wall.
The left side of the room is the sleeping space and to the right, the office space
with access to the closet and ensuite bathroom down the hall.
Placing the desk against the wall allows for good flow even if the sofa bed is opened.
Book cases flank either side of the desk.
The red "X" in the middle is the existing stainless steel ceiling fan light fixture.
This large framed world map was a special piece the couple picked up in Italy and contributes nicely to the well traveled aesthetic - we just need to lighten the frame to work with our colour palette.
So I picked up on the blue as an accent colour - using navy for the pillows and a pale, grey blue for the ceiling. Benjamin Moore Mount Rainier Gray to contrast with Kendall Charcoal for the walls.
I added a beautiful silvery grass-cloth wallpaper from Joanne Fabrics behind the sofa to ground the space and make it more cozy for guests. It would be a good balance for the tall, grey bookcases that will flank the desk on the other side of the room.
Elegant wood sconces with nickle tips and linen shades add softness the space while freeing up the side tables for guests to place their personal items on.
Client's wood floor is a cherry colour, so we downplay it by placing a neutral light/silver grey wool rug with a diamond Moroccan pattern - so beautiful and luxe!
Based on the preferred layout for the room, I designed a custom built unit to maximize on storage space, while allowing the desk to remain in the same spot when the sleeper sofa was open for guests.
The client actually has some vintage luggage and globes that we'll use to accessorize later.
The wall mounted, swing-arm sconce will keep the space below open for leather filing trays.
Although we looked at some beautiful leather executive chairs, the client decided he wanted
a Herman Miller Aeron chair for maximum comfort! We're going with this Smoke colour.
We've also selected horizontal window shades to add some light control when needed.
The existing custom drapery is a bit "delicate" for the look that's coming together, so once some of the bigger pieces are in, we may decide to have some new panels made in this fabric.
This fabric would be gorgeous against the grasscloth wallpaper and the dark walls while keeping the softer organic feeling of the existing drape fabric, but having a bit more weight and a masculine slant.
Can't wait to see it all pulled together!
