To take a look inside the brain of a designer, at least this designer, and see how I developed this Vintage Boho office design.
I recently entered a design contest put on by the Edesign Tribe, a platform where progressive Interior Designers work together to offer online Interior Design Services. “We connect humans with other humans that have a superpower to create and incredible space they have never stepped foot in!” says founder Jenna Gaidusek.
The contest criteria was to create an edesign or “electronic design” for an office for our “ideal client”. We could decide who that client was and work within our ideal client’s budget. We had to create a concept board and a 3D render or computer drawing of our design. We were given photos and measurements of an existing room to work with.”
Before
My Client
My ideal client for this design was a woman who loves color and Bohemian or global style design with a mid-high range budget. She worked in a creative field such as graphic, fashion, color or Interior Design. Yes, my ideal client was someone like me! Well, of course, I know myself better than anyone else, so why not!
Function First
The first step was to think about function. What would I need to make it work in real life for the client?
I determined she would need room for easily accessible client files and samples, reference books and a place to meet with 2 to 3 clients at a time to do design presentations. Because she is in a creative field and would meet clients in the office, the office needed to be stylish, unique and fun, and a place where clients would feel inspired yet relaxed.
Floor Plan
Next I created a floor plan to see how my ideas for function could best be laid out. I looked at different layouts for a desk with easily accessible file cabinets and bookshelves, as well as a place for a table with up to 4 chairs for meeting and presentations. Each area would need good overhead and task lighting for working.
The layout needed to provide room for the traffic flow into the office from the outside door, as well as access to the next room. I determined the back wall would be ideal for two file cabinets flanking a center bookshelf that could be easily accessed by placing the desk in front, so the client could just swivel their desk chair to quickly access everything. I wanted the desk to face the door, so the client could easily see and greet customers yet still have a nice view of the windows and exterior yard. Putting the built in storage on the back wall also helped reduce the length of this long narrow room visually. A custom counter top over the file cabinets and shelves could tie the units together and provide a nice area to display plants, books or decor in front of the window.
I determined the size of appropriate furniture with the floor plan, considering what would work with the traffic flow of the room. With the layout I chose, a circular table would provide the most room for seating while still allowing good traffic flow from the door. I thought the 2 work areas could be nicely defined with rugs in each area. An 8″ diameter circular rug seemed to best fit the space where the table would go.
Inspiration
Then I started researching pieces for the design. I started with the desk, as it would be the focal point as you entered the room, and the most important piece functionally for the client. When I found this gorgeous desk, I knew it was the one! It was unique, colorful and had a vintage Bohemian vibe. it inspired the color scheme, the feeling for the room and the rest of the design!
Color Scheme
The beautiful desk called out for using pinks, greens, black and light gray or off white to highlight the colors in the desk. I could envision some small accents with a touch of yellow. Because the room had so many windows with a view to the outside, this brought in lots of green to the design naturally. I thought the pink colors would be great for one of the rugs or the chairs for the desk or table. A black marble countertop over the file cabinets and shelves could help frame the desk area. I wanted the room to remain light and bright, so thought a light gray or antique white might be a nice wall color.
Major Design Elements
As I looked for other elements that would harmonize with the desk, I found this rug which worked perfectly with the color scheme and Bohemian style. I then came across this wall paper, which I thought was really interesting and the perfect color. I thought it would add interest to the walls without taking the focus away from the desk, as wall art may have done. It has the look of an antique or vintage ceiling or wall which also added to the vintage flair of the design that seemed to be unfolding. This inspired me to look for vintage or vintage inspired accent pieces and lighting to add to the theme.
As I found new potential pieces for the design, I brought each item into Photoshop where I was working on the concept board. This allowed me to see all the pieces together, and was a place to add or discard items until i found a nice combination of things that worked together in relation to color, shape, style and function.
Concept Board
Design Products
Here are some of the other products I added. I loved the simple, black circular table with these elegant curved legs. The fuschia chairs were the perfect color to highlight the desk and to add contrast next to the table. I thought the pink light was beautiful and went nicely with the circular design elements. The black light, also circular could be easily adjusted to hang lower over the table if needed. The floor and table lamps have a vintage flair and beautiful, simple curved lines. The other accent pieces were chosen based on their color, circular shape, vintage appeal and functional use for an office. I selected the vintage music stand as a unique way to display presentation boards.
Lighting
Accessories
Final Design- 3D Render
When I was finally satisfied with all my selections, I created a 3D render in Floorplanner and then moved this into Photoshop, where I added the actual pieces I selected to scale. Here is the final design.
And There You Have It!
So for me, the design process starts with what the client needs functionally and a floor plan. From there, I search for inspiration pieces that works with the clients design style. The inspiration pieces guide the rest of the design and color scheme. The creative journey unfolds and I do not know the end product until I am at the end! And then, I just know….it’s done.
With a real client, there would be discussion and adjustments after the concept board and floor plan were completed to make sure it meets the needs of the client. We would collaborate until the design was just right for them.
Are You Inspired?
The process I used above is an example of a Full Service Edesign project. Ready to try Edesign to create your perfect space? Click here to learn more.
Check out my other online services for Interior Design, color consulting, vacation rental design, home staging, virtual staging and more.
Find out more about Global Style
Curious about Global Style Design? Read my blog article, Tell Your Story with Global Style Interior Design, and take the quiz to see what your global design style is.
If you would like to find out more about me to see if we would be a good fit to work together, check out my About Me page. Or just give me a call and let’s chat! 907-362-0065.
Follow me on Pinterest
What a great peek at your process! I love the desk, of course 🙂 and the vintage music stand as a presentation board holder is a brilliant and unique idea!
Thanks Janet! I am also a musician, and when I saw that piece I knew it would work perfectly and loved the design!
This is such a great example of the thought process that goes into designing a space. While it may look easy, there are so many steps and things to consider when designing a space! What a great example of what Interior Designers do to create a space.
Thanks Sheri! So true, because we as designers can visualize, we might make this look easy to our clients, but there are so many things to consider to making a beautiful and functional space that is perfect for our clients. Thanks for reading.
I really love that FLEUR DE GLEE WRITING DESK. Such a beautiful piece.
I know, me too. It was such a great inspirational piece for this whole design! Thanks for reading.
I love this design. Isn’t it great when a light bulb goes on and you know you found exactly the right pieces for a design! I feel inspired after seeing this>
Awww, thanks so much Ilse. I do love it when you find the perfect piece for a design and everything just comes together after that! I am so happy you feel inspired!
I really enjoyed reading about your process, MaryAnn. This turned out beautifully!
Thank you Leslie! I wish I had room for this design in my house!
Mary Ann this is beautiful!! Of course I love all your choices and selections. But how you lay out how an E-design consult works is inspiring. Thanks for sharing your wonderful talent!
Thank you Deborah! I often think people would like to work with a designer but the whole process is a mystery to them and they may be apprehensive about trying it. I hope this post will help people feel more comfortable with the idea:)