Back in my lawyerly days I was mentored by an awesome attorney, one of the smartest chicks I know.  She recently switched firms and wound up in this glamorous office.

But there is a bright side – her firm actually encourages the lawyers to decorate their offices.  Imagine my delight when I got an email from my former mentor asking for a little design advice!!

Although she really wanted fun colors like hot pink, lime green and orange, she worried that such vibrant colors might be too much for a law office – so she requested a variety of options, some including the fun colors and others with more traditional “office” colors like warm reds, greens and tans.  Keeping a “traditional but not stuffy” design scheme in mind, her only other requests were for a lamp, some artwork and new, matching in/out boxes.

Design Quickies don’t usually include 10 options – not gonna lie, I got a little carried away!!  If you have the strength, check out the different goodies I whipped up for her:

Option 1: artwork 1, artwork 2, artwork 3, artwork 4, artwork 5, artwork 6, frames, lamp, shelves, trays (from See Jane Work, no longer available - try this or this instead).

The artwork in this design is a more affordable, somewhat DIY version of a very popular set of art from Crate & Barrel, as well as Ballard Designs.

{ You’ll notice that these floating shelves make an appearance in each design – they are super long and will look awesome on that long wall by the bookcase.  I would stagger them so that the upper shelf extends over the bookcase a bit, and the lower shelf is scooted to the left (towards the door) at least two feet.  That way there will be room to lean diplomas, add a narrow vase, personal photos, a book, etc. }

Option 2: artwork 1, artwork 2, artwork 3, artwork 4, frames, lamp, shelves, trays.

Option 3: artwork, lamp (from Target, out of stock – try this, this or this instead), shelves, trays.

{ This print is a steal as compared to an almost identical print from Ballard Designs. }

Option 4:  artwork 1, artwork 2, lamp, shelves, trays (from See Jane Work, no longer available- try this or this instead).

Option 5: bull dog artwork, basset hound artwork, lamp, shelves, trays.

{ Disclaimer: I definitely didn’t expect her to pick this option, but when I came across these quirky prints I just had to concoct a little design with them in honor of her bull dog and beagle pups. }

Option 6: artwork, lamp, shelves, trays.

Option 7: artwork 1, artwork 2, lamp, shelves, trays.

Option 8: artwork, lamp (base & shade sold separately), shelves, trays.

{ The Bed Bath & Beyond artwork is a an affordable alternative to the Z Gallerie piece. }

Option 9: artwork, lamp, shelves, trays.

Option 10: artwork, lamp (from Target, out of stock- try this, this or this instead), shelves, trays.

Whew!  Still with me after all that?  If you were redecorating your office, which option would you choose?  And speaking of offices, what’s your office situation?  Do you work from home, from a cube, from a corner office?  Or maybe your office days are behind you?  Do tell!!

Click on the following link to snag some design advice of your very own – Interior Design Services.

Basically, the whole idea behind Mood Board Monday is to design an entire imaginary room around a single item – today, that item is the fabulous (and wallet-busting) Antwerp Chair from Anthropologie:

Gorgeous, right?  If someone gave me $1,698, I would totally buy that chair.

The second I saw this chair I knew that I wanted to create an eclectic, bohemian, cozy, inviting, spicy space.  To live in this space, I imagined a successful young professional that scrimped and saved for years until she could afford a fabulous, Spanish-inspired bungalow in California – picture white plaster walls, coved ceilings and rich wood floors.  And let’s throw in a fireplace with gorgeous vintage tile just for funsies.

Anyhoo, our young professional couldn’t bear to paint those white plastered walls and detract from their natural beauty, so she decided to bring warmth and personality into her living room with vibrant color and inviting textures.

The velvet fainting sofa sits in front of a bay window that is flanked by spicy curtains – the deep orange in the curtains is repeated in the ikat and paisley pillows on the sofa.  The swing arm lamp provides reading light over the sofa, while the ginger side table is placed on the other side of the sofa for drinks and magazines.  Our young professional rests her feet on the woven coffee table, which sits on top of the chocolate brown rug with a trellis print in ivory.  On the wall opposite the sofa, two Antwerp Chairs sit on either side of the mirrored side table, and the orangey-red lamp provides some ambient lighting.  On the third wall, the glass-fronted cabinet acts as a media console for the flat screen TV, and all of the techie components are hidden inside.  Finally, two faceted pendants hang from the ceiling at either end of the room, drawing your eye around the space.

1. Antwerp Chair, Spectrum Swirl – $1,698.00 (x 2); 2. Faceted Mirror Side Table -$199.00; 3. Mini Teardrop Table Lamp in Ginger – $59.00; 4. Sunflower Mirror – $49.95 (x 2); 5. Planters Buffet – $999.00; 6. Spice Basketweave Grommet Curtains – $49.98; 7. Faceted Glass Pendant Lamp – $89.99 (x 2); 8. Ginger Side Table – $299.00; 9. Orange Ikat Pillow Cover – $17.00 (x 2); 10. Embroidered Paisley Pillow – Rust – $34.95; 11. Pleated-Shade Floor Lamp – $249.00; 12. Antoinette Fainting Sofa – Caribbean – $575.00; 13. Concentric Coffee Table – $299.00; 14. Fallon Brown / Ivory Contemporary Rug (8 x 11) – $655.00.

Total: just over $7,000.  Ouch!  But it’s fun to dream, right?

How do you think our young professional did?

Introducing our new starburst mirrors!! (You can check out what our bedroom looked like before right here).  I think it’s true love.

And the best part is that these babies were on sale and I had a gift card, so they were . . . FREE!!

Even if you don’t have a gift card, these gorgeous mirrors from Pier 1 are a total bargain at $49.95 (they were an extra 15% off that price when I bought them).  And they’re dead ringers for the much (MUCH!) pricier version from Z Gallerie!

Even the kitties can’t resist hanging out in our bedroom now that the mirrors have jazzed it up so much.

Made any changes to your bedroom lately?