Contemporary living often blurs the lines between home and office, and establishing an attractive place for productivity at home is rapidly outdoing the media room as the top new residential design challenge. When smart product designers, like Marc Desplaines of Antoine Proulx, turn their attention to office solutions, you know it’s a category to watch. Next time you are catching up on work at home, or are considering working from home on your new business, be the CEO of your own domain and consider these contemporary pieces for your home office.

-Shane

Decorati Founder

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I was looking for a headboard over the weekend so of course I checked out Decorati’s What’s New section to see the latest trends in one of the oldest human activities (sleep).  If this bed by Maxine Snider is any indication, it’s all about simple, sleek lines and a clean look.  No more giant throne beds fit for long slumbers and multiple snooze buttons.  In today’s economy, we sleep as much as we can afford to and we wake up and get back to the challenges that face us.

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In honor of such an important day in American history, I encourage you to celebrate the idea of change…  even a small change, like a side table, can go a long way in freshening up a room.  See our featured products and a couple of my side table picks.

-Shane

Decorati Founder

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The little rubber feet on laptops can leave marks on tables, so for my home office I wanted to find something colorful I could slip under my laptop and not worry about the table.  I found these lineny placemats by Robert le Herosat at Lotus Bleu in San Francisco.  Not only are they cute, but they can be wiped down or washed and ironed (reverse side).  I bought a couple extra to have around for water glasses and such, so a Saturday at the project table leaves no trace.

Look at what fellow designers are selling in Decorati’s Designer Sales section.  These pieces are beautiful.  Some designers have actually started a collection on top of their design business.  Other designers buy unique pieces with the plan to sell them to future clients, they have fabrics and small pieces left over from projects, they help their clients sell high-pieces to make room for new ones, and there always are the unfortunate situations like mistakes and client refusals.  I like digging through the Designer Sales section on weekends to find the new stuff designers posted during the busy week.

The piece above is from Lawanna Cathleen in San Francisco.  See Lawanna’s Decorati Shop.  See more below from Robert Passal, Erin Pauley, Tish Key, and Timothy Corrigan.  Or See All.

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I’ve designed my fair share of industrial-lofts-turned-residences on both coasts.  I understand the edgy, unique appeal of these spaces and why people are willing to pay so much to live in a space that is literally a blank slate. But in a recent loft project I decided we needed to do more than take the walls at face value, which was tall, cold, grey concrete.  So I designed this massive, plush series of screens to cradle one corner of the loft, providing dimension and coziness and serving as a backdrop for the family media area.  (more…)

Some spaces call for a strong design statement.  Each of these pieces are capable of delivering a design victory.  Check them out:

Here’s a quick snap of a project I was working on.  The space was so horrendously overstyled, it really just needed to be toned down (see before pic below).  I replaced the multi-colored dream house look with a pale grey/blue paint (Benjamin Moore Baby’s Breath), tore up the murky brown carpet and laid an ebonized walnut floor, replaced the cheesy countertops with a beautiful almost white marble, and exchanged the dangling wonder in the dining space with this clean-lined fixture from Boyd.  Voila!  Fresh, simple, so 2009.  You can’t beat the combo of blue-grey walls, almost black floors and crisp white stone.   

Boyd Lighting: Presidio Oval Ceiling Light (shown here in a ligher finish) (more…)

This weekend kicked off a time-honored tradition in the high-end interior design scene in the Bay Area.  Selected designers flocked to this estate house in Pacific Heights to apply to design a room for the 2009 San Francisco Decorator Showcase House.  I remember the excitement well from when I did a room several years ago.  The deadline for submitting a presentation was only a few short days and I don’t think I slept a wink.  I immersed myself in the “Hamptons Getaway” theme I developed and didn’t stop until I had a package that I felt would convey my vision.  I can’t wait to see the results this year.  Good luck everyone!

The House opens April 25 and proceeds benefit the Financial Aid Program of Unversity High School.

http://www.decoratorshowcase.org

I was looking for a smart-looking chair for a home office project and came across this snappy piece.  I have a penchant for dark finishes with brass nailheads and sabots – and this chair, from Highland Park, an antique dealer on Decorati, hit it.  It turns out Highland Park also enrolled in our new Affiliate program, and links back to Decorati from their site (see link below).  Check out the Highland Park web site to see how Decorati is collaborating with web sites to make it easier for buyers to click around and find what they want, whether it be products or design services.  Designers, manufacturers, and showrooms can find similar links in the My Account section.  Welcome to the Affiliate Program, Highland Park!