I think one of my favorite things about decorating is that your style is allowed to evolve and your taste can certainly change. I think as a creative person my home is my canvas and I am always up for trying something new. I am not too OCD when it comes to the way something has to look or stay and I am always up for a challenge and making big or small changes until something feels right. This is why I love running a home décor blog rather than professionally doing interior design work. It allows me to truly create a look with a trial and error tactic and not be as afraid to make a mistake. I also truly believe that living with a space is important because sometimes we learn just what that room might need or we might need as we live with it.

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Today I am sharing all about our once again made-over office space. Which I am now calling our European Lounge. You may remember last year around this time we did a makeover with some new paint and crown molding. It was once our moody office and though I loved that for a while I needed something new. So we added some brown walls to keep with a moody vibe but more earthy.

color: Raleigh Sorrel BM

After living with that for a year I realized I still was not using our office the way I had wanted to. The desk felt bulky, messy, and I was working at the kitchen island all the time because I hate feeling stuck! Then my husband started a new job in April that he now works remote 3 days a week so he took over the office space. Though I love having him home our office just felt too close for comfort especially when we were both hopping on zoom calls. So, we made a change again…

I think this one is here to stay!

We moved the desk into our bedroom temporarily (not the best looking but he can close the door and we don’t have to worry about walking in the background of each others zoom calls) Then I decided to find a pretty vintage secretary desk so I could hide all my things in and allow for space into our office room to also use as a lounge.

We only have one living room in our house since its an open floor plan and having another space to be able to sit and hang out has been a game changer! I think I spend more time in here now than any other room in the house.

A few changes we made…

1. Added the secretary desk which is actually much easier for me to work at and hide all my office supplies.

2. Brought our green velvet chairs in here with our green velvet curtains and it cozied up the space so much. Loving the combination of green and brown!

3. We brought in our porch table for now, not sure its here to stay but I like the size of it.

4. Bought a vintage settee from FB marketplace because I’ve been desiring a bit of red lately. I think the colors work beautifully for that French Country feel. It also gives us a little more seating space for guests and our family.

5. Added our Annie Selke area rug in here which made this space truly pop!

6. We added an electric fireplace (this one) to the corner which creates ambiance and warmth. I am going to love working in here all winter long because it truly is cozy.

What is so amazing about this space is we added more furniture in here and it feels larger. It just operates so much better for our lifestyle for both a work at home schedule and time with family and rest.

Style wise this is definitely a lot more “fancy” than some of the other rooms in our house. I love that it says “Italy” or “France” but in a more formal way. I think with our house being open floor plan much of our taste and selections have to flow together. The colors in here and style certainly flow with the rest of our house but also has its own individual look. If you feel torn about your style colors etc and want to try something different select a room that is sectioned off from the rest of your home to try that with. It’ll allow that room to have its own unique style without having to worry that it MUST match the rest of the home. A bedroom is another great space to try this out with.

Design Features: Red is back adding small moments and not fully painted rooms in red is a great way to incorporate this warm shade. Pattern play is very popular right now. I stuck with patterns I love and looking forward to also adding some equestrian pillows soon to match the space. Velvet is a great “expensive, lux” fabric to add more elegance to a space but also warmth. High meets low- by having “fancier” furniture but then natural rug and pillows. I tried bringing that country to Versailles feel here. Lastly, coordinate colors! When you choose more colors like I did in this space I made sure that they all compliment well together and also that they are used multiple times in the space to not feel too “colorful”.

Let me know if you have any questions about this space and how I can help you to try something new and different especially if you want to try a little more French Country in your home.

I hope this inspires you to keep trying and making your space what you want it to be and that small spaces can be useful in your home if you decorating it right!

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