Real-Life Redo: Home Office Makeover

Functional Office Space

When Birmingham landscape designer Scott Glenn and his photographer wife, Laurey, invited guests to their home, an apology for the living room usually ensued.

• Homeowner: Scott Glenn, Gardenscapes, Inc.; 205/365-6938.
• Contractor: James Clayton; 205/492-7047.
• All building materials: from Lowe's.

Before

In the otherwise pretty space, Scott's home office, along one wall of the room, created an eyesore of mounting paperwork and bulky equipment. Not only did the desk and cabinet disrupt the design, but the desk wasn't big enough for him to work.

After

In stepped Associate Decorating Editor Anne Turner Carroll to help Scott tackle his makeover to-do list: maximize space, introduce organization, and add style. They tackled the challenge by first knocking out one of the built-in cabinets to allow for a longer desktop. Next, a coat of paint on the remaining built-in, in the same color as the walls, better unified the area with the room. Anne Turner chose magnetic chalkboard paint for the back wall, adding color and functionality.

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• Rug: Platinum Ming Cotton Carpet by Madeline Weinrib; 212/473-3000, ext. 3780.
• Stool: Knicker Stool by Blu Dot (bludot.com, available through 2Modern.
• Metal letters: Enamel Letters by Design Legacy by Kelly O'Neal.
• Basket: Chronicle Baskets by Roost, available through Velocity Art and Design.

Stainless Steel Desktop

A longer desktop, raised to countertop level, provides more elbow room and a comfortable height for Scott to draw. A metalsmith cut and shaped a sheet of stainless steel to fit like an apron over a plywood desktop and affixed it with glue. "If you have a countertop you want to transform, this is an easy upgrade with little construction," says Anne Turner.

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• Countertop: Sheet of stainless steel over Formica by Kenneth McGill Designs; 205/401-0910.
• Woven box and tray: from Pottery Barn.

The Right Lights

Lighting is key for a well-functioning home office. For maximum light in Scott's space, Anne Turner paired a hanging ceramic fixture with a distressed-metal task light. "The pendant is great-looking, and he can have it on all the time. But when he needs some serious light, he can position his task lamp to focus down where he's working," she says.

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• Light fixture: Cosmo Stepped Pendant in Natural Bone China; available through lightingmatters.co.uk.
• Task lamp: Vintage Inspired Distressed Metal Task Lamp on Stone Base by Vagabond, Vintage available through Mothology.

Floating Shelves

A shallow wraparound wood shelf above the desktop keeps office supplies within arm's reach. Additional floating shelves along the right wall provide storage for the gardening encyclopedias and reference books Scott uses most.

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  Globe: vintage, for a similar look, try Globe on Stand (5425) from Everything Furniture.
• Model form (holding rubber bands): Jointed wooden body form on stand from All Dress Forms.
• Stapler and tape dispenser: Nickel-plated, also from Pottery Barn.
• Glass canisters: Stackable Container with Lid (0590-C) from Couronne Co..

Paper Holder

Easily accessible tracing paper scores major points with Scott, who still draws all of his garden designs by hand. Anne Turner's idea to mount a swing-arm curtain rod as a paper holder cleverly puts the rod to work in a new way.

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Paper roll holder: Ball Swing Rod Set, 20-36" by Umbra.

Hidden Storage

The remaining built-in cabinet gives Scott the storage he needs, behind closed doors. Anne Turner worked with a carpenter to equip the cabinet's drawers and shelves with sliders to enable easy access to files.

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Cabinet & lower wall paint: Manchester Tan (HC-81) by Benjamin Moore.

Magnetic Chalkboard

To create a chalkboard and bulletin board in one, Anne Turner layered colored chalkboard paint on top of three coats of magnetic paint. A handwritten days-of-the-week calendar transforms the wall into communication central.

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• Chalkboard paint: Chalkboard paint in Deep Ocean (#24) by Hudson Paint.
• Magnetic paint: Specialty Magnetic Latex Primer (115535) by Rust-Oleum, also available from Lowe's.