The Office Stylist » Office Makeovers

DWM Offices’ Office Makeover

The Office Stylist Team — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:00:51 +0000

What it looked like before!

More after photos!

TheOfficeStylist: Describe your office to us:

The DWM offices are the headquarters for Society Awards, Mode Design Group and Ambition Beverages. The space is open, light and modern, embracing the industrial loft feeling. The entrance is highlighted by a full bar with translucent ebony sliding doors, which faces the impressive glass-walled conference room and glass trophy cabinet. This room houses Society Awards’ notable body of work, with trophies from prestigious award shows including the Golden Globes, Emmys, MTV VMA and Movie Awards, CFDA Fashion Awards, CLIOs and, well, a whole case full of others. The focal point to the entrance area is a glittering column made of illuminated acrylic and just down the hall, the kitchen door is a reclaimed original fire door from the building, noting casting dates of 1902, which actually works and slides (with effort) in its new home. Clean lines, purposeful color/texture combinations and furniture from designer Eames to Van der Rohe accentuate the rest of the space, along with impressive views of the New York City.

 TOS: What is your favorite part of your office and why?

It’s hard to pick one part because I love the whole space. But if I had to choose one space I’d say my office because it’s comfortable and so personalized to my taste. I also really love the bar area, which holds all the spirits I’ve created!

TOS: What was your inspiration for your office makeover?

I was really drawn to this building, which is the old Standard Motors building in Long Island City. The landlords, Acumen Capital, purchased the building and have done an amazing job with renovating it. It boasts the first Brooklyn Grange rooftop farm, the largest urban rooftop farm in the USA, with over an acre planted. I also liked the idea of customizing my own space from top to bottom.

 TOS: How did you feel working in your office before your makeover?

Before the makeover it was just an empty space, so we obviously weren’t working in here. But before moving to this space the other office felt less than completely sophisticated and incomplete. I like to have a beautiful workspace to inspire and foster creativity.

 TOS: How did you feel working in your office AFTER your makeover?

I love the new space. The energy in the office is vibrant and positive, and there is a really productive work culture amongst the employees.

 TOS: Do you feel it’s important to have an office/workspace you love in order to be happy at work/while working?

Absolutely. I would say it’s a vital component of a positive work experience.

 About you:

I am an entrepreneur, and the founder and CEO of three successful companies: Society Awards, Mode Design Group and Ambition Beverages. I earned my JD in entertainment law, but quickly realized that practicing law was not where my passion was. I saw a niche market in the awards creation industry and decided to open Society Awards in 2007.

Since then it has gone on to become the premier designer and manufacturer of high-end custom awards and recognition products for the Luxury, Sports, and Entertainment Industries. Featuring notable clients such as the Golden Globes, Emmys, Espys and luxury brands like Rolls Royce, Society Awards has been able to grow fifty percent per year through a combination of top-notch service, innovation and award-winning design.

By the way, If you have a stylish, modern or innovative office makeover you want to feature onTheOfficeStylist, or you need help transforming your space, please email us athi@theofficestylist.com. Located in LA? We’d love to stop by and take photos of your space and profile you and your business. Love this Office Makeover? Take a look at the other Office Makeovers we have on TheOfficeStylist.

Sayeh

The Office Stylist

86′n It’s Office Makeover

The Office Stylist Team — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:00:51 +0000

What it looked like before!

More after photos!

TheOfficeStylist: Describe your office to us:

Our office is located in what was likely a sleeping or sunroom on the second floor of our 1920′s home. We have original heart pine flooring and double-hung windows. We recently did a quick renovation makeover to this space to make it functioning, pleasant office. We have several other renovation projects underway, so the budget was very low. In the end we were able to only spend just over $80, but I sold my desk for $40 so the total spent is just over $40!

We painted all the existing windows and doors a dark, warm gray the walls a warmer light gray and installed modified Ikea Enje roller shades. We re-purposed an old door into a desk and installed shelves that we had from a previous apartment. We kept the palette pretty gray, but added punches of yellow and orange united by a new desk panel used to conceal cables and wiring. Blue accents were already in the room in the form of sultry lady wall graffiti and a tacky, but unfortunately staying ceiling fan.

A chair was brought in from another room and positioned in front of the second, rarely used door. I did a quick reupholstering job on our two existing office chairs because new chairs were not in the budget. Purging and organizing were the main stars as we sorted through five years of accumulated paperwork, project supplies and just plain junk.

There are still a couple of finishing touches to complete like find a radiator cover and a missing door knob, but it feel great to have an organized, fun office!

TOS: What is your favorite part of your office and why?

Having everything organized is great, but as far as a favorite physical part, I would say the art work. The two hanging linoleum blocks my husband made when we printed wedding invitations by hand and adjacent I framed an illustration done by my 6 year old nephew when he was 5. The desert scene reminds me both ofTucson, where my husband and I met, and they both remind me to be creative everyday.

TOS: What was your inspiration for your office makeover?

I didn’t really any direct inspiration per-se, but we like the gray palette and my husband’s favorite accent is orange. I’m into minimalism which is funny given how much stuff is in the office, but we both have a very modern, functional design sense.

TOS: How did you feel working in your office before your makeover?

Claustrophobic! Our house was a wreck when we bought it and we’ve slowly been renovating, but had not touched the office. It was the dumping ground for junk and was a real mess. It was impossible to find things. I’m an architect and work for a company that makes computer products for the blind, so I need to have a lot of “things” around me and easily accessible, but the piles of stuff were about to send me over the edge.

The graffiti was here when we bought the house and the seven windows were covered in plywood. When we removed the plywood the neighbors thought we had done the graffiti and got worried! We like the funkiness of the graphic, but neither of us was a big fan of the name or the gun in the ladies’ hand.

Also, because of the seven windows in the room, it was easy to feel like we were on display, especially at night. Window treatments were a must.

TOS: How did you feel working in your office AFTER your makeover?

Freeing. It is great to be able to find things, not be surrounded by mess and to have a more comfortable chair! Now when I have to get some work done, I can just sit down and get to it. We also relocated all the non-kid-friendly items (scissors, permanent markers, stacks of paper, etc.) to upper shelves so the room stays cleaner. The addition of a seating area really makes sense for us. It gives a place to relax and reflect, and is a comfortable host to a brainstorming partner.

Other big issues were sound and light. I work a lot while my daughter naps and neither door closed properly. Now with the second door closed and the first functioning, I feel free to make work calls without whispering or going downstairs, which was a huge pain. For the light issue, we added some roller shades to the windows which help greatly with glare and the privacy.

TOS: Do you feel it’s important to have an office/workspace you love in order to be happy at work/while working?

I wouldn’t say it is it is necessary, but it is helpful and important. I’m always more productive when my work space is organized and functional. And I’m happier when my space has some color or life.

About you:

I’m a work-from-home mom, architect and designer inAsheville,North Carolina. I live happily in this mountain town with my husband and daughter. When I’m not chasing around two-year-olds, you can find me up in my office cramming in work sessions or renovating my house, which I write about on my blog 86′n It.

Sayeh

The Office Stylist

Aprils Fools Happens at the Office Too

The Office Stylist Team — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 08:00:51 +0000

The Before:

The After:

By the way, If you have a stylish, modern or innovative office makeover you want to feature on TheOfficeStylist, or you need help transforming your space, please email us at hi@theofficestylist.com. Located in LA? We’d love to stop by and take photos of your space and profile you and your business. Love this Office Makeover? Take a look at the other Office Makeovers we have on TheOfficeStylist.

Sayeh

The Office Stylist

Live Love DIY Office Makeover

The Office Stylist Team — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:00:04 +0000

What it looked like before!

More after photos!

TOS: Describe your office to us:

Our office is a bright & cheery space with tons of natural light. We mixed soft, neutral colors with elegant metallics and deep black to create an eye pleasing effect.

TOS: What is your favorite part of your office and why?

My favorite part is the French script linen nail head chair & the petite white crystal chandelier

TOS: What was your inspiration for your office makeover?

My inspiration was simply that I gravitate towards neutral spaces with a color palette of neutrals, white, and black with touches of elegant metallics

TOS: How did you feel working in your office before your makeover?

Stifled, unmotivated, and cluttered!

TOS: How did you feel working in your office AFTER your makeover?

Inspired, clean, motivated, enthusiastic, and just overjoyed!! I could spend all day in there!!

TOS: Do you feel it’s important to have an office/workspace you love in order to be happy at work/while working?

Absolutely! My work day has improved 1000%! I work from home and have found that I am so much more inspired, work harder, and work happier!!

About you:

My name is Virginia and I write a blog called LiveLoveDiy. I am a newlywed and I chronicle my experiences transforming our 1970’s fixer upper on a budget, one room at a time! I truly believe you can create an elegant, timeless space on a very small budget simply using a little elbow grease & creativity!

Sayeh

The Office Stylist

Leslie Savage’s Office Makeover

The Office Stylist Team — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:00:17 +0000

What it looked like before!

More after photos

What it looked like before!

TheOfficeStylist:

Describe your office to us:

My home office is my daily work and meeting space for Leslie Savage Photography, my portrait and wedding photography business. I wanted it to reflect my brand, using bohemian accents, splashes of mustard yellow, and incorporate a burlap (feminine) and lace (earthy) cozy feel to it. I wanted it to be conducive to meeting clients where they can sit back, have a glass of wine, and view their images for my first time in a relaxing and appealing environment that reflects me as an artist.

TOS: What is your favorite part of your office and why?

My favorite part of my office is realizing what a great space it is, yet how cheaply it cost me to renovate it! I love sharing where all the elements came from and the DIY projects that gives it the most charm. My husband made the coffee table out of an old palette, we painted some old garage sale and thrift store finds, and added knobs on some cheap IKEA shelving units that we were given. Small updates and accents completely transform your room!

TOS: What was your inspiration for your office makeover?

When I got married on Sept 29, 2011, I was also in the middle of a brand overhaul for my photography business. I ended up using many elements from my wedding to decorate the room with. My dried bouquet sits in a vase by the table lamp, some green lanterns from my reception are on the shelves, and the lace curtains and burlap used as table runners are now my office curtains and sewn into pillows.

TOS: How did you feel working in your office before your makeover?

I really did not want my office to become a junk room in our house. Without giving it the proper attention and style that it deserved, it was not a space that I could invite clients over into. So I avoided in-person meetings, or I had to meet them at coffeeshops.

TOS: How did you feel working in your office AFTER your makeover?

I love coming to work everyday, even though it just means walking into the other room J After having my clients visit my office recently it added a whole new level of credibility and confidence to me and my business. I was able to be a welcoming hostess, show them neatly displayed sample products, view their images on a large monitor with proper calibration, and build stronger relationships with each one of them as a result. I love everyone’s reaction as they enter, and this is my new favorite room in our home!

TOS: Do you feel it’s important to have an office/workspace you love in order to be happy at work/while working?

YES! Not only am I happier, but even after a couple years in the photography business, I feel more established as a result. I’m a full-time professional running a small business and not just a girl with a camera hoping to make a few bucks. This room definitely increases my joy and is just what I needed to liven up this place since I work at home alone all day.

Leslie (Savage) Moss

Leslie Savage Photography

www.lesliesavage.com

Dallas, TX

By the way, If you have a stylish, modern or innovative office you want to feature onTheOfficeStylist, or you need help transforming your space, please contact us. Located in LA? We’d love to stop by and take photos of your space and profile your business. Love this Office Profile? Take a look at the other Office Profiles we have on TheOfficeStylist.

Sayeh

The Office Stylist