From ELLE Decor
You spend a lot of time at work-you might as well love the space you’re in. When Town & Country editor in chief Stellene Volandes was in need of an office refresh, she turned to One Kings Lane, in partnership with Ralph Lauren Home. She needed a functional workspace, of course, but she also wanted it to be personal, and to reflect not only her taste, but the magazine’s. Utilizing pieces from both brands, the design team crafted a sophisticated look for Volandes’s office that also seamlessly transitioned to a nearby meeting area.
Photo credit: Tony Vu Courtesy of One Kings Lane
Below, Becca Roderick, Director of Interior Design at One Kings Lane’s in-house design firm, shares how to pull off the perfect office makeover.
When designing an office, what’s the most important thing to keep in mind?
“An office is one of those spaces where you shouldn’t sacrifice function-it’s essential. But that doesn’t mean it can’t also be beautiful! Carefully considered space planning and understanding exactly how and when the office is used is a great place to start when tackling this type of project. Once you have that nailed down, then you can start layering in personality and comfort with different types of furniture, lighting and finishes.”
Photo credit: Tony Vu Courtesy of One Kings Lane
What are some do’s and don’ts of office design?
“Don’t forget about the lighting! People always think to choose a great desk and side chairs, all of the classic office furniture pieces. But lighting is something that can be easily passed over and makes all the difference with this type of space. Don’t just rely on the in-ceiling lighting-make sure to bring in a great desk lamp, table lamps on a credenza, or a floor lamp. In Stellene’s space, we added both sconces above her bookshelves, behind her desk, as well as table lamps on her console across from her desk. The right lighting will bring intimacy to the space and help to manage the vibe of the space, no matter the time of day or how much natural light is available.”
Photo credit: Tony Vu Courtesy of One Kings Lane
How can you ensure the office reflects the individual, but also the company?
“Usually this is easier than anticipated, as most people tend to embody the values and vision of the company they work for. In Stellene’s space and the adjacent conference room, we layered in a good amount of mementos. Stellene’s office displays several of her personal tokens, photographs, and archived notes, as well as displaying old Town & Country assets on her walls. The conference includes a mix of images from Town & Country’s brand heritage, as well as their team’s recent editorial pieces on their bulletin board.
Photo credit: Tony Vu Courtesy of One Kings Lane
What are some tips for working with a space where alterations are tricky?
“You’ve got two choices when it comes to tricky conditions-embrace it or distract from it. I’m usually going to try and distract from it. If you’re faced with a boring paint color that you can’t change, make that a gallery wall that is almost completely covered with artwork and photographs. We weren’t able to paint Stellene’s space, so we covered the walls with beautiful old photographs and a stunning wall mirror, which also helps open up the space. People will be so enamored with the art that they’ll never notice.”
Photo credit: Tony Vu Courtesy of One Kings Lane
“If you have wall to wall carpet you can’t rip out, put down a gorgeous area rug for a layered effect. In both Stellene’s office and the conference room space, adding the fresh new detail on the floor creates a sense of warmth and wraps any room together well.”
“Instead of removing the permanent bulletin boards in the conference space, our solution was to wrap them in Ralph Lauren Home fabric, to keep the functionality of the walls while enhancing the feel of the boards.”
Photo credit: Tony Vu Courtesy of One Kings Lane
What are some ways to keep your office tidy? How can good design encourage order?
“Offices can often be magnets for clutter, so you should have a clear plan of attack for management of stuff. Always try to layer in as much beautiful storage space as possible-a gorgeous credenza that can hide files and paperwork, or even beautiful wooden boxes that can house small but necessary items, like paper clips. A collection of quotidian objects suddenly become a lovely collection when placed on a gorgeous tray.”
What other design services does OKL offer?
“One Kings Lane Interior Design offers a range of design service packages, from a ‘Standard Room,’ which is perfect for simple refresh, and ‘Enhanced Room,’ which is great for decorating a space from scratch, to our ‘Premium Room’ package, our most comprehensive, full-suite design offering.”
“Because we are a part of One Kings Lane, we have the unique ability to be able to pull together almost any look from the wide product assortment and tap into their amazing vendor resources, to create a very bespoke design experience-personalized completely per clients. There’s nothing formulaic about our approach. Our design services can take place in person, in our Soho or Southampton locations, or handled on the phone and virtually.”
Photo credit: Tony Vu Courtesy of One Kings Lane
Head to One Kings Lane to shop pieces from the T&C office makeover!
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