4 Home Office Looks (and Functions) That Really Work

Irwin Weiner ASID - Home office setups are no longer boring overstuffed executive chairs and the old-fashioned aircraft carrier topped desk from Father's den. We've selected several contemporary alternatives to the home office setup so you can see that working from home can now be chic, stylish, and highly efficient.

Bonus

Click here to read Most Outrageous Home Office Furniture. 

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What Does Your Sofa Say About Who You Are?

Oliver Bray - The problem of picking a couch is that all members of my family will demand to sit on it. It may sound a little harsh but at best, most of them deserve no more than a plastic bean bag flung into a far corner. Let them languish there eating their popcorn, pizza, or pork pies. After much deliberation regarding the wisdom of bringing anything shiny and new into my home, I visited a website that suggested my choice of sofa revealed much about my personality. Having misplaced my personality in some laundry basket or emergency room many, many ages ago, I was about to post a caustic comment when I suddenly realised that maybe the website advice was right. I’m a survivor and every couch I have ever bought was chosen for its potential to survive.

For this website to suggest that I make a "style statement" was salt in the wound, but I survived the sting by hatching an evil plot to drop my two kids off at their showroom for an hour. Did they think that my present couch draped in an old, freshly tomato-sauce-stained sheet was really a statement I willingly chose to make? While I drooled over the Italian furniture and luxury sofas they described so seductively, my three-year-old dribbled another baked bean onto the sheet and squished it firmly into place. I was now invited to select from an array of colours and fabrics, a reflection of how I lived. Once I stopped weeping I did just that. Being the multi-tasker that I am, I even incorporated my little fling with the fab set into my children’s story time.

Once upon a time, in a faraway land where mummies chose furniture just because it looked good, your mummy visited websites and by heavens, it did! Luxury sofas in soft, Italian leather fit my personality as snugly as support stockings and I was informed, it also spoke of my inherent classiness. The option to go with a sectional couch was tempting, especially as it suggested a flair for style, but this was married to common-sense functionality and mummy had no intention of letting common sense ruin a perfectly wonderful shopping experience. Italian wizards were showcasing two exciting new designs in high quality leather that as well as being perfect for the spring/summer season, were also perfect for the uncluttered house mummy has in this perfect land of make-believe.

With my babies sprawled in peaceful sleep on the carpet at my feet, I pulled the stained sheet from the couch we had purchased seven years ago and studied its clean lines and slightly faded fabric. What had it said about me then: that I was totally unprepared for motherhood and its inevitable mess? Aah well! When the children have eventually flown the nest and my husband has taken up residence in the garden shed to be closer to his fishing gear, I will revisit this site.

Oliver Bray of Web Marketing London has been interested in interior design and furnishing since first refurbishing his house a decade ago. Evangelising how our environment affects our performance, he now researches and writes about the latest trends in fashion, technology, and interior design to help you transform your life.

6 Modern Bookshelves that Tweek the Imagination

Irwin Weiner ASID - Physical books are beautiful. They deserve to be displayed well in a home. As an interior designer, I'm often asked to come up with storage solutions for books and small accessories - sometimes collections, sometimes mementos from my clients' travels - so I'll come up with custom library built-in solutions in a dining room, family room, media room, or traditonal den.

What I'm always amazed at, however, are the innovative designs for stand-alone or wall-mounted bookshelves. So unusual - and sometimes downright goofy! It's not enough to have flat shelves supported by end and back pieces; modern bookshelves have to "do something" or "say something."

It's all a bit silly, but some clever new bookshelves can add a touch of fun and whimsy into a too-serious room, and I'm all for lightening-up a design scheme. Click on each photo for more information.

Bonus

Click here to see more Bookshelves That Break Out of the Box.

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5 Furniture Favorites from Portuguese Luxury Designers Boca do Lobo

Irwin Weiner ASID - The Boco do Lobo catalog has caught our eye here at Design2Share in the past, and we've been keeping steady watch as they've been exhibiting their high-end custom luxury furnishings in NYC, Milan, and around the world. 

 

 

Their business is a combination of high-end Old World woodworking and craftsmanship, a mash-up of contemporary styles, and custom finishes (colors, textures, lacquers, etc.).

Click on the photos of our favorite pieces for more product information, and enjoy the Boca do Lobo video, which does a great job of telling their story and marrying interior design with the world of fashion and luxury lifestyle.

Bonus

And speaking of high-end luxury, click here to read 7 of the Most Expensive Furnishings and Decor Pieces in the World - see what's sold for record prices lately at auctions around the world.

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