Last Updated on September 23, 2024
Get inspired by this beautiful coastal office with perfect blue hues to create a calming workspace.
Like it did for so many people, 2020 kicked off my journey of working from home. While there are definitely things I miss about going into an office, I am actually super productive at home. At first, I thought working from home would be temporary, so I set up camp at our dining room table. But as time went on, I knew I needed to dedicate a space where I could work more comfortably. I decided to transition one of our guest bedrooms into an office. Read on to see how I created a beautiful coastal office in my home to inspire your home office design.
Coastal Office Furniture
When designing a coastal office, look for furniture in lighter wood tones. White furniture is a great option too, though I prefer to mix in other finishes versus going all white. Natural materials like wicker or cane are also great ways to bring in coastal style with your furniture and decor.
Coastal Desk
At first, I didn’t have a real vision for my home office design. But the one thing I knew for sure was that I wanted the World Market wood campaign desk. I had seen this desk floating around Pinterest and I was obsessed!
With its classic style in a light walnut finish, it really is the quintessential coastal desk. It was sold out for months before I finally got my hands on it!
I normally like to design rooms around color but if there is a piece of furniture you have your eye on, start there. Once you have a key piece of furniture picked out, you can start to build out your design vision.
Always build a mood board before you start buying pieces. Since I’ve started using Canva, I can easily throw in images from websites and see how things coordinate together. Swap pieces in and out to see what’s really working in the space.
Cream Pot | Desk | Gold Lamp | Cream Rope | Wall Art | Wall Art (set of 2) | Bookshelf | Striped Basket (similar) | Accent Table | Bookshelf | Rug | Blue/White Planter
Coastal Bookshelf
I wanted a really tall wood bookshelf in a similar finish to my desk. Home Depot had the perfect one! This bookshelf is 84” tall with open wood shelves in a vintage oak finish and black metal accents. It’s sort of a mix of classic, rustic, and farmhouse style but it works great in my coastal office. Always check the dimensions of furniture and measure your space before buying.
Coastal Accent Table
I needed a small table for my printer and for a lamp, since my desk did not have room. Hearth & Hand at Target has some really cute furniture pieces in a cane finish. This light wood accent table has a single cane shelf, which is perfect for storing a small printer. I actually had the matching console table in our living room until we sold our house and the buyers bought it!
I keep a lamp, a box of tissues, and a diffuser on this cute little table. To hide the cords, I found a great cord hider on Amazon. This box fits right under my accent table and is long enough to fit a power strip. Pay attention to where your outlets are. I always lay out a room based on where things need to plug in. You want your electric items as close to plugs as possible, so you don’t have cords stretching everywhere.
Coastal Office Decor
Choosing the overall color scheme of the room will shape your coastal office decor pieces. Every room in my house is blue (no exceptions!), so that was a given for me. You can bring in color through your area rug, art, and accent pieces.
In addition to color, you’ll want to choose your dominant metal finish. I was on a gold kick when designing my home office, so I looked for gold and brass accent pieces. I know I harp on this a lot, but mood boarding is so key to pulling the right decor pieces together, so don’t skip this step!
Coastal Area Rug
The absolute best way to bring color into an office space is through your area rug. After choosing my desk, the rug was the very next thing I chose. I probably swapped a dozen different rugs in and out of my mood board but ultimately loved this 6×9 ivory/navy Safavieh rug. It’s even more beautiful in person! Always add a rug pad under your rug, which gives extra cushion and makes your rug much comfier to walk on (in addition to protecting your flooring).
Where to Place Your Office Rug
I went back and forth with how to lay this room out. Normally I would want the rug to run parallel with the desk. However, my office is long and narrow. I felt like it was important to work with the room rather than against it. So, I knew the rug needed to be 6×9 with the long version running parallel to the window.
My first option was to have the desk facing the door, but that left my back to the window. Not only did I lose any view of the outside world, but I was totally backlit, so my face was a blur during meetings. My next option was to face the window, but that would leave my back to the door (which I hate!). The idea of someone sneaking up behind me was a bit unsettling.
So, I decided to have my desk run perpendicular to the rug, where I could see the window and the door. This actually worked out perfectly for the space! Plus, it left some rug for my pups to come in and hang out with me during the day.
Coastal Office Wall Art
Art and pillows are the two hardest decor items for me to nail down. I think I get overwhelmed by the sheer number of options and combinations! For this office, I wanted simple art that wouldn’t overwhelm the space.
Art can get really pricey, and of course most of what I love is way over my budget. But I found a really pretty wrapped canvas art at Wayfair for under $100! This is an amazing price for how big it is. I wanted to hang it behind my desk. When measuring wall art for your office behind your desk, don’t go too small. You want your art to be about 2/3 the size of your desk. It should be centered on the wall with the center of the art about 60” off the ground. That way, it’s at eye-level and balanced.
I also needed art for above my accent table and found a set of 2 from Target. Target art sells out fast, so if you see something you like, buy it immediately. My set is sold out, but I found one I like from Giri Designs even better. I really like their art selection. I redesigned my friend’s house and used a couple pieces from Giri Designs, and they look beautiful!
Coastal Office Decorative Accents
I like to keep accessories minimal. Too much can look cluttered. Because my office gets a ton of natural light, I wanted a few plants to display. I mostly get my pots from Wayfair, Target, and Pottery Barn. Plant pots are like pillows – they don’t stay in stock long! When you see one you like, scoop it up quick. I’ve linked a few that I love below.
1. Blue Handmade Planters | 2. Handmade Blue Stripes & Dots Pot | 3. Coastal Handmade Pot | 4. Handmade Navy/White Striped Planters | 5. Handmade Dark Navy Striped Planters | 6. Modern Coastal Pot
Bring in natural materials like jute and wicker to bring out more coastal style. I found a super cute rattan tissue box cover at Amazon. A tissue box cover is an easy way to make even tissues look adorable!
A brass desk lamp added a modern touch to the space. I love this lamp. Not only is it beautiful, but you just tap it to turn it on!
For the bookshelf, I just love this cream cotton rope decorative weight. It’s perfect to set on top of a book stack. Gold bicycle bookends were an easy way for me to complement my gold finish theme.
For the bottom shelf, I found some super coastal navy striped cotton storage baskets. These are sold out, but I found some similar ones at Target!
Coastal Home Office
Natural materials and cool blues are the simplest way to create a beautiful and calming coastal office. Create your mood board and start building your dream office! I hope this post gave you some good inspiration. Happy decorating!
For more office tips, check out my Easy Home Office Organization Ideas on a Budget post.
This post is about a blue coastal office.
