Regardless of whether you are one of those lucky people who can work from home or you just like having a corner for your hobbies, a home office has become a necessity for many. Despite all its practicality, a home office is often an interior design challenge, especially when you work with limited space and might worry that your working corner might end up looking too formal or too out of place when compared with the rest of your home. Mid century modern style can easily solve this issue by offering a number of minimalist-oriented and highly elegant and stylish options – from working tables and desk chairs to those small accessories and décor touches that will flawlessly tie your home office to your overall décor.
A home office in mid century style can beautifully bridge the often present gap between style and functionality and provide you with a personalised work space that looks flawlessly stylish and elegant. And even more than that, it can transform your home office from an out-of-place necessity into a cluster of décor elements that will not just fit in in your home, but also enrich it and add a new layer of elegance and visual interest.
Home office or a working corner
Depending on the available space, you might decide to take a whole room and transform it into your home office or alternatively, you might just rearrange a corner of your living room and customise it according to your needs. The former option will come with much less hassle when it comes to the question of matching the necessities of a work space with your décor preferences, while the latter, of course, will require some smart interior design choices to make it work aesthetically. A separate-room home office can be nested out of sight and thus allows you to worry much less when it comes to potentially out-of-place décor elements. Still, that is no excuse for not making it stylish! On the contrary, you probably wish your home office to be beautiful and elegant, inspiring and conductive to work.
A working corner is a greater challenge, but when done right, it can serve as an amazing addition to your living room. Homes that are already decorated and furbished in the mid century manner will reduce your concerns and almost guarantee that a home office can truly shine with just a couple of clever décor moves. Otherwise, you might want to consider either the ways to tie the home office elements with the rest of the décor or the ways to cleverly separate the work space so that it stands out stylishly in the best practice of mid century style open space utilization. Don’t worry, this separation is best accomplished by careful placement of furniture pieces (such as desk or shelves), so there will be no need for architectural changes that we always try to avoid.
A perfect desk for your mid century home office
One element of a home office that will always be present is a desk, so it always pays off to take special care when choosing the model. For a separate-room home office you can easily go for executive-style large desk in a mid century style. Its large working surface and many drawers and cabinets will provide you with enough space for everything you might need, from your PC to pens and papers, printers, speakers, notebooks, calendars and planners. At the same time, an executive desk will still leave you for enough space to place a desk lamp, a house plant or some other décor element that will easily pop out and bring a bit of dynamics and interest to your home office.
If you have much less space to work with, a large office desk might not be a good idea. In large rooms with open floor plan, a desk of this type can still work well if used as a kind of separator between office part of the room and the rest of the living room. But for more limited spaces, a typical mid century writing desk, ideally in Scandinavian style, can be a great option. Danish mid century writing desks are much smaller than their executive-type counterparts and they come with sleek minimalist and a bit rustic appeal that will add a new layer of visual interest to your home without making the space look overly cluttered. However, keep in mind that the work surface will be somewhat smaller, so you should plan ahead to leave enough space around the table for décor elements you might have in mind. Maybe that will require you to buy shelves or credenzas, so always plan ahead.
Mid century style chair for your home office
A stylish desk requires equally stylish and elegant chair. And luckily, mid century design is world-famous for the productions of impeccably stylish and functional seating solutions of various types. From luxurious leather-upholstered executive-style lounge chairs to simple but beautiful wooden dining chairs, these golden ages of furniture design left us with a variety of models to choose from. With style and comfort being equally important to designers of the era, you can rest assured that your home office will be functional as much as elegant.
For a separate room home office, you can easily go for imposing and luxurious executive-style office chair if that is your style. Or, you can go for an armchair upholstered in fabric for a bit less formal, but still stylish appeal. Of course, there is no reason not to go for some more subtle designs – many of the chairs designed during the mid century era to be used in the dining room can look absolutely stunning in a stylish home office. When used in a working space that is a part of the living room, they are especially useful in preventing any stark stylistic contrasts that might seem a bit out of place, but these models are also very aesthetically pleasing, so they are also a good option for a separate room home office. In this case, they will bring a specific appeal which is absolutely favoured by those who are not fans of too formal or too classy appeal. Dining chairs in mid century style will come with a much more laid back appeal that will easily tie your home office into the overall décor of your home.
Home office accessories
The final touches for your home office are accessories. Regardless of whether you are going for a separate room or a workspace in a room solution, the choice of accessories will be relatively similar and equally important. House plants are very commonly suggested as must-have elements as they can add visual interest to the room and ensure that it doesn’t look too dull or too serious, so to speak. At the same time, the lush green will create a lovely partial contrast with the wooden desk, bringing a touch of subtle playfulness to the overall décor of the room.
As mid century style comes with a very pronounced retro appeal, various vintage accessories can also do wonders. An aged typewriter or a radio from 1950s can be very stylish décor elements that will play on the aged aesthetic of MCM style while adding a bit of playfulness and informal appeal to your workspace. Some other décor elements that follow the retro appeal of this style include wall clocks, paintings, book shelves as well as various décor elements with abstract, modernist or starburst motifs.