A Lightened, Brightened Study

A client in Lexington, who resides in the 1960s Colonial she grew up in, felt nostalgic for the dark original woodwork in her home’s study (which was once her Dad’s office) — but she was ready to update the space to better fit her current family’s needs.

The dark trim and bookcases felt dated, and while the office was used regularly for computer work and book storage, it wasn’t furnished for lounging. The existing desk was both too large for the space and not well-suited for more than one user. Children’s art and wall hangings had been haphazardly added over the years, and a closet was underutilized due to a lack of shelving.

Study: BEFORE

Study: AFTER

To visually enlarge and lighten the study, we painted everything — walls, trim, cabinets, and ceiling — the same fresh creamy white. The once-underused closet was transformed into an open storage nook: the door removed, with a drawer bank and open shelves added.

We were refreshing the client’s dining room at the same time, and a beautiful wool rug that was too floral for that space was the perfect size and pattern for the study, so it was a great chance to save/repurpose. The colors for the room: cream, turquoise, gold, rust, and navy — were all taken from the textile as inspiration.

This study is full of IKEA hacks, tackled by the owner during the pandemic: the corner sofa was too low to the ground, so she added wooden feet to raise the height; the desk is an IKEA butcherblock countertop custom-cut and placed over a single cabinet, with legs added at each corner for support. The closet cabinet is a modified base from IKEA’s kitchen collections.

Her daughters’ art projects are now displayed in a vertical array of easy-change pop-out acrylic frames. Custom fabric Roman shades, though neutral, bring the final tailored element to the space, and were the perfect “splurge” in a room where savings were otherwise found through DIY projects, Craigslist finds, and reuse.